GOAL:

• Sort a set of chopsticks by color, locking them into the correct hole.

MATERIALS:

• An empty shoe box
• Scissors
• Cotton swabs
• Color markers
• A pencil
• Paint
• A paintbrush

LEARNING EXPERIENCE:

Stimulate your little one’s learning by teaching them how to sort colors and reinforce the squeezing movement and hand-eye coordination with this fun activity.

Before you begin you must prepare the materials so that your little one can carry out the activity by following these steps:

• Take each cotton swab and cut off one of the cotton ends with scissors.
• Using the markers, color the cotton part of the swabs, creating about 10 each color (red, blue, orange, green). You can use more colors or different ones if you want.
• Take the shoebox and draw a rainbow with the pencil.
• Color each area of the rainbow with the paint, using the same colors you used with the swabs.
• Take the scissors and in each area of the rainbow create some holes, leaving about 3 cm of distance between each hole. Repeat with all the colors.
• Ready! The rainbow is ready for the activity. Now place the swabs and rainbow box on a work table. Invite your little one to play. Tell your little one that the rainbow needs the color swabs and ask for your little one’s help inserting them. 
• Show your little one how to take a swab and insert it into a hole over the same color. Give your little one a swab and. Say to your little one, “It’s your turn.” Allow your little one to continue until the entire rainbow is complete.

Remember to congratulate your little one on every achievement and to motivate your little one to have patience while inserting each swab into each hole.