Materials
paper plates (not Styrofoam)
food coloring
Instructions
1. In advance, cut out different colored triangles, squares, circles, diamonds,
hearts, stars, and other shapes. Make sure to vary the colors so that you have
a variety of different colored shapes.
2. Sit down with a child (or children) and review the shapes and colors.
3. Ask the child to hide his eyes while you place the shapes in obvious hiding
places (a few on the table, one on the floor in the corner, and so on).
4. Ask the child to find all of one color or all of one shape. For example,
encourage him to put all of the stars on the table or put all of the yellow
shapes in the kitchen.
5. Give a different direction for each color or shape. This will teach the child to
follow directions as well as to sort shapes and colors.
More to do Art:When finished with the shapes, show the children how to put shapes
together to make a picture (e.g., a triangle on top of a square makes a house).
Let them glue shapes onto a piece of construction paper to make a collage.
Math: Once the children have learned to sort all the shapes and colors, play
pattern games. Lay out a pattern, such as a heart, square, heart, square, heart.
Point to the shapes, saying their names in order, and then ask the children if
they know what comes next. Keep the patterns fairly simple at first.
