What You Will Need

• Scissors

• Color Swatches in a variety of colors (usually found in the paint section of your stores hardware department)

• Flat Surface

• Ziploc storage bag

How To Make The Game

1. Cut the color swatches into rectangular shapes by section. For example, cut out each different shade of the red color swatch by the separating lines.

2. Once you have all of the pieces cut out, you can use the Ziploc bag to store the game in for future use.

How To Play

1. Begin by placing all of the sectioned color swatches color-side up on a flat surface.

2. Scatter the colors around to provide a bit of a challenge to find the pieces that go together.

3. Choose a color that will begin play, such as blue.

4. Invite your preschooler to find all of the blue pieces in a row from darkest to lightest or vice versa, continue to choose the colors that your preschooler is expected to categorize until there are no remaining pieces.

Game Variations

For younger preschoolers you may need to make the game a little easier. It is difficult for younger preschoolers to understand grouping and creating a chart to help them match the colors will provide them with a concrete tool for making the challenge easier and more enjoyable.

1. Using white construction paper and crayons (the big box that has a variety of shades) you can draw replicas of the color swatches that you picked up in the paint section.

2. Have your preschooler match the cut out sections of the color swatches to the color on the construction paper that you created.

Note: Laminate the construction paper color chart that you've created for prolonged durability.

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Helpful Tips for Parents

• Game time is a powerful family connection opportunity. 20 minutes of a board game or outdoor game delivers more relational warmth than 20 minutes of parallel screen time.

• Classic games (Duck Duck Goose, Red Light Green Light, Hide and Seek) have lasted because they're developmentally well-matched — they work across ages, require minimal equipment, and never get old.

• Games of chance (dice games, spin-the-wheel) are excellent for preschoolers because the outcome is random — no one is consistently better than anyone else, making losing easier to accept.

• Games that involve physical movement (Simon Says, freeze dance, relay races) develop the same cognitive regulation capacities as sitting-still games, with the addition of gross motor benefits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are video games appropriate for preschoolers?

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting all screens (including video games) to 1 hour per day for children ages 2–5. Simple, educational touchscreen games have minimal harm when time-limited; fast-paced, commercial, or violent video games are not appropriate for preschoolers at any screen time level. The best educational value comes from games that are interactive and challenge thinking — simple puzzles, matching, and story-based apps. Video games should not replace physical games or creative play for any preschooler.

What makes a game developmentally appropriate for preschoolers?

A developmentally appropriate preschool game has: simple rules (explainable in 2–3 sentences), a play time under 20 minutes, sufficient chance that skill level doesn't dominate outcomes, a cooperative or non-eliminating structure (or short elimination periods), and immediate, visible feedback on outcomes. Games that require reading, complex strategy, sustained attention beyond 20 minutes, or perfect rule-following are typically not yet appropriate for ages 3–5.

Related reading: See also our board games guide and our memory games guide for more ideas on this topic.

🎓 Skills Your Child Will Develop

• 🏆 Sportsmanship — Experiencing winning and losing in a supportive environment — and practicing how to handle both graciously — builds the emotional resilience and social grace that competitive situations throughout life require.
• 📜 Rule-Following — Learning and following game rules builds the ability to hold instructions in working memory and apply them consistently — a direct parallel to the classroom rule-following that teachers identify as the top kindergarten readiness skill.
• 🤝 Cooperation & Teamwork — Cooperative games where players work toward a shared goal develop the perspective-taking, communication, and mutual support skills that group work in school and throughout life require.
• 🔢 Early Math Concepts — Counting dice, keeping score, recognizing numbers, and comparing quantities makes game time genuine mathematics practice — and games deliver math in a context children find intrinsically motivating.

Preschoolers enjoy learning about colors and can go on for hours naming the colors of different objects that they find around the house. The Rainbow Colors Educational Game goes one step further to teach your preschooler that there are various shades in a particular color group. Indulge your preschoolers' fasination with colors and play the Rainbow Colors Educational Game today!