My Son Can’t See. How Do I Explain Colors To Him?

While explaining colors to a blind person may seem like an impossible task, there are special techniques that can make it work

It is true that our eyes are the most important sensory organs of our body. However, for a person born without vision or with very limited sight, it does not mean the end of the road. When it comes to living a normal life, such individuals can increase their reliance on other senses such as smell, taste, sound and touch. Motions and gestures and even intuition and extra-sensory perceptions can also play a key role in helping a blind person to understand their world. If your son cannot see, let us check out how you can explain colors to him.

Understanding the strategy for explaining colors to a blind child

You need to use colors in everyday conversations. For example, you can give your child a strawberry and describe its red color. Similarly, you can use various other colors in everyday conversation. You need to make it feel normal, instead of trying to burden your child with hard lessons.

The child first needs to understand the color associations just like another piece of information. For example, they can learn that ripe bananas are yellow, the grass is green, etc. They may not see the color, but they will understand the colors of specific objects around them.

You can allow the child to feel, touch, taste and smell the things, so that they can develop a stronger color association. This enhances the overall picture of the object they have in mind. You should patiently answer any of the queries they have about colors. Even if it does not work immediately, you can expect better results with continuous training.

How to explain colors to a blind child?

A good way to explain colors to a blind child is to explain the basic characteristics of each color. Here are some examples you can consider.

Red – Explain this as something hot or warm, or loud or exciting. Draw associations with commonly used products like tomatoes, strawberries, apples, cherries, etc. Red can also be associated with danger such as a traffic stop sign.

Blue – Describe this color as something cooling or calming. Something like the waves of an ocean or soft music. Blue can be refreshing like the clear blue sky or it can also be associated with sadness. Common product associations for blue will include the sky, jeans, blueberries, etc.

Yellow – This color is associated with things like warmth and brightness. It can also be associated with taste and smell, using items like ripe lemons. Your child can develop a better understanding of yellow when they are out in the sun.

Green – This is all about freshness and being alive. Interacting with plants and trees or walking on grass can improve the understanding of the color green. One can also experience the color green via taste, using items like mint, broccoli, raw mangoes, etc.

Orange – Common associations include high energy, friendly vibes and loudness. The taste and smell experience can be quite strong with products like oranges and carrots.

Purple – This is associated with things like royalty, calm nature, dignity and maturity. One can use items like lavender flowers to establish an association via the sense of smell. Similarly, items like berries can strengthen the color association via the sense of taste.

Pink – This is usually linked to characteristics such as soft and sweet. For a person, it can mean things like being gentle or fun.

Black – One can describe this color as mysterious, strong, deep and quiet.

White – This is associated with things that are smooth, quiet, clean or floating. The white toothpaste used everyday can build a strong association with the white color for a blind individual.

Brown – This is all about qualities like earthy and sturdy. Common items like coffee and cocoa can be used to describe the brown color to a blind person.

Grey – This is often considered a neutral color. The grey clouds and the linked climate conditions can help build a better understanding of the grey color.

You have to make the child understand the colors via hands-on activities and tools. Let them hold various objects, while you describe the respective colors. You can also explain to them how light wavelengths are different for each color. This will further help them differentiate between various colors. You can also use ‘The Black Book of Colors’, which is a good tool to help your child understand colors.