Early Years Fine Motor Colour Activities

I am a big fan of learning centres in classrooms!  They are great places for children to explore, investigate, take risks and consolidate previous skills and concepts taught. 

Intentional placement of resources and items placed at a learning centre also provides an opportunity for children to engage in hands on activities and manipulate tools which promote fine motor development while learning about other topics or concepts such as colour.

This post will provide you with some activity ideas and resources to set up an Early Years Fine Motor Colour Activities that can be transferred into a Colour and Fine Motor Learning Centre

Let’s Play – Colour Sort & Match Fruit

Some Ideas:

• Colour Matching Fruit can be played with numerous colourful objects, such as pompoms, small blocks, beads, tokens, coloured pencils, pipe cleaners.
• Set up a Colour Theme Learning Centre. Include colour sorting and matching activities, colour puzzles, light table with transparent coloured resources, books about colours and rainbows.
• Set up a Fruit Investigation Table.  Include a range of fruits for children to explore and cut into pieces (depending on age group), books about fruit, clip board and paper, etc. The Fruit Colour Match would be a great fine motor activity linking to the fruit topic.
• Add a set of small tongs for children to manipulate to pick up the pompoms and encourage fine motor strength and development.

Let’s Play – Colour Match Teddy Bears

Some Ideas:

• Colour Matching Teddy Bears & Crayons activity involves sorting and matching the coloured crayons to the same coloured teddy bear.  Children simple place the crayon on the teddy bear’s tummy.
• Use other items to match to the coloured teddy bears, such as pipe cleaners, coloured pencils, transparent tokens, pompoms, coloured buttons small blocks.  The ideas are endless.
• Set up a Colour Theme Learning Centre. Include colour sorting and matching activities, colour puzzles, light table with transparent coloured resources, books about colours and rainbows.

Let’s Play – Colour Sort & Match Jars

Some Ideas:

• Colour sorting and matching jars can be played with numerous colourful objects, such as pompoms, small blocks, beads, tokens, coloured pencils, pipe cleaners.
• Depending on the learning environment and context, another fun option is to open a packet of Smarties or MMs and sort and match them into the correct coloured jars.
• Add a set of small tongs for children to manipulate to pick up the pompoms and other objects to encourage fine motor strength and development.
• Set up a Colour Theme Learning Centre for children to visit and return to throughout the day. Include colour sorting and matching activities, colour puzzles, light table with transparent coloured resources, books about colours and rainbows.

Let’s Play – Sort Coloured Bubble Gum Balls

Some Ideas:

• Use coloured pompoms or coloured beads to mimic pretend gum balls and sort and match them to the correct coloured jar.
• Create an investigation table for children to learn about the history of bubble gum.  It is a really fun topic for children learn about across the different learning areas. Maths: tally and graph what the class’s favourite bubble gum flavour is.  Science: test which bubble gum is best for making bubbles. Round or square bubble gum?
• There are some great stories for children read and learn about the how bubble gum was discovered. Pop! The Invention of Bubble Gum by Meghan McCarthy
• Picking up small rounded objects such as coloured beads, encourages the pincher grip.
• Exploring rainbows, weather and light are other topics children can explore through colour activities.

Let’s Learn

Creating hands-on learning centres to manipulate materials and resources not only provides children with the opportunity to learn about colours but it also promotoes opportunities for children to develop their fine motor skills.  

Learning Opportunities

• Fine Motor Development
• Hand-Eye Coordination and Control – sorting and manipulating objects
• Concentration- practice and consolidate concepts and skills previously taught
• Spatial awareness – manipulating objects and matching
• Colour recognition – sort and match
• Language development – names of colours and links with topics (bubble gum, fruit, rainbows)

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