January 17, 2013

What are some toddler color games that will teach colors to my toddler? How can I use pegboards in an educational activity for my preschooler?

I recently purchased some pegboards from Oriental Trading and I love them! Luckily, my children love them even more. Since the colors are so vibrant, it was only natural that I would use them for some toddler color games.

If you do buy this particular set of pegboards and pegs from Oriental Trading, I suggest putting all off the pegs in the holes and letting them sit for 1-2 days. The holes for the pegs were very small when they first came and Little Bear had a very difficult time putting the pegs in. Smiley Man tried once and immediately gave up because it was way too difficult for him. Luckily, I had the idea to put all the pegs in and let them sit for a couple of days. The holes are just the right size now and both Little Bear and Smiley Man love playing with the pegboards.

Here are the color games I made up. There are two different versions: a toddler version and a preschool version. The toddler color game mostly focuses on color recognition, but fine motor skills are definitely included. The preschool game includes color recognition, number recognition, counting, color discrimination, and fine motor skills. Little Bear and Smiley Man both love these color games.

Directions for Toddler Game

Set out 2-6 of the pegboards and have matching pegs next to each color of pegboard. Use fewer pegboards for a young toddler and more pegboards for an older toddler. Mix up the pegboard color cards (only include the colors of the pegboards that are set out) and place them in a pile face down near your toddler.

Have your toddler pick up the top card. Name the color or have your toddler name the color. Have your child pick up a peg of the matching color and put it into the matching color pegboard. Repeat with the next card.

Continue until one pegboard has all five pegs in it. That color is the winner!

Directions for Preschool Game

Set out all 6 pegboards and all of the pegs for each color (for the sake of the photo we just did 3). If desired, put all the pegs in a big pile without sorting by color. Mix up all pegboard color cards and place face down near your preschooler. Put 1-2 dice in a clear plastic container and put near the pile of color cards. Have your pick up the first color card and have them name the color.

Next, have your child roll the dice and count the dots on the dice. Have your preschooler put that number of pegs into the matching color pegboard. Draw another color card and draw the dice. Now, put that number of pegs into the matching color pegboard (the color of the card that was just drawn).

Continue until one pegboard is completely filled with pegs. That color is the winner! You may need to print off two sheets of pegboard color cards for the preschool game.

This game can easily be played with pompoms and construction paper if you do not have pegboards. If you do use pompoms and construction paper, I suggest drawing dots on the construction paper so the pompoms have an obvious “spot” on the paper. However, pegboards are great for fine motor development, plus they are extra fun for kids. I love my set of pegboards from Oriental Trading and definitely recommend it. Don’t forget to check out all of our other color posts too!

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

December 28, 2012

What is a color game using paint chips that I can play with my toddler?

If you haven’t seen them already, this is part three of our Color Games for Toddlers Series. Normally they will be posted on Thursdays but with the holiday this week today’s post is a day off.

Paint chips seem to be inspiration for everything these days. I have seen them used for cutting practice, paint chip coasters, paint chip calendar, paint chip baby mobile, paint chip art and paint chip matchbook notebooks. Today I am going to show you how to use them for a color game for toddlers.

I started with the paint chips that have 4 colors on them. Choose 7-10 different paint chips, all with different colors. I chose red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and brown.

You only need to have two squares for each color. I chose the bottom two squares for each color. Cut out the two squares for each color and put them aside. Don’t forget to recycle the extra squares using any of the ideas above. I’ll probably have Little Bear use them for cutting practice, and then maybe I’ll make a calendar with them.

Next, I laminated the squares that I was going to use. I have a Scotch laminator that I bought for $30. I bought lamination packets from Sam’s Club (200 sheets for $20), but you can also buy Scotch lamination sheets (100 sheets for $15) which is still a pretty great deal. Of course, laminating is purely optional, but with two messy boys, it sure is nice to have have my activities laminated.

Now you will need to find an object to stick half of the squares to. I used a shoe box lid because we had one lying around, but really, any sturdy surface will do. Choose which squares you want on the sturdy surface (the lighter shades or the darker shades). I chose to put the lighter shades onto the shoe box lid. I glued them on using a hot glue gun.

Once that is complete, you can add some Velcro to the top of the squares that are on your sturdy surface, and onto the back of the other squares. I opted not to do this because I don’t currently have any Velcro on hand. I think I may go back and add some though because it is hard for Smiley Man to make a match when using something as slippery as laminated paint chips. You could also add magnets instead of Velcro, but if you do, be sure to supervise your child while they are playing this game. Magnets are very dangerous if swallowed.

To play the game, set the shoe box lid covered with paint chip squares in front of your child (or on their lap). Point to each color and name it. If your child is learning the color names or knows the color names, have him say the names with you.

Next, pick up one loose square at a time. Name it (or have your child name it), then have them place it on top of the same color square that is on the shoe box lid. You may or may not decide to talk about how the colors are not exactly the same shade, but they are still the same color.

To store this game, put all the loose squares into a ziplock bag or an envelope and staple it to the back of the shoe box lid.

Be sure to take a look at all of my ideas for color games for toddlers!

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