It’s Day 12 of our 31 Days of Indoor Fun for Toddlers! We did a simplified version of this Sorting Toys by Color activity back when Little Brother was a toddler using just two colors of construction paper. But when I ran into these cute little colored silicone baskets in the dollar spot at Target last week, I knew these would be perfect for this activity (and many more to come).

Sorting is such an important cognitive development skill for toddlers and preschoolers and this is a great way to encourage sorting using something children are naturally interested in–toys and colors!

This activity was a bit of a challenge for Little Sister, but she did great with a little bit of help. Doing this along with your child offers the perfect opportunity to review color names in a meaningful way.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Random toys

Colored baskets or pieces of paper

1. Lay out your baskets/paper on the floor and scatter the toys you have gathered in front of them.

2. Encourage your child to be a “helper” (something Little Sister is currently enjoying–I hope it lasts!) and pick up the toys.

3. Your toddler will probably just throw the toy in the closest bin, but this is an opportunity to identify the color and then ask your child to put it in the corresponding basket. “That is a yellow car! Can you put the yellow car in the yellow basket?”

4. Continue until all toys are picked up! If your toddler is anything like mine, she will want to do it again. :)

Check out more fun indoor activities for toddlers here.