Sorting

Materials:

• Divided veggie tray
• Container of large mixed color beads*
• Tongs

*Use this activity only with children ages 3 and up since beads are a choking hazard.
 
This activity is really quite easy to set up, which makes it really nice when you need a last minute time filler for an older toddler or preschooler.  After you provide all of the materials to your child(ren), you may need to demonstrate how to use the tongs to pick up the beads and move them to the divided veggie tray.  You may wish to put one bead of each color in each space and then ask your child to match the colors.  (I chose to let my daughter decide her own sorting method, and instead she just moved the beads from one container to the other.)  This activity is great for early math skills (sorting) as well as fine motor development (using the tongs to pick up and transfer beads.)

For a variation, use the same materials, but substitute the beads with:

• Sea shells
• Rocks
• Fossils
• Cotton balls
• Craft pom poms
• Bottle caps (Reused/recycled of course!)
• Coins

This post is featured on the No Time for Flashcards Link and Learn.

 

 Tags: beads, vegetable tray, veggie tray, tongs, toddler, preschool, activity, activities, sorting, fine motor, math, development, early childhood lesson plan