Chances are when your students are asked to create a traditional color wheel; they aren’t overly thrilled. For most students, creating a twelve hue color wheel isn’t exciting. While they may be fascinated with color mixing, filling in the spaces on a color wheel template just isn’t enough.
So how can we get students excited about color mixing? It’s simple, turn the activity into a game.
Learn how to create and play Color Rush in your classroom and get your students excited about color theory!
Gather the materials.
- Painted color cards
- Color Rush Color Mixing Sheets
- Paint (red, blue, yellow, cyan, magenta, white, black)
- Paintbrushes
- Cardboard mixing palettes
- Water cups
- Paper towels/rags
Create color cards.
The essential game pieces in this game are the Color Cards. These cards show the colors your students will be trying to mix throughout the game.
Create the cards with these three tips in mind:
- Use exactly the same paint you will be giving your students to ensure they can reproduce the color.
- Paint a large sheet of paper with one color. This way, you can cut it into smaller pieces later, and each group will receive exactly the same color.
- After you cut the cards to size, laminate them to prolong their use.
Over time, you might even have your students add to your Color Card collection by creating their own.
Develop the rules.
I actually developed this game while taking the Studio: Painting – Tempera and Acrylic course. I loved earning credit while creating instructional content I could take directly into my classroom!
Below you’ll find the rules I came up with. Of course, you can tweak these to fit your students’ needs!
How do you play?
The game can be played individually, but is most fun when played in teams of two to four students. If working in teams, each student will mix their own color while collaborating with their teammates.
To start, pass out Color Cards of the same color to each team.
Set a timer anywhere from three to seven minutes. During this time, have students try to match the color on the Color Card by mixing their paint colors on the cardboard palette. When the timer goes off, coloring mixing must stop.
Students then choose the most accurate color from the group to paint on the Color Mixing Sheet. An excellent tip for struggling students is to combine colors with others on their team.
Finally, the judge (teacher) awards one point to the team to most accurately match the color.
You can download the game rules and a Color Mixing Sheet to use in your classroom below.
Some of the best learning experiences come through exploration and play. If you’re looking for ways to ensure your students gain authentic learning opportunities, try out this color mixing game. It’s guaranteed to keep your kiddos begging to play every day!
What is your favorite game to play in the art room?
Besides creating a traditional color wheel, what color mixing activities do your students enjoy?
Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional education contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education University (AOEU) or its academic offerings. Contributors use terms in the way they are most often talked about in the scope of their educational experiences.
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