Beginning Math Concepts: Color Sorting

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To start introducing math concepts to the girls I came up with Beginning Math Concepts: Color Sorting. These activities are a fun way to help kids start conceptualizing the math concepts colors, shapes, counting, quantities, patterns, graphing, and greater than, less than, or equal to. Beginning Math Concepts: Color Sorting also helps them to start thinking critically and problem solving. I included some questions to ask before, during, or after each activity.

Terms to define to the kids:

• Most/Least
• Total
• Smallest/Largest
• Greater than/Less than/ Equal to
• Pattern

Beginning Math Concepts: Color Sorting

Supplies Needed:

• Assorted objects in different colors, i.e. feathers, buttons, pipe cleaners, cubes, pony beads, stickers, etc
• Bowl/plate
• Index cards
• Poster board
• Small Chalkboard or dry erase board
• Chalk or dry erase markers
• Paper and pencils

Activity 1: Color Sort and Count

1. Fill a bowl with the assorted items.
2. Label an index cards for each color of items using.
3. Have the kids sort the items into groups by color.
4. Then have them count each group of items.

Questions to ask:

1. Which color has the most items?
2. Which color has the least items?
3. How many items total?

Activity 2: Count and Simple Graph

1. On a poster board or the table have the kids assemble the items in columns by colors like a bar graph.

Questions to ask:

1. Which color has the most?
2. Which color has the least?

Activity 3: Shape Sort and Count

1. Fill a bowl with the assorted colored items.
2. Label an index cards for each kind of item being used, i.e. feathers, pipe cleaners, cubes.
3. Have the kids sort the items into groups.
4. Then have them count each group of items.

Questions to ask:

1. Which group has the most?
2. Which group has the least?
3. How many items total?

Activity 4: Bar Graph

1. On a chalkboard or dry erase board have the kids draw a simple bar graph.
2. Next have them fill in the graph for each kind of item used.

Questions to ask

1. Which item has the most?
2. Which item has the least?
3. How many more items does the smallest group need to equal the largest group? They can use the bar graph to count up.
4. How many items do you need to remove from the middle group to equal the smallest group? They can use the bar graph to count down.

Activity 5: Greater Than, Less Than, or Equal To

1. On a sheet of paper, compare each group of colored items.
2. Write down the total number of red items and the total number of black items. Then write whether the red items are >, <, or = to black items.
3. Compare each set of colored items to each other.

Questions to ask

1. Which color has the most?
2. Which color has the least?
3. How many more items does the smallest group need to equal the largest group?
4. How many items do you need to remove from the middle group to equal the smallest group?

Activity 6: Patterns

1. Create a pattern with different colored items.
2. Have your child finish the pattern.
3. Have your child create their own pattern.

Be sure to stop by my Math and Science page where I will be linking all our math and science resources. And if you are looking for more homeschool activities, make sure you check out my Homeschool page which contains links to our sensory bins, crafts, and language arts including book lists.

What’s your favorite beginning math concept from the activities above? Share them in the comments below!

Have a great day!

Brandi

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