Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Teaching color with a felt color matching lollipop game #DIY

As a former Pre-K teacher I enjoy bringing education into my home. I am constantly looking for new ways to teach my children without it seeming like a chore. I want them to enjoy school and love learning as much as I did. I look for way of turning lessons into games and keeping the games we play fresh and fun. Right now I am working on teaching my younger son color identification. To help with this I have created a felt color matching game. He likes to be hands-on {as most children his age tend to enjoy} and being able to hold and manipulate his colors helps to solidify his understanding. These DIY felt color matching lollipops were a huge hit with my children, even my oldest wanted to play with them!

felt color matching game #DIY #Tutorial #Homemade #FeltLollipop #Education #TeachingColors


What you need:
Popsicle sticks
Paint in various colors {I used acrylic paint}
Coordinating felt
Paint brush
Scissors
Sewing machine

How to Make It:
Take the Popsicle sticks and using the acrylic paint, paint each Popsicle stick one color front and back. I like to paint both sides to make it easy for the little ones {no flipping required}. I left one end free from paint in order to write the name of each color on the end. Set aside to dry.

Next, take the coordinating felt pieces and using a cup or wine glass trace two circles on each piece of felt. Using scissors cut out the circles. There should be two circles for each color.

Place one felt circle on top of the other and sew around the edges leaving a 1 to 1½ inch opening at the bottom. This is where the Popsicle stick will go for color matching purposes.  {While I chose to sew, I am sure you could use hot glue and it would still work. I tend to burn my fingers with my hot glue gun… so please be careful if you choose to use hot glue instead of sewing.}

felt color matching game #DIY #Tutorial #Homemade #FeltLollipop #Education #TeachColor

felt color matching game #DIY #Tutorial #Homemade #FeltLollipop #Education #TeachColor

felt color matching game #DIY #Tutorial #Homemade #FeltLollipop #Education #TeachColor

felt color matching game #DIY #Tutorial #Homemade #FeltLollipop #Education #TeachColor #FineMotorSkills
Once the paint is dry on the Popsicle sticks you are ready to enjoy some color matching fun! Once the colors have been matched I ask my son to identify them by name. I am working on teaching colors right now with my youngest so there are a lot of color matching/identification activities on the horizon. He loves these games and has requested more of them, so expect to see some more felt color matching fun in the future.

It is really inexpensive to make this yourself. I got a bag of Popsicle sticks at the dollar store and bought the paint for less than a dollar each in the craft aisle at Walmart. The felt can be bought by the sheet at an arts and craft stores {for example Joann Fabrics carries sheets of felt} for about $.25 a sheet. Although that price tends to vary based on the store you go to and the current sale of the week. I used less than ½ a sheet per color. So I have more than enough left over for another felt project.

felt color matching game #DIY #Tutorial #Homemade #FeltLollipop #Education #TeachColor


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