Starchild: Malaysian children love bright colours like red, green and yellow

Desai Meshva Hardik, 7

What are some of the colours that you see around you? Could it be the colours of your lunch box, school bag or brightly hued fruits like oranges, strawberries and grapes?

The word “colour” comes from the Latin word “colos”, which means “cover” or “covering”.

The three primary colours are red, green and blue. They can be mixed in different combinations to create other colours.

Recently, we asked Starchild readers to send letters on the topic, Colours. We asked readers to choose the colours for a new coat of paint for their house. Here’s what they had to say.

Chuah Seng Koon, 6

Chuah Seng Koon, six, likes many colours, including red, yellow and blue.

“While my favourite colour is red, I have to consider other colours my family members like. I would have light grey and blue for the exterior of our house. The living room and wall would be white with light grey cabinets. I would prefer my bedroom walls to be blue and the cabinets in the study room to be yellow because yellow stands for royalty.”

Bethany Wang Qi Syuen, 7

“If I am a colour expert, I will paint my house in multiple cheerful colours. I will draw patterns on the exterior wall and paint the colours of the rainbow in the garage. My house will be decorated with a garden of colourful flowers. I want my house to look cheerful,” writes Bethany Wang Qi Syuen, seven.

Asher Wang Qi Chuen, 5

Younger sibling Asher Wang Qi Chuen, five, wants to paint his brick house yellow, with a pale green roof, sparkling blue windows and a grey door.

“It will be surrounded by a red fence and a blue gate. I like bright colours for my house. I hope it will reduce the presence of mosquitoes and keep the family safe from mosquito bites.”

Wong Jie Ern, 6

Six-year-old Wong Jie Ern writes: “I like the colours of the rainbow because they are pretty. There are seven colours and we can see them in the sky sometimes. I hope my room wall can be painted with rainbow colours. It will look bright and beautiful.”

Wong Cheng Yang, 8

"If I could decorate my home, I would include different colours like red, green, blue and purple. Lastly, my garage would be painted gold," writes Wong Cheng Yang, eight.

Florence Chan Zi Hsuan, 8

Eight-year-old Florence Chan Zi Hsuan wants to paint her room gold.

“I like this colour because it is beautiful and also makes me happy. Besides that, I will decorate the room with a colourful rug and also stick Disney’s Tsum Tsum stickers on the wall. The colour gold will be bright and shiny in the morning. It will turn into a dull colour during the night so that I can have a good night’s sleep.”

Haley Khoo, 6

Six-year-old Haley Khoo loves her house, especially her bedroom.

“Pink is my favourite colour. My blanket is pink too, while my pillows are sky blue. The headrest frame of my bed is brown. I have drawn a colourful unicorn on the wall behind my bed. On my side table, I have placed a sunflower.”

Liew Shan Ting, 10

Liew Shan Ting, 10, wants to paint his room dark teal and green as it reminds him of the universe.

“The walls will be painted dark teal because green tones are soothing. Then, I would install a gaming set-up, and decorate it with a bookcase, plant and a wall painting. I love my room because it’s the most comfortable place in the universe.”

Karen Wong Zi Yin, 12

Karen Wong Zi Yin, 12, wants to make her house the most colourful place in the world.

“I would paint my house walls blue, red, orange and purple because they are my favourite colours. l would paint the front wall purple and blue. The roof will be painted orange and red. l would decorate the wall with artistic pictures.”

Jayden Tan Li Sheng, 9

“My favourite place is at the corner at the staircase in my living room. This is a place where I study and play. I would like to decorate the place with wallpaper with clouds. The design can give me lots of imagination and inspiration when I do my drawings. It’s calming,” says Jayden Tan Li Sheng, nine.

Find the hidden words!

ITEM: Next week, Malaysia will hold its 15th general election. Millions of voters will be casting their ballot to pick leaders who will lead the country.

What are your hopes and wishes for Malaysia? What do you wish our future leaders could do for the country? Do you want a better education system? Or better Internet connectivity for students in rural areas? Or do you wish for a greener and more sustainable country?

Send us your drawing and messages to our future leaders.

Email your contributions to [e-mail] by Nov 18. Please put “STARCHILD: Dear Leaders” in the subject line of your email.

Scanned drawings should be in jpeg format, with a resolution of 200dpi.

Your contributions must carry your full name, age (open to children aged 12 and below only), gender, phone contact, and address. Instead of handwritten letters, please type out your letters.