Few things are as exciting for kiddo than getting out the paints. For all these activities, we strongly recommend putting kiddo in a grown-up’s old t-shirt or painting smock and lining the table with easel paper. Here, we focus on ways to help kiddo use that imagination and play with colors.

Color Detective Adventure
Set up a “mystery” where kiddos are detectives searching for new colors. Provide them with primary colors (red, blue, yellow) in clear containers and give them clues to mix certain colors. For example, “To find the color of the sun, mix yellow and red!” Kiddos can “solve” the color mystery by experimenting and discovering new hues.

Rainbow Magic Potion Making
Create a pretend potion-making station where kiddos are wizards or witches mixing magical colored potions. Use colored water or paints, and let them explore different combinations, giving names to the “potions” they create like “Dragon’s Breath Red” or “Fairy Sparkle Purple”.

Color Adventure Path
Set up a path of containers with primary colors (red, blue, yellow) and ask kiddo to walk along the path and “collect” new colors by mixing them in jars or small bowls. As they walk along the path, they can mix and discover all the new colors they can make.

Underwater Color Quest
Set up a pretend play scenario where kids dive into an underwater world to find new ocean creatures by mixing colors. For instance, mixing blue and green could create a new “sea creature color,” sparking their imagination about what those creatures look like.

Nature Color Explorer
Encourage kiddos to imagine they are nature explorers who need to mix colors to “create” new flowers, trees, or animals. Let them use the color mixtures to paint or draw their imagined creations, developing an environment of creativity and nature exploration.

Magic Brush Painting
Give kids a “magic” paintbrush that, when dipped into water or paint, reveals a new color. Let them experiment with dipping the brush in primary colors to see how many different colors they can create, using the new hues to “paint” a magical world of their own.

Color Mixing with Friends
Pair kiddos up and give each pair different colored liquids or paints. Ask them to “mix” and discover new colors together, fostering collaboration and conversation. As they experiment, they can share what new colors they’ve made and what they can imagine those colors to be.

Colorful Cooking Show
Set up a pretend kitchen where kids “cook” with colored water or paints. They can create colorful soups, smoothies, or cakes by mixing different hues. After mixing, they can “serve” their creations and describe the magical dishes they’ve made.

Shape and Color Collage
After mixing colors, give kiddos a variety of shapes (stars, circles, hearts, etc.) to cut out from colored paper. They can then glue the shapes onto a large sheet of paper, creating a colorful collage inspired by the new colors they’ve discovered. Add a story element where each shape represents a character or part of a magical world.

Color Mixing Sensory Bins
Set up sensory bins filled with water and droppers or small cups of colored water. Let kiddos explore mixing colors by adding drops of different colors to the bin, watching how they swirl and merge. Incorporate little figurines like animals or fairies, so kiddos can imagine that they’re changing the colors of the animals as they mix different hues.

These ideas will help children explore colors in a hands-on way, sparking their creativity and engaging their imaginations in playful, interactive learning.