The toddler twosome have been naming colours excitedly everywhere we go lately so I am trying to encourage this new love with some different games.
Because of the endless rain we keep having…and the red mud we have everywhere at the moment (yes even I have my limit of messy joy!) we have been doing a lot of play on the verandahs.
They both miss their outside gross motor play…I can tell because their moods and behaviour become quite difficult! So I decided to combine some gross motor activity with some colour recognition fun!
This activity is so easy to set up but they have played with it many times now and each time there are just as many squeals of delight. They like to set it all up themselves now and race each other.
As you can see in the pictures below all you need is a few baskets (or bowls or boxes…whatever you have that look basically the same), some coloured paper to line the baskets with and the corresponding colour plastic balls.
I placed all the balls in one of our big play tubs and then emptied them all over the verandah…then ready, set, go…the girls had to find all the balls (some of which I had put in a few trickier places!)
As they ran all over the verandah looking for balls there was also crawling, lifting, sliding, bending and jumping…using lots of big muscles!
As they collected the balls they had to race back to the baskets and match the ball to the correct colour basket…..
It was so much fun to watch them…I could see them looking at the ball carefully each time they put it into a basket and if it went into the wrong one they were very quick to realise they had made a mistake and took great pride in telling me where the ‘right' one was.
Tara soon figured out that if she got one of the little baskets she could race around filling it up and therefore carry more with less chance of dropping them before reaching the baskets…wonderful toddler problem solving in action!
To extend the activity and increase the use of fine and gross motor skills the toddler twosome enjoyed tipping all of the balls from the baskets back into the big tub and then they took turns being the one to tip and hide all of the balls again.
This game has now become a permanent fixture on the back verandah and they really enjoy setting it all up by themselves. Sun a fun way of reinforcing colour recognition and sorting skills.
Do you find it important to keep your toddler active during prolonged bad weather or do they cope better than you?
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We have a few of those balls so might have to set up a similar activity. Thanks for your comment – I am glad to know I am not the only one suffering through difficult behaviour! I am not sure if is the effect of putting her in kindy for one day a week or just an age thing.
Ginger also enjoys playing with those balls in the bath and shower. We just have a slight problem with Tom Kitten biting them and deflating them!
I’d say more an age thing…kindy would be helping to wear her out hopefully! She might be processing the new environment and skills she is learning though and settle in a few weeks…hopefully! Very wearing isn’t it though!!!
Poor Tom Kitten…I can just see him biting into those balls and being most surprised…not to mention Ginger’s reaction!!!
What great colour fun, and a good way to run around too! I know I have said this before, but I really like how your ideas use items you already have, just in different ways!
Thanks Kell…I really do love finding new ways to use things we already have!!
How cute – that would be fun with Easter eggs too!
Great idea!
A wonderful wet weather activity, that allows your girls the chance to be a little bit active.
This is a great idea! My husband and I were recently put in charge of the nursery at our church, and I’ve been looking for age-appropriate ideas for toddlers. This will be perfect! Also nice because it’s “self-cleaning.” 🙂 Thanks!
So glad you will be able to use the idea Linnae! You will be busy I am sure in the nursery…the self cleaning part is a bonus I must say as those balls can go everywhere!!!
That’s not only a fantastic way to get them recognising their colours but it gets them cleaning up. This activity is brilliant!
Thanks Penny…you always have such lovely things to say!
Loving this gross motor learning fun Jode!
Thanks Deb….got to wear the little loves out…they might as well be learning too hehe!
We have bags of these balls at home, but never use them. I’ll have to get them out.
We rarely used them either but they are loving this one…you have to give it a try!
Yay…love this activity and we have a ton of colored balls that we use in our ball pit! Can’t wait to try this out.