Toddlers and preschoolers love to play games, which is how they best learn at this age. Today, we will make a game out of dribbling, and practice our colors simultaneously! Let’s play Collect the Rainbow.

For this activity, you’ll need some colored cards, or colored toys (red ball, blue car, etc). You can color blank index cards or paper plates in a pinch! You’ll also need a soccer ball. You can also have a bucket to collect the toys or color cards in, but this is optional. Your child can also just bring the items right to you.

First, spread the cards or other items around an open playing area. How far apart the items are will depend on your child’s age and stamina. Adjust the difficulty of the game by changing how many items are on the field, and how many colors are used. For example, you may wish to only use 4 color options for a 2-year-old, but 7 color options for a 3- or 4-year-old.

Let your child know that they will be a Color Collector, and their job is to collect all of the different colors they see around them. Point out the different items/cards to them. They must dribble their ball to one of the colors, pick it up, and dribble back to you or the designated bucket. This is a good time to identify the color and talk about it or other things that are also that color. The child then hands the item to you or drops the item in the bucket, and repeats the process until all the colors have been collected.

Review all the collected colors. Congratulate them on a job well done, and then do a silly dance together to celebrate their color prowess! What an amazing Color Collector they are!

Adaptations:

• Do the game with no ball first, or walk your child through the activity with you step by step
• Use more or less colors in the game, depending on the colors your child knows/is learning
• For older children, make it a race to see how fast they can complete the game

Tips for Dribbling

• Use the inside, outside, and tops of feet to dribble
• Little kicks only – keep the ball close like a favorite toy or puppy
• No big toe! Big toe makes big kicks, and we want little kicks

Check out the video below to see this game in action!