Paint Color Mixing for Kids: Paper Crafts and the Color Wheel

Kids, do you know how to mix paint colors to make the colors you want?

Did you know that making your own color wheel can help you remember which paint colors make other paint colors?

Red, Blue and Yellow

There are three main colors on a color wheel. Those colors are called the primary colors. The primary colors are red, yellow and blue.

These three colors cannot be made by mixing any other colors. Don't believe it? Try it yourself.

Take any two colors and try to make blue, try to make yellow or try to make red. It can't be done.

Trying to make one of these three primary colors will help you remember that they are the main colors on the color wheel.

Addding the Primary Colors

Draw a circle on a piece of paper, about the size of a small paper plate. Or, just use a paper plate - since it is already cut into a nice round circle!

Divide the circle into three triangles. Write "red" in one triangle, "blue" in the second triangle and "yellow" in the third triangle.

Color or paint the three triangles red, blue and yellow.

Purple, Green and Orange- Where do They Go?

Start with a fresh piece of paper or a new paper plate.

If you have paper, draw a circle.

Now draw three triangles on the color wheel like you did before.

This time, draw a line in the middle of each triangle, dividing it in half. Do this to all three big triangles. When you are done you will have six triangles.

Label one triangle yellow. Skip one triangle, and mark the next one blue. Skip one more triangle on the color wheel and label it red.

Paint the primary colors on the wheel.

Mixing Colors

The three primary colors can be mixed together to make even more colors!

Mix equal parts of yellow and red to find out what goes between the yellow and red triangles.

Done?

Now paint the triangle in between yellow and red. It should be orange.

Next, equal parts of red and blue and paint that color in the triangle between red and blue.

Hint: the triangle should be purple.

Finally, mix equal parts of yellow and blue. Can you guess which color is missing?

That's right, green goes in the last triangle.

Enjoy the color wheel you made with this paper craft!