Are you looking for a fantastic and fun Thanksgiving-themed activity to boost your little one’s fine motor skills and color recognition? Well, you’re in for a treat! Our Thanksgiving Sorting Colors activity is an excellent way to engage young learners in a hands-on and colorful experience. Make sure to check out all of our Preschool Thanksgiving Activities!
What Is a Sorting Colors Activity?
This activity involves a tray filled with green, yellow, white, and orange pom poms accompanied by vegetable labels on cardboard tubes.
Use tongs to match the pom poms to the correct vegetable, making this a cute turkey-themed exercise that’s a great addition to Thanksgiving lesson plans and a meaningful way to enhance essential skills delightfully and interactively.
Your kiddos will love learning all about color identification with this color-sorting game! It’s the perfect Thanksgiving activity for preschoolers!
Incorporating Preschool STEAM
Color sorting activities can be a valuable educational tool for preschoolers, integrating various aspects of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) education. Here’s how color sorting relates to each STEAM component:
Make sure to look through our complete collection of Preschool Activities! It’s always growing!
Science: Observation and Classification: Sorting colors involves the scientific skill of observation and classification. Preschoolers can explore and categorize different objects or items based on their colors, developing early skills in sorting and classifying.
Technology: Use of Tools: Sorting colors can involve tools, such as sorting trays, bowls, and tongs or tweezers. Learning how to use different tools for STEAM learning is essential!
Engineering: Problem-Solving: Color sorting encourages problem-solving as kids figure out how to group similar colors. They may need to strategize and adjust their approach if they make mistakes, fostering critical thinking skills.
Arts: Creativity and Expression: While sorting colors, kids can engage in creative expression by discussing shades, creating patterns, or even using the sorted items in art projects. This helps develop an appreciation for the artistic aspects of color.
Mathematics: Counting and Quantifying: As kids sort colors, they can count how many items are in each group, introducing basic math concepts. This activity lays the foundation for understanding numerical relationships and quantity.
Get your free printable color sorting activity!
First, grab the free printable to add to the color-sorting activity! If you love this activity, grab our entire printable Preschool Thanksgiving Theme Pack.
Supplies
- Deep Tray
- Cardboard Tubes
- Paper
- Scissors
- Tape
- Tongs (grab a $1 pair from the dollar store)
- Green, White, Yellow, and Orange Poms
- Printable Labels
Note: This also makes a fun sensory bin; pompoms are a great sensory filler! Learn more about setting up sensory bins with all my tips and tricks here.
How to Prep
STEP 1: Fill the tray with green, yellow, white, and orange pompoms.
STEP 2: Attach the vegetable labels to a cardboard tube or a cup and add them to a tray or bin.
Instructions
STEP 1: Use the tongs to sort the pom poms to the correct vegetable.
Extend the Color Sorting Activity
- Count the pompoms (math)! Free ten-frame template.
- Make patterns and shapes with the pompoms (math)
- Sort the pompoms by size (science classification)!
- Make a dot art project using the same colored circles punched from construction paper, or use dot markers (art)!
- Can you switch up the tool used (tech)?
- Talk about your favorite foods and how they make your body feel (science)!
What age group works best for this activity?
Since this activity focuses on fine motor and sensory skills, it’s perfect for preschoolers! Preschoolers are learning to use their hands and senses to navigate the world around them.
What better way to help them grow than by incorporating learning with the holidays? For more preschool Thanksgiving activities, here are 25 Preschool Thanksgiving Activities!
More Benefits of This Sorting Colors Activity
Fine Motor Skills
Using tongs during the sorting process contributes to developing fine motor skills, promoting precision and control in young hands. You can get ready for future pencil skills in many fun ways!
Color Recognition
The themed color sorting game is a fantastic tool for reinforcing color recognition—an essential skill for kindergarten-age children.
Visual Perception
The activity enhances visual perception by engaging kids in hands-on sorting and associating color words. If you have color flashcards, pull them out and add them around the table!
Interactive Learning
The Pom Pom Sorting activity combines education with enjoyment, creating a meaningful and fun way for kids to learn and grow.
How to Use This Sorting Colors Activity
Lesson Plans
Whether you’re a teacher or a parent, you can use this fun activity to supplement kids’ lesson plans.
Small Groups
Put kids in small groups and allow them to work together on this simple activity.
Morning Work
To get kids’ brains engaged before their lessons, give this hands-on activity to them.
Early Finishers
If you have some kids who are done with other projects, give them this great activity to work on!
Independent Work
This activity is perfect for allowing kids to work independently! Set them up as much as you can, and then let them complete the activity independently.
More Preschool Thanksgiving Activities
This easy paper plate turkey craft for kids is a fun Thanksgiving craft!
Here, we use a pool noodle and colorful feathers that transform into fun Pool Noodle Turkeys. Let’s get started!
Learning about Thanksgiving will be fun with this cute Thanksgiving Paper Cup Pilgrim Hat Craft!
Forget the paintbrushes and try this fun Corn painting project.
Add Thanksgiving bingo to your Thanksgiving activities and get preschoolers excited about learning.
Printable Preschool Thanksgiving Theme Pack
This preschool level Thanksgiving pack is perfect for 3-to 6-year-olds in a preschool classroom, learning center, or home. Easy to set up and use with one kiddo or a classroom. This themed pack includes a book and supply list to help you easily set up the activities.
⭐️ Tip: Grab the Preschool Themes Growing Bundle and save money! ⭐️
Activities Include:
- Flip Books
- Turkey STEM Challenge
- Corn Painting STEAM Activity
- Sequencing
- Exploring Colors
- Writing Center
- Tracing Cards
- Board Game
- Cover Up Game
- Matching Game
- Puzzles
- Playdough Mats
