My preschooler has been hard at work with learning colors activities for kids and building fine motor skills. I created this Color Matching Busy Bag with Clothespins to help with both! Since we know color learning toys, color matching games, and other hands-on activities are best, this one fits the bill. I have to admit, I kind of loved preparing this learning colors game, too, because Washi tape is just plain fun! Use the activity as a springboard for hands-on color mixing, painting, or other rainbow-themed learning.
Recommended Grade Level:
Color Matching Supplies:
- Clothespins
- Washi Tape
- Craft Sticks
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Find even more engaging activities in the Life Over C’s shop!
Color Learning Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers
COLOR ACTIVITIES FOR PRESCHOOL
LEARNING COLORS FOR TODDLERS IS OFTEN ONE OF THE FIRST STEPS FOR MANY YOUNG LEARNERS. KIDS BEGIN TO LEARN AND TALK ABOUT COLORS EARLY IN LIFE.
I love this toddler busy bag idea because it allows kids to explore and work on pincer grasp at the same time. While exploring the matching color game, they will begin to use their eyes to match objects with the same colors.
Grasping the clothespins also helps children learn colors and strengthen hand muscles at the same time.
This sorting activity is lots of fun once it’s set up. After you create all the color sticks and clothespins, your child will engage with this educational game over and over again.
The preschool busy bag is hands-on learning at its finest! Your child will be more engaged with these matching clothespins than any color recognition worksheet for preschoolers.
If you interact with your child while they explore (not required), feel free to spur thought and conversation:
- Do you have any red/yellow/blue toys?
- What else can you think of that is red/yellow/blue?
- Can you think of a food that is red/yellow/blue?
- What is your favorite color? Why?
What Can Toddlers and Preschoolers Learn While Playing with the Color Matching Learning Game?
GAMES FOR KIDS TO TEACH COLORS
LEARNING TO NAME AND IDENTIFY COLORS AROUND YOU IS THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS LEARNING OTHER IMPORTANT CONCEPTS, LIKE SHAPES, LETTERS, AND NUMBERS.
This color activity will be so fun and have your child shouting out colors everywhere! I included all of the colors of the rainbow as well as black and white.
Use preschool color recognition worksheets to check for understanding after they have had multiple opportunities to play this game.
If desired, you can use it as an opportunity for your child to hear new vocabulary associated with colors:
- Shade
- Primary/Secondary
- Dark/Light
Why Is It Important For Kids To Learn Colors?
Children are naturally curious about everything around them. Interactive colors and shapes activities and learning colors worksheets for kids help them understand the world a little bit better.
Background Knowledge
Color vocabulary is important! Most toddlers start by learning one color and then refer to everything as that color! It takes time and experience to learn that each color has its own name.
Connect with Nature
Identifying colors in pictures and then transferring the knowledge to things that are in the real world helps kids make important connections with the world, nature, and their lives.
Describe
Think of how many times we use color to describe something. When there are two of the same object, but different colors, it makes a world of difference!
Compare/Contrast
Learning color characteristics helps kids sort, compare and contrast with ease. Those are important skills for both reading and math instruction moving forward.
Tools you’ll need
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How to Make the Color Matching Clothespins Activity
To Prep:
For each color, put tape on 2 craft sticks and 3 clothes pins.
I found that, on the clothespins, tucking the tape over the ends of the clothespin on the back and front helped the tape to stay more secure.
This creates two different activities, but I stored them in the bag together so that I didn’t have to make duplicate craft sticks. If you want to store them in two separate bags, do an extra set of craft sticks. You can then store the clothespins and one set of craft sticks in one bag and two sets of the craft sticks in a second bag.
Two Activities:
For the clothespin activity, have your child match the clothespins to the correct color of craft stick. Three clothespins per color worked out perfectly to fit on the craft sticks.
The second activity is a matching game for the craft sticks. You can choose to do this two ways.
With a younger child, place the craft sticks face up and have them find the matching colors with your assistance.
For a slightly older/more skilled child, place the craft sticks color-side down and play a game of Memory to find the matching colors.
Our Favorite Books About Colors:
We can’t live without these!
Once your child’s creativity is sparked with this fun activity, take it a step further with these engaging resources:
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Eat More Colors: A Fun Educational Rhyming Book About Healthy Eating and Nutrition for Kids, Vegan Book, Plant Based Book, Colorful Pictures, Fun Facts
Swatch: The Girl Who Loved ColorMixed: A Colorful StoryThe Day the Crayons QuitThe Color Monster: A Story About EmotionsDr. Seuss’s Book of Colors (Bright & Early Books(R))Mix It Up!Curious Toddler A Colorful Book of Colors: A Picture Word Book About Colors for Kids Ages 2-4I Can Eat a Rainbow (Children’s Book Collection)
Sensory Bin
Fill the sensory bin with black and white pom poms, then hide the preschool color sticks inside. Kids will have fun pulling them out and sorting by color.
Have a Snack
Pick a color of the day and make a themed snack. Red could include strawberries, red O cereal, red gelatin, or red apples and fruit snacks.
Oral Language
Color recognition card games and activities can always spur conversation. Instead of just identifying the craft stick as red, encourage your child to say, “The stick is red like my stuffed dragon.”
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