Colored Shape Match and Glue
Here is a fun and simple way you can work on colors and shapes with your little one! All you need for this low-prep activity is a large piece of easel paper, some colored construction paper, scissors, colored markers, and a bottle of Elmer’s glue. This activity could be downsized and completed in a learning journal, or even blown up and taped up to a wall using large shapes. We went with somewhat of a medium version here as it was not quite small enough to fit in a journal, but not big enough that we needed it to taped up to a wall.
Because we used a big piece of paper that curled at the edges and could easily be moved around, I taped the paper down using my colored masking tape to help hold it in place. The first thing I did to prep for this activity was cut out a bunch of shapes. I cut a few of each different shape each in different colors and I just cut them out free handed.
Once I had all my shapes cut out, I laid them out all over the large piece of white paper to help decide how I wanted them spaced, and if I had made enough shapes to fill the paper. Then, I grabbed my colored markers and used the coordinating color to draw each shape out onto the paper. I did not trace them exactly but did try to draw them each about the same size.
I wanted to use Elmer’s glue for this activity because we have been working on self-control when it comes to gluing and art projects. It’s so easy for little ones to get carried away with a bottle of glue and want to squeeze out half the bottle for one tiny piece of paper. Glue bottles can also be hard for little fingers to squeeze sometimes. Working on squeezing the glue out and controlling how much they’re using is a very effective way to work on fine motor skills.
Fine motor skills are the ones that will eventually lead to proper pencil grip, while also helping with other every day tasks such as zipping a coat, brushing teeth, eating with utensils, fastening buttons, and more! Check out the posts linked below for more simple fine motor activity ideas:
Dot Sticker Fish
Zoo Animal Tape Rescue
Feather Sensory Bin
Melting Frozen Pom Poms
Letter Match Name Practice
Whenever I am working on using bottles of glue with little ones, I always use the phrase “just a dot, not a lot!” to help them remember how much they need. Tatum (pictured in these photos- age 3), will sometimes even end up with too small of a dot and we will need to go back and add a little more. The hope is that the more practice we do with glue at home, the more easily it will come when she is doing crafts at school.
Aside from all the practice this activity provides for using a bottle of glue and building fine motor skills, it also provides plenty of opportunity for identifying different shapes, finding and matching them with coordinating colors, and then of course gluing them on top of one another like a puzzle! I hope that this post has inspired you to try a simple activity like this with your little one or with a classroom of preschoolers!
If you liked this activity, check out this post with 30+ activity ideas for 2-3 year olds, and be sure to also check out our spiral-bound, fully laminated and wipe-clean Numbers and Shapes activity book for toddlers and preschoolers!
Pin this activity and save for a rainy day ;) and if you do give it a try, tag us on social media so we can see!
