color cards and clips: fine motor fun

This Quick Trick is something that has saved my sanity on several longer-than-expected waits at the doctor’s office, auto shop, Target, and even the grocery store.

I have no recollection as to where I first saw this, but it’s something I stored away in my brain for a long time and have kept in my purse–or diaper bag–ever since I made it a little over a year ago.

• Color Cards and Clips: I cut a red, orange, yellow, green, and blue divider into similar shapes. I made a “matching set” of each color in several square and rectangle sizes. For two of the sets, I punched a hole in one corner and clipped them together with a gold fastener; for the remaining three sets, I kept the cards loose.

One set of cards and clips.

I thought that for my little ones–Owen at the time and Cora–having the cards stuck together would be one less thing to juggle and eventually lose. For Maddy–and Owen, now–they would be able to manipulate the loose cards and paper clips, and that way they could also make things out of them, connecting the cards with clips to make chains, designs, or whatever.

 

One big, happy rainbow family of cards and clips.

Next, I threw all of the small bags into a quart-sized one and put it in my diaper bag. I try to keep this, along with a sheet or two of stickers, a small tablet, and one pack of crayons along with me on my everyday travels. Sometimes, these lifesavers really work and can buy me a minute or two. . . or ten. Other times, they don’t, and such is life. That’s when I’ll break out the back-up dum-dum lollipop.

Not only is Color Cards and Clips a cool way of passing time for little ones, but it also helps with super-important skills like color learning, counting, and improving fine motor skills. The set is initially a bit labor-intensive to create, but once it’s done, it’s worth your time!

And that’s another Quick Trick to do with as you please. I’m always up for more great ideas, so if you have something that you think really works and is worth sharing, drop me an email, and I’ll pass it along! I would love to feature some of your awesome ideas!