Mixing colours

Ages 6 to 8 Read together, then try alone · about 25 minutes

Read together

Red, yellow and blue are the primary colours. Mix two to make a new one.

Red and yellow make orange. Blue and yellow make green.

Do it

1. Put a little red, yellow and blue washable paint on a plate.
2. Mix two at a time and paint a swatch. Write the colour names beside each.
3. Add white to make a lighter tint, and a tiny bit of blue to make darker.
4. Paint a picture using only the colours you mixed.

Talk about it

• What colours made green?
• Can you make brown?

For the grown-up

Mixing is a hands-on lesson in colour. Use non-toxic washable paint and cover the table. If your child has colour-vision differences, name the colours aloud and label swatches; it is not a failing.

Mark as done

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Where this comes from

• Albers, J., Interaction of Color (Yale University Press, 1963)
• Smithsonian American Art Museum, educational pages on colour

Written with AI assistance and checked against the sources listed. Please read it before sharing it with a child.