Sorting Colors / Where Are Your Eyes?

These games will help to grow the brains of infants and toddlers. Whether it’s through singing, dancing, cuddling, rocking, talking, smelling, or tasting, you can help the brain pathways make new connections.

Activities for Infants

 

Sorting Colors
Exploring and responding to books about colors.

 

Read the book "A Color of His Own" by Leo Lionni to your little ones.

 

Sit on the floor with a child in your lap.

 

Place in front of you several toys and stuffed animals.

 

Start sorting the toys by color. “Let’s find all of the toys that have the color red and put them together.” Continue sorting by changing the color.

 

Start sorting with two colors. After the toys are sorted, pick up a toy with red and say the following poem.

 

Red, Red, let me see

When I find you, how happy I will be.

 

Point to the red and take your baby’s hand and put it on the red color.

 

Next, do the second color that you have chosen.

 

Blue, Blue, let me see

When I find you, how happy I will be.

 

Point to the color blue and take the baby’s hand and put it on the blue color.

Alternate the colors back and forth.

 

After you have played the game several times, you can add a third color.

 

Always use the same toys for the colors that you choose.

 

Here are some suggestions for other books about color.

 

"Blue Hat, Green Hat" – by Sandra Boynton

"What Does Bunny See?: A Book of Colors and Flowers" - by Linda Sue Park

"Bright Baby Colors" – by Roger Priddy

 

Ideas for taking this activity to the next level:

For building confidence – Talk about colors everywhere and help the children become more aware of colors. 

 

For developing the idea – Use color words to talk about different objects in the room.

 

For moving forward – Suggest other ways to sort the toys. You can sort by size, toys with wheels, toys that make sounds or different textures.

 

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Where Are Your Eyes?
Say this poem with the children and ask them to point to the different parts of the body as they are mentioned and do the action.

Where Are Your Eyes? – Author unknown
Where are your eyes? Show me your eyes--Pretty eyes can see.
Where are your eyes? Show me your eyes--Shut them quietly.
Where is your nose? Show me your nose--Pretty nose can blow.
Where is your nose? Show me your nose--Wiggle it just so.
Where is your mouth? Show me your mouth--It can open wide.
Where is your mouth? Show me your mouth--How many teeth inside?

Ideas for taking this activity to the next level:
For building confidence – Can you open and close your eyes? What else can you do with your eyes?

 

For developing the idea – Can you say “I like to smell.” and tell me something that you like to smell with your nose.

 

For moving forward – One reason to open your mouth is to yawn. Can you think of another reason? Yes, eating.