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This engaging activity combines color recognition, nature exploration, and fine motor skill development. Kids will use sensory tweezers to collect and sort nature items into a painted egg carton based on color.

Supplies:

Empty egg carton
Paint (various colors)
Paintbrush
Sensory tweezers or tongs
Nature items (flowers, leaves, grass, pinecones, etc.)

How to Play:

Prepare the Egg Carton: Paint the inside of each section of the egg carton with a different color and let it dry.

Set Out on a Nature Hunt: Encourage kids to explore outdoors (backyard, park, or garden) to find small nature items that match the colors inside the egg carton.

Use Sensory Tweezers: Kids can use tweezers to pick up each nature item and place it into the corresponding colored section.

Compare & Discuss: After filling the egg carton, talk about the different textures, shapes, and colors they found.

Benefits:

Fine Motor Skills – Using tweezers strengthens hand muscles and improves pincer grasp.
Color Recognition – Helps children identify and match colors in a fun, hands-on way.
Sensory Exploration – Encourages kids to touch, feel, and examine the nature objects.
Outdoor Engagement – Promotes time outdoors as well as observational skills.
Sorting & Categorization – Build early math and classification skills.

Adaptations for Parents, Therapists, and Educators

For Parents:

Indoor Alternative: If the weather isn’t ideal, bring nature indoors. Use items like dried leaves, flower petals, or even colorful household objects.
Challenge Extension: Ask your child to find two different shades of the same color or describe each item’s texture and scent.
Fine Motor Boost: Swap tweezers for clothespins or chopsticks to strengthen different hand muscles.

For Therapists:

Graded Assistance: For kids who need extra support, start with larger objects and gradually introduce smaller ones as they build hand strength.
Bilateral Coordination: Encourage using one hand to hold the carton steady while the other hand picks up items.
Sensory Modifications: If a child is sensitive to textures, offer gloves or let them use a small scoop instead of tweezers.

For Educators:

Group Play: Turn it into a team activity by having small groups work together to find and sort items.
Language Development: Ask open-ended questions like, “How does this leaf feel?” or “Can you think of something else in nature that is this color?”
STEM Connection: Discuss why leaves change color, why flowers bloom in certain seasons, or how light affects color perception in nature.

These small tweaks make the activity accessible and engaging for a variety of learning styles and developmental levels.

PIN IT

Nature Color Hunt Fine Motor Activity

Materials

Empty egg carton
Paint various colors
Paintbrush
Sensory tweezers or tongs
Nature items flowers, leaves, grass, pinecones, etc.

Instructions

Prepare the Egg Carton: Paint the inside of each section of the egg carton with a different color and let it dry.
Set Out on a Nature Hunt: Encourage kids to explore outdoors (backyard, park, or garden) to find small nature items that match the colors inside the egg carton.
Use Sensory Tweezers: Kids can use tweezers to pick up each nature item and place it into the corresponding colored section.
Compare & Discuss: After filling the egg carton, talk about the different textures, shapes, and colors they found.

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