I have tried so many different things to help my four year old count and get his colors correct. I still get the 1,2,3,4,4,5,7,11 counting sequence. No those are not typos that is his counting style. I came home from work one night after having people I take care of sort colored noodles and in case you do not follow or have read any of my other posts, I work in geriatric care. I thought well maybe I can make a game out of it and not make it a so much sit and listen kind of thing. If it was a game and he thought he was winning maybe I could get it to click. The numbers correct sequence and the colors.
I found a bag of white beans in my cabinet and left over cups with dye from Easter. I used a little of my own food coloring the neon colors. The brighter the color the more it seems to capture his attention. I placed a handful maybe a little more in some cups some a little less. I used water enough to cover the beans and about a cap full of white vinegar. There is no wrong way to do this. Unless you get the coloring onto you clothes then that can be an issue. a stain you can't really get out. Anyways, I let the beans soak the entire shift I worked that night about 8 hours. I came home the color worked perfectly. Very bright, very neat, and hopefully very useful with what I have planned for them.
I laid them out onto a paper towel to let them dry back out possibly the 8 hours may have been to long of a soak time. They are almost dried back out as of this morning. I plan on placing these in jars and starting the color and count challenge. I washed the cups from the Easter egg dye kit I used and I am going to use those for him to separate the colors and place them in the proper container and as he does this we will count them together. I plan on making this a game by having him sort them by a certain time and counting see how many he has if he reaches a certain amount then he wins a prize.
I try to incorporate fun into learning it seems to help maintain attention especially in smaller children. I home school my children so I try share any tips I can. I thought the bean sorting and counting idea was a great start to helping him learn the things he needs to know and make him laugh at the same time. Although, I still smile when he says "Mommy listen 1,2,3,4,4,5,11,7..." or keeps asking what color is that. I hope this idea can be passed along to your family and help your children learn how to count and the colors and have fun while doing it. I will post more family fun ideas in later posts for all to enjoy.