Toddlers begin learning color just by you talking about it. When you sort out laundry, talk about the different colors of the clothes, identifying that this shirt is red, and those trousers are black, while this sweater is green. At this early stage, focus on one color at a time. So you may start by noting all of the red items in the laundry basket one week, and then introduce green items the next week. Another way to approach the concept of color and help your child begin to identify different shades is to talk about the seasons. Tell your child that fall is red, yellow and orange because those are the colors of the leaves, but summer is green as this is when the grass grows, and winter is white because of the snow and ice.
Once toddlers are beginning to get used to the concept of color, take it a step further by introducing color into your speech. For instance, when you show your child his clothes as you dress him, explain that he will be wearing his blue shirt today. When something catches your child's eye, use color to describe it. So, for instance, if your tot is looking at a fire truck, say: "Look at that big red fire truck." When he is fascinated by a dog in the park, say: "That's a lovely brown dog."
Once toddlers have begun to get used to you using color in your speech, encourage them to begin identifying them. When you do the laundry, ask your child to pair socks. Give her a red sock and say: "Can you find the other red sock in the pile?" Start by assigning one color to each week. So, you could tell your child that this is red week and encourage her to point out everything she sees that is red, such as when walking in a park or supermarket. This may have the added benefit of keeping her engaged while out in public.
Toddlers love playing with messy things and doing things with their hands. Finger painting and coloring help them learn about color while having fun. Set up finger paints and a large sheet of paper for your tot to play with and ask him to use red paint, then blue paint, then green paint. Watch your child identify and use each color and gently correct him if he makes a mistake. For example, remind your child that green is the color of the grass if he begins to doubt which shade is green. Coloring in books is also a good way of teaching your child about color. He may begin by using different shades in a random order. Once he is used to doing this, ask him to color different sections of the picture in different colors.