May 15, 2013

What is a fun cut and paste activity that is good for preschool?

I have another fun cut and paste activity for you today and it is perfect for preschool. I made some sorting colors cut and paste pages. There are three different pages you can print or you can just print one for your preschooler. Each page has 8 pictures with two different colors. Simply have your preschooler cut out each picture and then glue it in the box with the same color at the top.

Little Bear went through a small phase a few months ago where he didn’t want to cut anything. I guess it was getting difficult for him and was taking a long time and the end result didn’t turn out perfect. Little Bear can be a bit of a perfectionist (unfortunately he gets that from me and from my amazing husband, so the poor kid has a double whammy). So, I think cutting was frustrating because it took so much effort and he could see that he hadn’t done a good job.

For a while I tried to limit the number of cutting activities that we did because I was trying to be sensitive to his frustrations. However, when we did do cutting activities, I tried to make them extra fun so that he would be willing to try. I found that colorful cutting activities (like these sorting colors cut and paste pages) were the perfect thing to get him motivated.

These sorting colors pages are pretty simple and don’t really need much explanation. Little Bear didn’t really need any instructions to complete the pages; he just needed some scissors and glue. These pages are in color, but you could also print the pages in black and white and start the activity by coloring the pictures the correct color. That way, this becomes a color, cut, and paste activity. Hopefully your preschooler enjoys these sorting pages. Don’t forget to check out my cut and paste apple tree from last week.

We've found some fun people with great linky parties. You might just see this post linked up on one of these amazing sites! Link and Learn from No Time for Flashcards Sunday Showcase from Train Up a Child Share it Saturday from Teach Beside Me Tot School Gathering Place from 1+1+1=1 Montessori Monday from Living Montessori Now Tuesday Tots from In Lieu of Preschool Show and Tell from ABC & 123 For the Kids Fridays from Sun Scholars Finished Friday from All Our Days Weekly Kids Co-op from Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails Preschool & Kindergarten Corner from Homeschool Creations TGIF Linky Party from 123 Homeschool 4 Me

March 7, 2013

What are some color activities or games I can do with my toddler to teach him or her colors?

If you are looking for ways to teach colors, you have come to the right place. Check out this ultimate resource for teaching colors. There are over 45 games, activities, and books that will help kids, preschoolers, and toddlers learn and understand colors.

If you have a color activity you would like to add, please leave it in the comments and we’ll add it to this list!

Color Exploration

1. Color Scavenger Hunt from Moms Have Questions Too
2. I Spy Color Cards from Moms Have Questions Too
3. Outdoor Color Scavenger Hunt from Inner Child Fun
4. Bubble Painting from Moms Have Questions Too
5. Playdough Color Theory from At the Butterfly Ball

Color Matching

1. Popsicle Stick Color Matching from Moms Have Questions Too
2. Color Matching Watercolor Activity from Playing House in Maryland
3. Paint Chip Color Match from Tot School
4. Color Matching Rainbow Mural from No Time for Flashcards
5. Paint Chip Matching from Moms Have Questions Too
6. Colored Fishies from Moms Have Questions Too
7. Color Matching Bottles and Lids from We Made That

Color Mixing

1. Ice Cube Color Mixing from Moms Have Questions Too
2. Mix Paint in Plastic Baggie from Teach Preschool
3. Easter Egg Color Mixing Water Play from Teach Preschool
4. Color Mixing and Painting with Skittles from Gummy Lump
5. Printable Color Wheel and Water Droplets Activity from Mama Jenn

Math Activity

1. Pegboards from Moms Have Questions Too
2. Color Puzzles from Moms Have Questions Too
3. Color Pattern Cards from Stay At Home Educator
4. Color Graphing from The Golden Gleam

Sensory

1. Color Sensory Bins from Moms Have Questions Too
2. Bean Bag Color Toss from The Chorister’s Corner
3. DIY Wooden Gradient Blocks from Handmade Charlotte
4. Sidewalk Simon: Rainbow Learning Activity from Toddler Approved

File Folder Games/Busy Bags

1. Egg Carton Pompom Match from Moms Have Questions Too
2. Crayon Color Words Magnet Mat from Flapjack Educational Resources
3. Paint Brush File Folder Game from Confessions of a Homeschooler
4. My Colors Quiet Book from Everyday Celebrations
5. Printable Color Worksheets from Kids Learning Station
6. Color Sorting into Cups Busy Bag from My Joy-Filled Life
7. Book of Colors from Ain’t She Crazy
8. Dino Eggs File Folder Game from File Folder Fun

Sorting Colors

1. Snowflake Colors and Color Word Matching from We Can Do All Things
2. Rainbow Playdough Color Match and Stick from No Time for Flashcards
3. Sorting Colors with Cardboard Tubes and Pompoms from Learning 4 Kids
4. Muffin Tin Color Sorting from Mamas Like Me
5. Jelly Bean Sorting from Toddler Approved
6. Big Color Sorting Game from My Nearest and Dearest

Rainbow Activities

1. Rainbow Craft Clay Puzzle from Moms Have Questions Too
2. Plate Rainbow Craft from Blog Me Mom
3. Paper Squares on Rainbow Outline from The Gold Jellybean

Color Books

1. Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh
2. Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.
3. A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni
4. Pantone: Colors by Pantone

We've found some fun people with great linky parties. You might just see this post linked up on one of these amazing sites! Link and Learn from No Time for Flashcards Sunday Showcase from Train Up a Child Share it Saturday from Teach Beside Me Tot School Gathering Place from 1+1+1=1 Montessori Monday from Living Montessori Now Tuesday Tots from In Lieu of Preschool Show and Tell from ABC & 123 For the Kids Fridays from Sun Scholars Finished Friday from All Our Days Weekly Kids Co-op from Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails Preschool & Kindergarten Corner from Homeschool Creations TGIF Linky Party from 123 Homeschool 4 Me

March 4, 2013

How can I make my toddler’s Montessori inspired tot trays St. Patrick’s Day themed?

Smiley Man is 22 months old.

We love tot trays!!! Seriously, I cannot say this enough. It is the perfect “homeschool” to do with my toddler. Our trays are all about playing, but Smiley Man thinks he is doing work just like his big brother. So far, Smiley has loved all of the activities and trays that he has done. This St. Patrick’s Day set of trays is no different. I got almost all of the materials from around my house or from the dollar store. Smiley Man definitely isn’t ready for school, but he is a toddler that likes to be involved. Check out his awesome tot trays and hopefully they will give you some ideas for your tot school.

Erasers on Pencils

Smiley Man put green and yellow erasers onto the ends of pencils.

Open and Close Containers

This tray has a bunch of containers to open and close. A few, but not all, of the containers have a piece of gold in them. The gold makes this tray very exciting to Smiley.

Matching Cards

I printed off these St. Patrick’s Day Matching cards, cut them out and laminated them. All of the cards go on the tray along with a cup or bowl. Smiley Man matches a set of cards, and then puts them into the bowl. I make sure to only have 2-3 types of pictures on the tray at a time, but if your child is older, use as many cards on the tray as you see fit.

Golf Tee in Styrofoam

Use golf tees to cover the shamrock that is colored onto the Styrofoam. We did a similar activity when we did our Valentine’s tot trays and Smiley Man loved it so I knew I had to think of a similar activity for St. Patrick’s Day.

Fold Washcloths

I got some green washcloths from the dollar store. They were unfolded on the tot tray and Smiley folded them. I demonstrate each of these trays before Smiley Man does them, but this one took a bit extra demonstration. He’s getting it though. :)

Color Game 9

(Each color game is only on the tray for one week. The rest of the activities are on the trays for two weeks. That means I go through two color games, but only one of all the other activities.)

Here is a link to the full post.

Color Game 10

Here is a link to the full post.

St. Patrick’s Day Tot Book

I read this book at least once during the time that these trays are out. If Smiley Man uses this tray while I am working with Little Bear, he can color the pictures or just look at the pictures as he turns the pages. I do not in any way expect Smiley Man to learn how to read by looking at this book. This book is simply for exposure to words and letters and concepts of print.

Printables

St. Patrick’s Day Tot Pack: St. Patrick’s Day Matching (pg. 18), Shape Tracing (pg. 19)

Featured Toy

Wooden ABC Blocks

Themed Books

St. Patrick’s Day Touch and Feel Board Book

St. Patrick’s Day by Ann Rockwell

The Night Before St. Patrick’s Day by Natasha Wing

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Clover! by Lucille Colandro

Treasure Hunt

There are five gold coins and an empty green top hat. When Smiley Man chooses this tray, I take about 2 minutes to hide all 5 coins. I hide them in pretty obvious places and Smiley Man often watches me while I hide them, but he still LOVES this tray. He just finds the coins and puts them into the hat.

Pull Cup

I made our “pull cup” using a black cup from the dollar store and ribbon in all the colors of the rainbow also from the dollar store. I simply made some slits in the bottom of the cup using a very sharp knife. The slits are small, just barely big enough for the ribbon to fit through. There are six slits, one for each color of the rainbow. I cut each ribbon into a 12 inch piece, then pushed one end through a slit. Finally, I made a knot on the top and the bottom of the ribbon. I repeated with all the colors. To play this, start with all of the ribbon on the inside of the cup. Set the cup on the tray and have your toddler pull each ribbon until the knot on the bottom stops it. You’ll end up with a rainbow coming out of a pot of gold look. This is also a great activity to practice colors!

We've found some fun people with great linky parties. You might just see this post linked up on one of these amazing sites! Link and Learn from No Time for Flashcards Sunday Showcase from Train Up a Child Share it Saturday from Teach Beside Me Tot School Gathering Place from 1+1+1=1 Montessori Monday from Living Montessori Now Tuesday Tots from In Lieu of Preschool Show and Tell from ABC & 123 For the Kids Fridays from Sun Scholars Finished Friday from All Our Days Weekly Kids Co-op from Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails Preschool & Kindergarten Corner from Homeschool Creations TGIF Linky Party from 123 Homeschool 4 Me

February 28, 2013

What is a color game my toddler can play with that will teach him about rainbows?

I’ve made several color games for Smiley Man now and they have been awesome, but I really wanted to make something for him that was a little more self-directed. I wanted to have something he could play with even if I wasn’t sitting right there showing him what to do. I remembered this awesome easy craft clay that I made with Little Bear several months ago, and I knew just what to do to adapt it to a toddler color game.

First I made some of this easy craft clay. When you are done making it, the bottom of your pan will be coated in clay stuff and you will be worried that it will never come out. It will come out, I promise. ;)

Once the clay was finished, we rolled out a few thin “snakes” and put them on top of this rainbow template to make sure they had the right size and shape. You have to be careful with the size of your snakes. You want them big enough that they will be able to hold up to toddler use, but you want them thin enough that they don’t take forever to dry. If they are too thick it will take them a week or more to dry completely. I know this from experience. :(

Once the clay has dried completely (it will still take a day or two) get out some paint and have your toddler help paint the pieces the correct colors of the rainbow. We used watercolor paint and they worked beautifully. Be sure to talk about the different colors and explain that the colors always go in that order. You can also look up images of rainbows on the internet and show your toddler that rainbows always have the same colors in the same order. If you are lucky, you will have a real rainbow you can show your toddler.

After all the painting is done, let the paint dry completely. This will probably take another day or so. Once the paint is all dry, you can take the pieces off of the template and they are now a rainbow puzzle.  I have done this twice and the first time the pieces dried beautifully with no cracks. As you can see, there were lots of cracks this time, but it’s a puzzle, right? The cracks just make it more puzzle-like. I printed another copy of the rainbow template onto cardstock and I painted it the colors of the rainbow, then I laminated it. I have Smiley Man put the pieces onto the rainbow template.

Smiley Man really likes this rainbow puzzle. They have held up pretty well to his use, but I do have to watch and make sure the pieces don’t go into his mouth. :)

We've found some fun people with great linky parties. You might just see this post linked up on one of these amazing sites! Link and Learn from No Time for Flashcards Sunday Showcase from Train Up a Child Share it Saturday from Teach Beside Me Tot School Gathering Place from 1+1+1=1 Montessori Monday from Living Montessori Now Tuesday Tots from In Lieu of Preschool Show and Tell from ABC & 123 For the Kids Fridays from Sun Scholars Finished Friday from All Our Days Weekly Kids Co-op from Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails Preschool & Kindergarten Corner from Homeschool Creations TGIF Linky Party from 123 Homeschool 4 Me

February 21, 2013

What is an activity with bubbles that will help my child learn about colors?

This color game was definitely one of Smiley Man’s favorites. He didn’t have to guess the right color, or sort, or anything. We just explored colors and had fun with them. Luckily, this is still a great way for teaching your toddler colors.

I started by pouring some bubble solution (from the dollar store) into each of three small containers. You could do this activity in the container the bubbles come in, but I wanted the colors to be easier to see. Next, I put a few drops of food coloring into each container. I think I dropped in about 5 drops per container. We just did red, yellow, and blue this day, but I think we’ll do this activity again with orange, green, and purple.

I sat down with Smiley Man and Little Bear at their preschool table and gave each of them a white piece of paper. Then, I showed them how they could blow bubbles onto their paper and it would make color on their paper. Both of my kids were totally fascinated by this phenomenon.

Little Bear loves blowing the bubbles and making a bunch of colors on the paper. Then, he wanted to make a paper with only blue bubbles.

Smiley Man needed my help holding the bubble wand because he kept putting the bubble wand in his mouth. :( Yucky. As long as I held the bubble wand though, Smiley did great. His favorite part was popping the bubbles on the paper and then seeing the color appear.

My kiddos loved this game and it was a really great way to learn the colors. Both my preschooler and my toddler were able to just enjoy colors and have fun with them. Plus, Smiley Man is really starting to get his colors down. His favorite color is definitely blue. I see a blue-themed 2 year old birthday party in our future. :)

We've found some fun people with great linky parties. You might just see this post linked up on one of these amazing sites! Link and Learn from No Time for Flashcards Sunday Showcase from Train Up a Child Share it Saturday from Teach Beside Me Tot School Gathering Place from 1+1+1=1 Montessori Monday from Living Montessori Now Tuesday Tots from In Lieu of Preschool Show and Tell from ABC & 123 For the Kids Fridays from Sun Scholars Finished Friday from All Our Days Weekly Kids Co-op from Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails Preschool & Kindergarten Corner from Homeschool Creations TGIF Linky Party from 123 Homeschool 4 Me