I decided to kick off the New Year with some colorful fun with my littles. Because the weather was SO cold last week, we rarely left the house: as in, for pre-school drop-off/pick-up only. I thought the forced indoor time provided the perfect opportunity to focus on lots of fun with colors. Banks, being 4, is certainly well-versed in his colors, and Raleigh has actually made great strides in this area, too! Nonetheless, these activities were the perfect excuse to reiterate color identification for Raleigh while allowing us to be creative, get active, have educational fun, and blow off some steam.
Some of this isn't rocket science. Some of these are age-old ideas with an emphasis on color awareness, while others are original ideas. Regardless. All of it was really fun to do with my little ones. And I bet yours would love it, too, in case you're in search of any colorful inspiration. :)
Some of this isn't rocket science. Some of these are age-old ideas with an emphasis on color awareness, while others are original ideas. Regardless. All of it was really fun to do with my little ones. And I bet yours would love it, too, in case you're in search of any colorful inspiration. :)
ACTION
Color-Coded Bean Bag Toss. Given that we've been cooped up inside, it was important to me that we get out some of that never-ending energy. I brainstormed two fun color games. The first involved picking up the bean bags corresponding to the color I called out and launching them into the crate. The kids absolutely loved this!
Color Cone Connection. The second game required the kids to stand at the starting line (aka the wall) and then quickly follow the color instructions immediately after hearing "Go." For example, for Banks, I worked on multi-step directions and sequencing by saying things like, "Kick the blue cone, then touch the red cone." The directions became increasingly complex the more we played. And, of course, my ever-competitive little buddy loved that I was timing him so he could try to beat his own record. For Raleigh, I started with very simple instructions (e.g., "Touch the orange cone.") but was also able to increase my directions to two steps by the time we were done. This activity went on and on and on because the kids loved it so much!
Color Twister. Banks received a fun, new version of Twister for Christmas from his cousin Cameron and it proved to be a great tool for, again, identifying colors and following instructions while getting to sing, clap, wiggle, and dance. So fun!
ART
Is there a child out there who doesn't enjoy art? For me, this is a great forum for reiterating all kinds of educational topics. Check out this AWESOME color collage kit we gave to Raleigh as part of her birthday gift. I highly recommend it for all you mommas out there looking for an easy and fun art activity for your littles!
Color Collage. Basically, Raleigh and Banks were each given a pre-crafted color frame (that came with the kit) as well as lots of different scraps, stickers, and random items (that also came with the kit) that were used to create collages of specific colors. It was really fun to watch them create their monochromatic masterpieces!
Colorful Creations. We also did some additional fun art projects, including finger-painting, paintbrush painting, and coloring. We made them color-focused by talking about the specific colors each of us was using every time we were painting, drawing, coloring, etc.
Our new playroom artwork
And side note, if you don't know about Crayola Color Wonder products, they are a MUST for your kiddos. I am very strict about closely supervising my little ones every time they are coloring, fingerpainting, painting, etc., as in, I will sit next to them the whole time they are creating. This insures that I am not only having fun watching them create their works of art but also that my walls aren't covered in crayon, marker, or paint marks. Enter Crayola Color Wonder. These are specially crafted products in which the markers and paints will ONLY mark on the specific coloring and painting pages that come with each kit. These means there will be no markings on my walls and also ensures that I can run downstairs to throw in a load of laundry while my kids are happily coloring away. I VERY HIGHLY recommend them!!
ACADEMICS
Colorful Books. Raleigh was given this ADORABLE book by her Aunt Whit and Uncle Ronald as part of her birthday present; so, we've made it a point to read it several times over the last couple of weeks since it really hits home with color identification. It is so cute!
Colorful Puzzles. We are big fans of Melissa & Doug products in our home, and this puzzle is no exception. Raleigh received this colorful latch puzzle as a Christmas gift from her Nana and Pop and it is perfect for not only fine motor enhancement but also color identification. She loves it!
Colorful Videos. Have you heard of the preschool prep DVD series? They are these amazing sets of DVDs (that are frequently featured on zulily.com at discounted prices!) that focus on early academic skills for kids as young as 12 months!
Although we are not a household that keeps the tv on during the day nor do we typically play DVDs in the car unless we are going on long car trips, I do sometimes make an exception and let my kids watch this DVD series in the car during errand running and school drop off because I think it is such an awesome learning tool. So. Why am I mentioning it in this post? Because one of the DVDs features color learning, and I truly believe it has helped my Rals get a firm grasp of color identification. This particular 4-part series also comes with Letters, Numbers, and Shapes, and I am definitely seeing a significant increase in her ability to identify components of each of those concepts. Again, a product I highly recommend!
Colorful Experiments. One of my favorite Christmas gifts Banks received this year (Thanks, Aunt Whit and Uncle Ronald!) is this Primary Science Lab Set.
It is an adorable kit filled with all kinds of experiments for young scientists to complete. Two of the experiments have to do with colors. So. We decided to put on our scientist
So. There you have it! Lots of colorful fun 'round these parts over the last week!
I hope this post helped provide some creative inspiration for fun things to do to enhance color identification, which will hopefully prove especially helpful during these cold, rainy winter months. Have a lovely, colorful week!
No comments:
Post a Comment