DIY Color Recognition Activity

I created a color sorting activity about a year ago similar to this except the children used clothespins with the color glued on the back. It  is a great activity which improves color recognition and discrimination and fine motor skills (pincer grasp movement.) My 4 old enjoyed this method, however, my 20 month old wanted to pick the glued colors off of the clothespins so I wanted to created the same type of activity but would stand the test of time and toddlers lol. Instead of using clothepins, I resorted to self adhesive velcro dots which are my go to for  PreK diy projects. You can them at any craft store like Joanns, Michaels or A.C. Moore.

I found a seller on ebay that sells them in bulk so you know i was excited about that. 

I created  a simple table using Open Office. It is software similar to Word and has most if not all of the same functions and it's free. I used the table function and created to columns. I split one side into 4 vertical cells and increased the font. You will have to adjust the size to the kind of samples you will be using. After printing them out, I played around  and managed to created 2 cards on sheet. After printing I cropped the cards removing the excess paper. 

After cutting and cropping all of the cards, I started adding the paint samples. I added a little glue to the backs of the sample just to prevent them from sliding under the laminate sleeves.

I proceeded to cut the matching paint samples and prep them for laminating. 

After laminating, I cut out the matching pieces and and squared off the corners because they tend to be sharp if not clipped.

After prepping all of the pieces, I added the velcro dots to the cards and matching pieces. 

This is the finished product!

I had my 4 1/2 yr old test them out and it proved to be a bit of a challenge for him. He had to pay attention to the variation in color especially when it came to the lighter colors. This is a great low cost activity that promotes critical thinking, color discrimination and fine motor skills.