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Color Sorting Pick Up Sticks Activity for Preschoolers

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The other day, my 3 year old dumped a pack of multi-colored popsicle sticks on the floor. No amount of cajoling or creative attempts could get her to pick up her mess. Then it occurred to me… I had these color scavenger hunt bags in the hutch from years ago… I set up a color sorting invitation to play with them that would simultaneously get the mess picked up. And wouldn’t you know? They did the trick…
Within minutes, we were having an educational moment filled with my preschooler practicing math skills through sorting by color and cleaning up her own mess. It was a win-win situation!
The color sorting bags I set out were just small kraft paper gift bags from the craft store. I had previously labeled them with colored squares and adhesive letters spelling out their respective color names. I lined them up, dropped a few sticks in, then commented on how much fun I was having. That was all it took to intrigue her. She wanted to try to do it herself.
This activity is a great way to help children practice identify colors, sort by type, and work on the pincher grasp needed to pick up each stick. If you don’t have colored popsicle sticks, it can also be done with duplo blocks, craft pom poms, or any other multicolored item you’ve got in your stash. It was also an exercise for me as I had to search for a way to encourage my young learner to participate… a hefty job sometimes. Am I right?

If you’re looking for other great color oriented activities for toddlers and preschoolers, check out my compilation of 50 Rainbow Activities for Kids and our Math with Tongs color activity.

Andie Jaye

Andie Jaye is a former preschool teacher turned stay-at-home mom of 3 kiddos. Her blog, Do.Play.Learn., (formerly named Crayon Freckles), focuses on creative learning and play ideas, as well as parenting topics. Andie strives to be honest in her approach and experiences in parenting to let other moms know that they are not alone in their struggle. In her free time, she writes children’s books in hopes of publishing someday.

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