Favorite Color Sensory Bin

Have some fun learning color names.

My daughter’s favorite color is orgin. You read that right. Orgin. Also known as orange but in her cute toddler pronunciation it’s “orgin”.

Learning color names is a big step in toddler development – it’s identification, it’s vocabulary, it’s learning an important piece to the world puzzle around them. My go-to strategies for learning color names? Good books and good toddler activities.

What’s your toddler’s favorite color?

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We created this color themed activity for the new Eric Carle book “What’s Your Favorite Color?”. Just like the title, this book is all about favorite colors so it got me thinking… what is my daughter’s favorite color?

Today it turned out to be “orgin”.

What you need to know about learning color names

In adult-land, we take color words for granted. We look at an object and instantly know what color it is.

But things aren’t so black and white (pun totally intended).

Colors come in shades. They vary. And what one person sees as a black and blue, another sees as white and gold (I’m looking at you dress that broke the Internet). Now think of how confusing that is for a toddler learning color names!

That’s why you’ve got to make a color sensory bin

A color sensory bin is the perfect way to play with your toddler’s favorite color AND all the shades of that color.

We made an “orgin” sensory bin and it was so easy to set up.

Materials

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• under the bed storage container
• orange dye to make orange rice (here’s how to dye it)
• every orange toy we could find

I wanted this to be a simple set up of her favorite color but also call to her attention how varied orange can be. Even though she knows this color name, seeing all the shades was eye opening.

Of course, it didn’t hurt that this learning was fun

My daughter (28 months) sat for 20-plus minutes playing in her orange sensory bin, totally immersed in her color. I think I should get bonus Mom points for even putting her in her favorite orange shirt with an orange bow. Go big or go home, right?

Sensory bins are so rich with learning – look how this one helps with learning color names. You can’t overlook the power of a sensory bin.

Learning color names has always been a favorite of mine, especially with the help of good books and good activities. This easy colorful sensory bin was just perfect for talking about orange with my toddler.

Looking for more colorful activities?

Check out of these activities:

• Color Activities for Preschoolers Play by Playground Parkbench
• Guess the Color Game for Kids (Free Printable)  by Sunny Day Family
• Favorite Color Discovery Bottles by Moms and Crafters
• Rainbow Q-tip Art Printable by Fun with Mama
• Splat Painting with Cotton Balls by Craftulate

How do you practice learning color names at your house?