I first saw this busy bag idea on Teach Beside Me. For whatever reason, I could not find colored paper clips in regular colors, so I picked up these bright colors instead!
This activity works well as a learning bag, too.
Paper Clip Color Sorting Busy Bag
Supplies:
- Jumbo craft sticks
- Colored paper clips
- Magnets (I used a roll of magnetic tape)
- Permanent markers or crayons
1) Measure and cut a magnet to fit on a craft stick. Glue or stick to the craft stick. I put a few dots of glue on the sticky side to be sure they stuck really well!
2) Color around the magnet with a permanent marker to match one of the colors from the paper clips. Repeat for each color.
To use:
- Give your child a pile of paper clips and ask them to sort by color.
- Make a pattern and ask your child to repeat the pattern on another craft stick.
- Let your child make a pattern and see if you can repeat it on another craft stick.
You can also see how Coffee Bean and Kisses used paper clips to make another color sorting busy bag idea.
Sharon@DiscoverExploreLearn says
Love this idea…it would be great for a quiet time activity as well.
We did a paper clip activity recently to help my preschooler with his math skills –
http://discoverexplorelearn.com/2012/07/paper-clip-math-for-preschoolers/
Gotta love simple, frugal, educational activities that use items you already have around the house ! 🙂
Stacie says
Completely! I love simple!!
Cathie J says
It’s great to discover great learning activities that are easy to use and to store! Thanks for the post. Love to have you visit me at toddlersthroughpreschool.com. Cathie J
Dineen says
I like this idea for “grading down” the fine motor requirements for younger fingers. Actually manipulating the paperclip over an index card can be very frustrating to a young learner (yeah, I ended up having my little just place the paper clips on index cards).