At what age do they know their shapes and colors?

DS knows 3 shapes very well now. Circle, square and star.

He can match colors but does not know them by name yet.

Re: At what age do they know their shapes and colors?

You mean pick them out if you ask him to point to a star, circle, blue, yellow? Or you mean point to it himself and say what it is?

Re: At what age do they know their shapes and colors?

Re: At what age do they know their shapes and colors?

Great question! I've been wondering this myself for a while now - but everyone gives me a different answer! I'm not sure what the "right" answer is but I can answer for DS.

DS is 20 months now. Starting at 17 months he would point to basic shapes (circle, oval, rectangle, triangle) if I asked him to - by the beg of 18 months he knew them well and identified them out loud by name (like if he saw a triangle in a picture he would point to it and say triangle). He started with circle, triangle, rectangle, and oval. At 19 mos he started verbally naming more - star, heart, pentagon, etc. and can identify those shapes as well wherever he sees them. I think those came later b/c they weren't on his original melissa and doug puzzle where we taught him the shapes.

Colors are a confusing answer. I'm not sure if he knows his colors. He can definitely match colors and he can say the names of most colors. However, although this month he has become much more consistent he still occassionally gets them wrong - especially with new things. So, honestly, I really don't think he 100% knows his colors by word. Like sometimes he will point to a blue car and say "green car." But, he is right more often then not - sometimes I worry secretly if he is color blind.

Re: At what age do they know their shapes and colors?

We haven't done colors as much, so I can't officially say. But he always picks orange or yellow when he has a choice of pool noodles. And he always says the color when he picks it. (But he doesn't say any colors normally at home.)

As for shapes, he has known them for quite a while. I'd say around 12 or 13 months, but he still doesn't say them. He has a book where he picks out the shapes if I ask them and it was his favorite a few months ago. Now he can pick out shapes in any book he reads. But he doesn't say them.

Re: At what age do they know their shapes and colors?

Lily started her colors about a month ago at about 22 or 23 months.
Shapes she's known for a little longer....she started with hearts and stars, and now (thanks to Noggin) she knows octagon, square, and circle

Re: At what age do they know their shapes and colors?

Noah doesnt speak either but we rely on his Speech therapist and him pointing to us to tell us.

He had about 3 colors at around 22 months. Now at almost 24 months he knows all his colors . But his cousin is almost 3 and doesn't remember them as much as him...so it could be dependant on the child.

Shapes we started about a month ago. He knows Triangle, Circle, heart, star. We havent "tested" him too much on it and thats when we find out what he knows ( because of the non talking).

We didnt even know he knew all his colors till we asked one day out of the blue and he picked up the coordinating marker every time for every color.

It's harder to "know" when they cannot express or say the words.

We are starting Alphabet now and he knows random letters.... Just a few so far consistently.

But cognitively, sometimes those lacking speech are more advanced in these memorization skills as they replace the expression skills with just soaking up all thats around them.

Re: At what age do they know their shapes and colors?

DD is almost 21 months.
Shapes she can pick it out if asked and can name it when I point:
Circle
Square
Triangle
Star
Rectangle
Heart

She usually knows but sometimes needs prompting:
Oval
Crescent
Semicircle
Diamond
Cross

Colors she can name if asked or point out:
Red
Yellow
Green
Blue
Purple

She is learning and needs prompting with:
Orange
Pink
White
Black
Brown

Re: At what age do they know their shapes and colors?

OH! Patti's post above about the cross remind me that he knew that shape waaayyy too early. He doesn't call it a cross though. He calls it 'ESUS' (for Jesus) He said that around a year. That's when you know I'm the crazy Catholic.

Message edited 5/14/2009 11:52:42 PM.

Re: At what age do they know their shapes and colors?

Posted by waterspout4

OH! Patti's post above about the cross remind me that he knew that shape waaayyy to early. He doesn't call it a cross though. He calls it 'ESUS' (for Jesus) He said that around a year. That's when you know I'm the crazy Catholic.

Re: At what age do they know their shapes and colors?

Posted by itsbabytime

Posted by waterspout4

OH! Patti's post above about the cross remind me that he knew that shape waaayyy to early. He doesn't call it a cross though. He calls it 'ESUS' (for Jesus) He said that around a year. That's when you know I'm the crazy Catholic.

Had to at this b/c my DS calls crosses "jesus" too! And, from my mom he grabs them and kisses them

Re: At what age do they know their shapes and colors?

Kaitee could point out shapes before 2 (she didn't talk much until after her second birthday). She just learned colors at 2 1/2. For the longest time I thought she might be color blind, then over night she learned all the normal colors

Brooke is 19 months old and she knows(and says) circles, squares, triangles, and stars. She will repeat any other shape I say but she can only remember those ones. She knows (and says) pink, blue, and most days green.

Re: At what age do they know their shapes and colors?

I'm not really sure what shapes Dylan knows or if he knows the names of any of them. He does play with shape sorter toys and now he gets all the shapes on the first try but he doesn't say anything except, "yay," as he plays. I always cheer like crazy and say "yay," when he gets the shape. Now he brings the sorter to people, looks at them and asks, "yay?" in an attempt to get people to play . When he gets the shape, he asks again, "yay? as if it is a question. That's all he says during this game. I say the names of the shapes but I rarely ask him to show me a specific shape (time to try again--I started and then stopped).

I'm a crazy mom because the one that looks like a piece of pie (triangle with rounded bottom) I call the "special triangle." Is there a real name for that shape? I say "six sided object" because I forget "hexagon." I guess it will be a while before my son says "six sided object."

It sounds like EJ is doing great in so many ways!

Re: At what age do they know their shapes and colors?

I noticed Cailen identifying some shapes from about 19-20 months. At 25 months he ca identify all shapes - even the more obscure ones (oval, heart, etc)

Colors, for a while he only knew yellow and orange - or would only label them. Now he has all colors - including black, brown, and gray.

However, he is in daycare all day, where they do art constantly.... And I do a lot of crafts with him where its discussed a lot.

Re: At what age do they know their shapes and colors?

I swear by the Melissa & Doug shapes puzzle where it says the shapes when you put them in. By 18 months, DD knew: oval, circle, octagon, rectangle, diamond, square, pentagon.She also knows trapezoid, but not sure how Her daddy is a math geek, so I think that's why she LOVES shapes. She points them out while we're driving if she sees one on a building, etc.



Colors she's a bit more stubborn with. She knows most of them, but unless it's green/yellow/pink, she'll say the wrong color, and if you say "what? which color is that?", then she'll say the right color.

ETA: It's great that he's matching his colors Sophie, that's very good!

Message edited 5/15/2009 7:34:45 AM.

Re: At what age do they know their shapes and colors?

Matthew knew is colors and shapes at 18 months, Christopher is starting ID shapes and letters, and he is 2.5.
I think it just varies for each child.

Re: At what age do they know their shapes and colors?

Posted by ABCiverson

Kaitee could point out shapes before 2 (she didn't talk much until after her second birthday). She just learned colors at 2 1/2. For the longest time I thought she might be color blind, then over night she learned all the normal colors

Brooke is 19 months old and she knows(and says) circles, squares, triangles, and stars. She will repeat any other shape I say but she can only remember those ones. She knows (and says) pink, blue, and most days green.

Re: At what age do they know their shapes and colors?

Andrew was late but I never sat down and helped either. I just didn't realize he should have known them so soon. There is just so much pressure on these kids. He really learned them all down pat by the time he was 2 1/2 thanks to preschool.

Re: At what age do they know their shapes and colors?

Posted by johnsae

so glad you said this about thinking your DD might be color blind...my DD is almost 2 and while she has her shapes down, she cannot identify any colors....I am seriously starting to think she may be color blind...but you have given me hope

Re: At what age do they know their shapes and colors?

Eddie is 20 months and he point out and name by himself.....

Colors:
red
green
blue
purple
orange
yellow
white

Shapes:
circle
square
heart
star
oval
rectangle
square
octagon
triangle

Message edited 5/15/2009 9:15:23 AM.

Re: At what age do they know their shapes and colors?

mikayla is getting better with her colors, she knows purple, green and blue and all other colors are either purple, green (or bean, as she says it) or blue

she is 26 months

Re: At what age do they know their shapes and colors?

I give up on the colors for now. Everything is gween or bwue I'm starting to think she is color blind!

Shapes she can do and learned those from the shape sorter and the Meet the Shapes DVD.

Re: At what age do they know their shapes and colors?

I think it depends on the baby. My ds could not speak, but could do all that stufff by 18 months. My dd is 20 months and speaks in full sentences. SHe knows so much but not her shapes and colors so much. Uhhh maybe I need to work on that