The Very Hungry Caterpillar has so many activity possibilities! Yesterday, we did a color sorting and sensory activity using our plastic fruits and veggies we have. I’ll be sharing more about it below.
A couple activities we have done already are a Days of the Week Caterpillar Craft and our Grocery Store Scavenger Hunt game that go along with the book. They’re both so much fun!
We also did a Watermelon Cardboard Fruit Stamp activity that I shared on Instagram! The caterpillar eats a watermelon slice on a Saturday. So, I thought this would be fun to do! My daughter loved stamping the paper! To see all the steps, hover on the photo below and click the little right arrow to scroll through the pictures.
And the color sorting activity we did was a hit with my son! We did the activity while sister napped. So, it was special for him.
Color Sorting and Sensory Activity with Fruits and Veggies
Items You Need
- Farmer’s Market Color Sorting Set (Amazon affiliate link has been added for your convenience. It doesn’t raise the price for you. It just helps out my family a little)
- Plastic Bin
- Water
- Dish Soap
- Towel
I didn’t want to just do a color sorting activity; so, we did a sensory activity before we color sorted the fruits and veggies.
Sensory Activity with Fruits and Veggies
Step One. Fill your plastic bin with water and a little bit of dish soap.
Step Two. Add all the fruits and veggies.
Step Three. Read through The Very Hungry Caterpillar and have your child find those fruits in the plastic bin.
Step Four. Let your child’s imagination play. Ask him, “why are you washing the fruits and veggies?” My son said, “Because I’m going to make a pie.” I don’t know what type of pie requires you to wash fruit and veggies with your feet. He makes me laugh!
Step Five. Dump out the soapy water, rinse off the fruit and veggies, and have your kiddo dry them with a towel.
The Importance of Sensory Play for Toddlers
Parenting for Brain says, “By stimulating your child’s senses, you are helping them develop creatively, socially and emotionally, cognitively, linguistically and physically through simply playing with them. By stimulating your child’s senses you are helping their brain develop because when a sense is engaged neural pathways are being created to assist with further learning in later years.When your child is allowed to use multiple senses to accomplish a task, they will learn more from the experience and retain more information.”
Color Sorting with Fruits and Veggies
You may keep the activity outside. But, it got a little warm in the sun. So, we took the color sorting inside on top of the coffee table.
Step Six. Put the color sorting buckets on the table.
Step Seven. Have your child try matching the fruit and veggies to the correct color basket. Whatever fruit or veggie your child is holding ask, “What fruit/veggie is that? What color is it?” If he doesn’t know (because it’s a new fruit), tell him what it is and describe the taste or what dish it’s good in. Maybe even try it as a new food that week.
Step Eight. Let your child play. My son decided to play kitchen and make that pie he was talking about! Then, he offered me a slice. So, cute!
The Importance of Color Sorting
Scholastic says, “These first teachings in preschool and kindergarten are basics that your child needs to know before she learns the “other basics” of reading, writing, and math. Understanding color and shapes is a tool for learning many skills in all curriculum areas, from math and science to language and reading. For example, when your child learns to discern the similarities and differences between colors and shapes, she is using the same skills she needs to recognize the differences between letters and numerals.”
Please Note: The Mama Workshop is not a credentialed teacher. This activity is to supplement your child’s learning. If you do the activity too, please post a pic and tag me @themamaworkshop on Instagram! I’d love to see how much fun your kiddos had!
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