After my son started to understand what we were doing, and what i was talking about when i would talk about the word 'color' and once he started to actually guess what color it was (even if he was wrong) we went to the 'second stage of the game'.
In the second stage I would color dots on the laminated smaller sheets with a wet erase marker. Then we have to count how many dots each sheet had, and they take their card with them and have to bring me that many items that are that color. So if they get a red card with 3 dots on it, they have to bring me 3 red items. If an item they bring me has more than just red on it, they have to tell where red is on the toy, just to be sure they are not just bringing me stuff and not understanding the consept.
Each kid gets their own smaller card, with a different amount of dots than another kid. Learning to count works better if they all watch each other count how many dots they have, so that they are hearing the correct counting order as often as possible. With that in mind, after a kid brings me a toy, i cross off one of the dots, and we have to count again how many dots are left, then they hear how to count several times in a game. This works well for my older son too, because he is learning subtraction. I'd cross off one, we'd count how many are left, and then i say thats right, because 4 minus 1 is 3, so there are 3 left. or 4 minus 2 is 2, there are 2 left. etc. NOTE: I'd say that is a more advanced part of the game that was an afterthought once i started playing this game. I do not to that part of the game with my 3yr old.
Another aspect of this game being good for my older son is that each color sheet has the written name of the color at the bottom of the page so my 5yr old and I can sound out the letters and see how each color is spelled and sounds of the letters to make it a word. That way every morning he also gets to be involved in this game. In the beginning I didn't do this (because we had not gotten to letter sounds and how putting letters together are what words are made up of) and he would often say the color when i was asking my 3yr old, even though he knew this game was for his brother, because he wanted to be a part of it too, and he was feeling left out, and wanted to show he knew it, and get mommy's 'proud attention' (or so that is what i assumed. lol).
(To read more on how I made it, and my trials and errors click the 'Read more >>' button below)


