What Are Primary and Secondary Colors?

The primary colors are red, blue, and yellow. When primary colors combine, they create secondary colors. To make orange – combine yellow and red. To make purple – combine blue and red. And finally, to make green – combine yellow and blue!

Understanding primary and secondary colors is half the fun! Next comes the concept of shades and tints. When black is added to a color it becomes a darker shade. When white is added to a color it becomes a lighter tint!

We love this color mixing green leaf activity because it provides a real life object to better understand colors and how they combine to resemble something tangible!

• Blue and Yellow Paint
• Tape
• Craft Knife

• Piece of cardboard
• 1 gallon-size plastic bag
• Alcohol Swab or Nail Polish Remover
• Blue and Yellow Paint
• Tape
• Craft Knife

Step 4

Close the bag while removing the air bubbles.

Step 5

Tape the top of the bag to ensure it doesn’t leak.

Step 6

Tape the plastic bag down to the table and then tape the cardboard down to the table as well (to avoid it moving around while your child is mixing the colors).

Step 1

On a piece of cardboard, trace the outline of a heart and then use a sharp knife to cut out the shape.

Step 2

To remove the white label on the plastic bag all you need to do is rub it off with an alcohol swab or a cotton swab soaked in nail polish.

Step 3

Put the red and white paints inside separate parts of the bag to avoid mixing.

Step 4

Close the bag while removing the air bubbles.

Step 5

Tape the top of the bag to ensure it doesn’t leak.

Step 6

Tape the plastic bag down to the table and then tape the cardboard down to the table as well (to avoid it moving around while your child is mixing the colors).

FREE Printable Activity for Exploring Color Mixing

If your kiddo asking questions like – red and white make what color? You can’t miss our printable Hands on Color Mixing Activities. This printable set has 5 unique activities for exploring color mixing!

Enjoy coloring and distinguishing each of the colors in the rainbow! Then, learn all about what happens when primary colors mix to form secondary colors. Next, learn about shades (making colors darker) and tints (making colors lighter). And finally, go over all those concepts in a final round up review!

St. Patrick’s Day Printable Activities

If you are learning about color mixing green during St. Patrick’s Day (like we did, hence the clover and shamrock!), don’t miss our St. Patrick’s Day printable activities.

It includes 20 activities for practicing early childhood education skills, including alphabet recognition, number recognition, comparisons, tracing, writing, coloring, counting, color recognition, shapes, patterning, and so much more.

The trim the leprechaun’s beard activity was one of my kid’s favorites!

What Are Primary and Secondary Colors and Color Mixing?

The primary colors are red, yellow, and blue. These are the three main colors from which you can create a rainbow of other colors.

Secondary colors are any shades that are created after mixing primary colors together.

This educational activity lets your kids mix two primary colors to create a secondary color.

When your child mixes the yellow and red with their own fingers, they experience color mixing orange. They actually see how the yellow and red turn to bright orange when they combine.

There are other ways you can teach color mixing orange – but this is a mess-free way to mix paint colors together. It’s also a really fun sensory activity without the wet globs of paint spreading all over the table.

• Green paint or paint stick
• Tape
• Craft Knife

• 2 identical pieces of cardboard
• 1 gallon-size plastic bag
• Red and yellow paint
• Green paint or paint stick
• Tape
• Craft Knife

Step 4

Close the bag while removing the air bubbles.

Step 5

Tape the top of the bag to ensure it doesn’t leak.

Step 6

Sandwich the plastic bag between the two pieces of cardboard.

Step 7

Tape the plastic bag down to the cardboard (to avoid it moving around while your child is mixing the colors), and then tape the cardboard pieces to hold everything together.

Step 1

On one piece of cardboard, trace the outline of a carrot and then use a sharp knife to cut out the carrot shape.

Step 2

Use green paint or a paint stick to give the stem some color!

Step 3

In a freezer-type plastic bag, put the yellow and red paints on separate parts of the bag to avoid mixing. If you want to remove the white label on the plastic bag all you need to do is rub it off with an alcohol swab or a cotton swab soaked in nail polish.

Step 4

Close the bag while removing the air bubbles.

Step 5

Tape the top of the bag to ensure it doesn’t leak.

Step 6

Sandwich the plastic bag between the two pieces of cardboard.

Step 7

Tape the plastic bag down to the cardboard (to avoid it moving around while your child is mixing the colors), and then tape the cardboard pieces to hold everything together.

Educational Benefits of Color Mixing

This activity teaches both art and science. It’s a STEAM activity that marries science with art.

The science behind color mixing is all about teaching the basics of the scientific method in a fun way. Ask a question, form a hypothesis, experiment, observe, and create a conclusion.

Before you begin this activity, ask your child, “what will happen when you mix yellow and red?” Let them guess and then they get to test their theory.

This activity sparks an interest in colors and creativity too. What other colors combine to make more shades and hues?