How I Teach Colors Using Boom™ Cards
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In this post I’m going to share with you how to teach colors using Boom cards (and more) to students in your early childhood and special education classrooms.
What is Color?
Before I begin, let me ask…how do you know that a student knows what color is?
That was one of the questions I was asked back in 2003 when I defended my thesis. I had used a strategy called simultaneous prompting (Wolery, Ault, and Doyle,1992) to teach students with severe expressive and receptive language delays how to identify colors using basic picture vocabulary and songs.
How did I know that a student understood NOT just the name of the color, but the concept of what color is. Something so very simple to most can be quite complex to others.
Color is abstract. Unless it is given meaning, the words red, blue and green won’t mean a thing. As an early intervention specialist, I spend a lot of time working with students to give meaning to colors. From books and songs to art projects and Boom cards, students are immersed in activities that include multiple learning modalities and sensory experiences. (I have included some of my favorite activities for teaching the color red at the end of this post).
One of my (new) favorite teaching methods is using Boom cards to teach colors and other basic concepts. Boom cards provide immediate feedback, are interactive, allow you to track progress and differentiate your lessons quickly and easily. Interested in learning more about Boom cards? Check out my post here.
Today I am going to share with you my latest bundle of Boom Cards that focus on eleven basic colors: red, blue, green, yellow, orange, purple, pink, gray, black, white and brown. Each deck will contain the following activities outlined below. For today’s example, I’m going to highlight the color red.
Introducing the Color
Students are provided with the name of the color along with a sample of what the color looks like. Sentences are short and simple. Students can click on the audio button to hear the sentence read aloud on each card in the deck. This allows students to complete the activities in the deck independently and as often as they need in order to learn the material.
