make your own "muffin tin bead sorter" (and then come up with a better name ;) hehe) by simply cutting out different color circles out of construction paper and taping them to the bottom of each section of the tin. i then found about 5 beads of each color for her to sort. after she watched me a couple of times, she got the hang of it and even thought it was FUN!
bead sorting is great for several different areas:
1. learning colors
2. counting
3. honing fine motor skills
and as she gets a little older:
4. making patterns
5. comparing size, shape, etc. of each bead.
i only had very small beads on hand but next time i'd like to try stringing with her using larger beads and a thick thread, maybe a shoelace. stringing is another great fine motor exercise and is more helpful in teaching patterns. plus, wearable art! :)
have fun!
