First make some colored glue, regular Elmer's school glue to start, then soak
the "core" of a used up marker in it for a day or so to get the color.
Now cut some cards from an old file folder. Using blue glue, write the word
"blue" on a card. Repeat with other colors on other cards. When the
glue is dry, your preschooler is ready to go on a color search. Give him several
sheets of paper the size of your word cards and show him how to clip a piece of
paper to the card. He will also need a peeled crayon for each color. When he
finds a blue object in the home, he uses the blue crayon to make a blue rubbing
of the word "blue" and tapes it to the object. You can have him find
any ten objects and make color signs for them, or you can start with just one
color for younger children, and gradually add more. Children who are a bit older
can bring a pad of paper along and sketch the objects in the appropriate colors,
and write the color word. Later a parent or older child can help them write the
name of the object.
Skills covered:
- Language arts: letter and word recognition, and pencil grasp.
- Concept development: identifying colors in the environment, and
naming colors.
- Fine motor enhancement: tearing tape, and bending paperclips.
- Art: recognizing and practicing ways to use a familiar medium
(crayons) in unfamiliar ways to achieve a unique effect.
