Colours: NCERT Class 3 English Poem (Santoor Chapter 1)

etmantra3 Nov 20264 min read

Colours is the first poem in the Class 3 Santoor book, and it is about something every child knows: crayons. Two children find that sharing gives them more than either has alone. It is a lovely way to talk about friendship and to learn colour names in English.

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From NCERT’s new English book Santoor for Class 3, unit “Fun with Friends”. Chapter 1.

What your child learns

Colour words: red, yellow, blue, green, purple, black
Why sharing with friends helps everyone
Action words like share, need, draw and play
Saying words that begin with 'gr', 'cr', 'dr' and 'pr'

What the poem is about

Two children are drawing. One child has red, yellow and blue crayons. The other child has green, purple and black ones. Each child needs a colour that the other one has.

So they decide to share. When they put their crayons together, they have every colour, a full pack. The poem has a happy, friendly feeling, and its message is simple: when friends share, both of them get more.

New words, with Hindi meanings

crayons: coloured sticks of wax for drawing and colouring (हिंदी: क्रेयॉन, मोम के रंग)
few: a small number, not many (हिंदी: कुछ)
share: to let someone else use what you have (हिंदी: बाँटना)
need: to want something because you must have it (हिंदी: ज़रूरत होना)
purple: a colour made by mixing red and blue (हिंदी: बैंगनी)
full: with nothing missing (हिंदी: पूरा)
pack: a box or packet that holds things together (हिंदी: डिब्बा, पैकेट)

Talk about it

Ask these aloud after reading or watching. Let your child answer in English if they can, or mix in their home language. Both help.

How many children are there in the poem?
Which crayons does the first child have?
How do the children get a full pack?
What do you share with your friends?

Answers for parents

There are two children in the poem.
The first child has red, yellow and blue crayons.
They put their crayons together and share them, so they have all the colours.
For example: I share my pencils and my tiffin with my friend Riya.

Grammar corner: Action words (verbs)

Words that show what someone does are called action words. Share, draw, colour and need are action words. Every sentence has at least one action word.

Riya draws a red apple.
Aman colours the sky blue.
The two friends share their crayons.

Practice at home

Fill in the blank: Purple is made by mixing red and ___.
Unjumble the letters to find a colour: N E E R G
Circle the action words: crayon, draw, red, share, paper, colour

Answers: 1. blue · 2. GREEN · 3. draw, share, colour

Try this

Play a sharing game. Give your child three crayons or pencils and keep three different ones yourself. Ask your child to draw a picture that needs a colour only you have. Your child must ask for it politely, like 'May I have the green one, please?' Then swap roles. At the end, look at the picture you made together with all the colours.

Tip for parents

Ask your child in Hindi first: 'Tumhare paas kaun se rang hain?' Then say each colour in English as you point to it: laal is red, peela is yellow. Let your child answer in any mix of Hindi and English, and praise every colour name they try in English.

Questions parents ask

What is the moral of the poem Colours?

When friends share what they have, everyone gets more. By sharing their crayons, the two children get a full pack.

Which colours are named in the poem Colours?

The poem names red, yellow, blue, green, purple and black.

Is the poem Colours in the new NCERT book?

It is in NCERT's new Santoor book for Class 3. It is Chapter 1, in Unit 1, Fun with Friends.

Learn every Class 3 chapter with CALP

Every chapter of Santoor, NCERT’s new book, with notes in English and Hindi, say-it-aloud practice with a score, grammar, speaking and first writing practice. ₹1,299 for the whole year.

See the free lessons and enrol →