# Color Matching Garden
> Sort foam flower and bug stickers by color, stick them onto matching colored craft sticks, then plant the sticks in matching play dough for an indoor garden. It's an easy toddler activity for colors, counting and fine motor skills.
- URL: https://www.funlittles.com/spring-craft-color-matching-garden/
- Ages: 2–4 yrs · Difficulty: easy · Mess: low
- Time: prep 15 min, activity 30 min
- Works for: one-on-one, small group, whole class · one batch serves about 1 kids
- Skills: color-matching, sorting, counting, fine-motor, hand-eye-coordination
- Cautions: wheat-gluten

## Materials (one batch)
- Foam stickers (flowers and insects) in several colors
- Colored craft sticks
- Play dough in the same colors as the craft sticks
- 1 piece Sorter of any kind (sorting tray, palette or muffin tin) (household)
- Small cups (household)
- Plates (optional) (household)
- Easter grass (optional)

## Substitutions
- Instead of small cups: Plates (The author placed play dough in both cups and plates.)

## Safety
- Foam stickers, their peeled backings and Easter grass are small and can be a choking hazard. Supervise toddlers closely and keep pieces out of mouths.
- Play dough is not food. Many store-bought and homemade play doughs contain wheat, so check for allergies before play.
- Supervise play at all times.

## Before you start
- Count out a manageable number of foam stickers per child in the colors of your craft sticks and play dough.

## Steps
1. Sort the foam flower and bug stickers by color into a sorter.
2. Lay the colored craft sticks out on the table.
3. Peel the backing off a sticker.
4. Stick it onto the craft stick that matches its color.
5. Count the flowers and bugs on each stick.
6. Line up the finished sticks to admire your matched colors.
7. Adult: put play dough of the same colors into small cups or onto plates.
8. Match each craft stick to its play dough color and plant it.
9. Optional: fill the garden with Easter grass.

## Tips
- Keep the number of stickers to a reasonable number, because toddlers and long attention spans don't always go together!
- Any kind of sorter works for sorting the stickers into colors first.
- Peeling is fine motor practice, sticking works on hand-eye coordination, and sorting, matching and counting build color concepts and counting skills. Stickers teach? You can say that again!
- Planting the sticks in matching play dough is another time to reinforce colors, and it makes a pretty indoor garden.

## The original post by TurkeyMom (2013)

After the fun we had with our paper plate [**ABC garden**](https://www.funlittles.com/spring-craft-abc-garden/) we decided to do a fun colors spring craft for my toddler. Even though we are officially into Spring, we are so ready for the nicer weather and cheery flowers not to mention outdoor gardening. To satisfy our need for bright flowers and bugs we managed to pull together an easy spring craft that teaches colors. 

- Foam stickers (flowers and insects)
- Colored crafts sticks
- Play dough
- Small cups
- Easter Grass (optional)

With some foam stickers, a sorter of any kind and brightly colored craft sticks I invited my toddler to play "color matching garden" We sorted the sticker into colors first. I tried to keep the number of stickers to a reasonable number because hello! toddlers and long attention spans? Once we sorted out the colors, I pulled out the colored craft sticks and placed them on the table and announced" how about we match the colors and stick the flowers and bugs on the sticks" It was met with an enthusiastic "Yes" and off we went to peel, stick and match. Peeling for fine motor practice.

 Sticking for hand to eye coordination.

 Sorting, matching and counting for color concepts and counting practice.

 With this spring craft we were working on **fine motor skills**, **hand-eye co-ordination, color concepts and math via counting.** How is that for a good dose of play-based learning? Stickers teach? You can say that again! Here is our spring craft masterpiece all nice and arranged.

 Our color matching did not end there. We need a garden to set up our plants. I placed the same colored play dough in cups and plates and had my toddler match the crafts sticks to the play dough and plant her craft stick. That's another time to reinforce colors and to make a pretty indoor garden.

 Our garden in all its craft stick glory.



Fill it up with some Easter grass and tada! kid made color matching garden. So with stickers, craft sticks and play dough have a ball making this fun spring craft

 Thanks for stopping by our little space here. We encourage you to stick around and take a look at [**couple of**](https://www.funlittles.com/paint-with-spaghetti-brooms/) our [**popular posts.**](https://www.funlittles.com/animal-resist-painting/)

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