Humanising Language Teaching
Year 6; Issue 1; January 2004

Colour Song

Primary, secondary and adult

MS M SE GB

Time: 5 minutes
Level: Beginners / Young learners
Material: A colour poster
Focus: Colours

This activity allows beginners and young learners to learn the colours while singing the song to the tune of Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes.

Preparation:
Make a large poster with a series of squares featuring the colours you want your students to learn.

Procedure:

1. Start teaching the colours by pointing to the square that represents that colour and saying the name of the colour that goes with it. When the class has learned the colours, move on to the next part of the activity.

2. Teach students the tune to Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes. Tell them that they are going to sing the song using the colours on the poster. Sing the song as you point to the colours on the poster.

3. It would go something like this depending on how you have arranged the colours on the poster.

   Red and yellow, green and blue
   Green and blue
   Red and yellow green and blue green and blue
   And pink and purple and orange and brown
   Red and yellow, green and blue
   Green and blue.

4. Once students have learned the song, sing the song whilst pointing to the colours randomly. This keeps students on their toes and gives you added lively practice time with the vocabulary.

5. Students take turns pointing out the colours in the order they are to be sung.

Variation:
Pearl Nietche in Vienna, Austria uses the tune to Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes when she teaches her students the parts of the body. She then asks students to work in small groups to make their own version of the song. Students come up with songs using parts of the body such as lungs and liver, heart and chest.