The Color Wheel

What Are Primary Colors?#

Colors are everywhere! Look around your classroom. You will see colors on books, on walls, and on your clothes. But did you know that many colors start with just three special colors?

These three special colors are called primary colors. The primary colors are red, yellow, and blue.

Primary colors are very important in art. They are called primary because you cannot make them by mixing other colors together. Red is red. Yellow is yellow. Blue is blue. They stand on their own!

Think about this: if you have only red, yellow, and blue paint, you can make almost any color you want. That is the magic of primary colors.

Why Are They Called Primary?#

The word "primary" means first or most important. Primary colors come first. All other colors come after. That is why artists learn about primary colors first.

Seeing Primary Colors Around You#

Look at a stoplight. The red light at the top tells cars to stop. Look at the sun. It looks yellow and bright. Look at the sky on a clear day. It is a beautiful blue.

Primary colors appear in nature all around us. Flowers can be red. Bananas are yellow. Blueberries are blue. Nature loves primary colors!

How to Remember Primary Colors#

Here is a fun way to remember: Red, Yellow, Blü — you can say the first letters: R-Y-B. Try saying it out loud: "Red, Yellow, Blue!"

You can also make a song: "Red and yellow and blue — the primary three, they make all the colors for you and for me!"

Now you know the three primary colors. In the next lesson, we will learn what happens when you mix them together. Get ready for a colorful surprise!