Colour Mixing Exploration
Systematic exploration of colour mixing using only primary colours (red, blue, yellow) plus white and black. Children create their own colour wheel, discover secondary colours, and make tints and shades.
Painting
Ages 5–1145 minsEasyIndividual or class
Watch on YouTube
Search: "colour mixing primary school art activity colour wheel" — video tutorials from popular craft channels
What you'll need
- Poster or acrylic paint: red, blue, yellow, white, black only
- Mixing palettes
- Cartridge paper (pre-draw a colour wheel template)
- Paintbrushes
- Water pots
How to do it
- Start with a pre-drawn colour wheel outline (12 segments).
- Paint the three primary colours in alternate segments.
- Mix red + yellow to make orange — paint in the segment between them.
- Mix blue + yellow to make green.
- Mix red + blue to make purple/violet.
- Mix each colour with white to create tints — make a tints scale.
- Mix each colour with black to create shades.
💡 Tips
Use a whiteboard or large mixing palette at the front to model each mix before children try. Insist on only red, blue, yellow, white, and black — discovering that everything else comes from these three is the revelation.
Books and materials
Convenience links for everything mentioned above. We link to Amazon — LessonKind may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Art books about colour
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I Interaction of Color (simplified classroom edition) — Josef Albers
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C Colour: A Visual History — DK