Colors in English for kids
Short answer: The six basic colors taught here are red, blue, yellow, green, orange and purple. In English the color comes before the thing it describes: a red car.
Tap a color to hear its name. Colors (or "colours" in British spelling) are among the first words children use to describe things.
Updated 2026-10-30
Reviewed by Chinh Q. Hoang, PhD, founder, English for Fun · 2026-10-30
Tap to hear
Colour tips
- In English the color goes before the thing: "a red car", not "a car red". In Vietnamese it is the other way round ("xe màu đỏ"), so this is worth practicing.
- Orange is both a color and a fruit.
- Purple starts with a strong "PUR" sound; say the "p" clearly at both ends: pur-ple.
- British English writes "colour", American English writes "color". Both are correct.
Color games at home
- Sort toys or socks by color and name each pile.
- Play "I spy something red" on a walk or in the car.
- Ask "What color is it?" and answer with a full phrase: "It is blue."
Practice with Shape Island
Shape Island practices these six colors with shapes and sizes on Shape Shore, its free first island. I Can Read then uses the same colors in sentences on Paint Island, such as "The ball is red" and "I see a blue car".
Listening game: hear a word, tap the picture
Hear a word, tap the right picture. Ten questions per round, one topic at a time. Free, no account.
Free printable
Print-ready A4 sheets for "Colors in English for kids": a chart for the wall, cut-out flashcards and a worksheet with two short exercises. Free to print and share with your class.
Practice these words in the Learning Path
The Vocabulary stone has 1 short lessons on this theme, for example "Colors · elephant, pig, grape". Each lesson has five activities: hear, find, spell and review the words. Lesson 1 of Vocabulary is free. Open the Vocabulary stone.
Questions
Why only six colors?
These are the colors used in the games. Pink, brown, black and white are good next steps to add at home.
How do I teach "a big red ball"?
Size comes before color in English: "a big red ball", not "a red big ball". I Can Read practices this order on Paint Island.
More topics
Shapes in English for kids
Ten shape names, from circle to hexagon, with a side-counting tip.
Numbers 1 to 20 in English
Hear and say every number from one to twenty, with tips for the tricky ones.
The English alphabet for kids: all 26 letters, A to Z
All 26 letters, A to Z, with the name and a picture word for each.
Math words in English for kids
Plus, take away, equals, more and fewer: the words of early math.