Looking for the perfect DIY color-sorting activity for your toddler that requires no prep time?
Well, I’ve got this popsicle and play-dough color-sorting activity that requires no prep at all! If your toddler is in the sorting phase right now, I bet they will love this activity.
It’s fun, interactive, and a great way to introduce colors while enhancing fine motor skills.
How This Activity Helps
Provides Sensory Stimulation
Toddlers love kneading soft, pliable dough with their little fingers. Each brightly colored play-dough ball boosts visual and tactile stimulation.
Encourages Sorting Skills
Most toddlers start sorting and organizing objects between 18 to 24 months. This activity helps strengthen that emerging skill.
Teaches Color Recognition
Practicing this activity allows toddlers to associate colors with their names in a hands-on way.
Develops Fine Motor Skills
This isn’t just about sorting—the activity also involves sticking popsicle sticks upright into the play-dough balls. Balancing the sticks in a standing position is just challenging enough to engage a young toddler.
In my case, color sorting was easy for my toddler, but balancing the sticks was the tricky part.
At first, I helped her a few times when she struggled, but after a few tries, she gradually got the hang of it and enjoyed the activity so much!
When Should You Introduce This Activity
You can introduce this sorting activity when your toddler is going through a “sensitive period” for sorting—for example, when they’re matching shapes or placing similar objects together.
I always try to observe my toddler’s interests, milestones, and developmental progress. Around 18 months, I noticed she enjoyed sorting shapes, so I introduced color sorting too.
At first, I wasn’t sure how to help her understand the concept of color. So I started with simple DIY color-sorting activities. To my surprise, within 2 to 3 months, she began sorting colors correctly—and even started naming them!
Orange was the first color she could recall on the very first day!
These hands-on activities made a big difference.
P.S. Every toddler is different. Some may show interest in sorting earlier than 18 months, while others may take longer, closer to 24 months or beyond. And that’s completely okay!
The best approach is to observe your child. Look for signs like grouping similar objects or showing curiosity about organizing things.
These cues help you know when your child is ready so you can introduce activities at just the right time—without overwhelming them.
Supplies Needed
Colored popsicle sticks
Colored play dough
How to prepare this sorting activity (step-by-step)
- I took some colored play-dough packets and pulled out a small portion from each one
- Then, I rolled the dough between my palms to shape it into small balls.
- After that, I placed some colored popsicle sticks in front of my child—each stick had a matching play-dough ball.
That’s it. No preparation needed!
You can let your toddler explore this activity instantly without any prior setup. To keep things organized, place the popsicle sticks in a woven basket and set the activity up on their shelf.
How Long Will This Keep Your Toddler Engaged?
This activity kept my toddler engaged for around 20-25 minutes the first time.
Once she got the hang of it, she’d sometimes play independently for even longer. She also improvised a new version with play-dough, like putting dough balls on the animal’s back!
Of course, every toddler is different—some may focus for less time, others a bit more.
But for a no-prep, hands-on activity, this one is definitely worth keeping in your rotation when you need something quick, quiet, and meaningful.
Helpful Tips
Before letting my toddler dive into the activity, I first showed her how to sort the colors by naming each one, one by one.
Then, I demonstrated how to balance the popsicle sticks on the play dough.Balancing the popsicle sticks on the small dough balls was a bit challenging for her, but this challenge made the activity more fun and engaging.
👉 Tip: If you want to skip the balancing part, you can make bigger dough balls to skewer the popsicle sticks into.
Store the popsicle sticks in a small basket and the play dough balls in an airtight zip-lock bag for easy access.
Make This Activity More Fun!
Name all the colors and sing a rainbow color song while doing the activity.
Turn it into a game – time how fast your toddler can match and balance all the colored popsicles on the play dough balls!
Celebrate every correct match with claps, high-fives, or a cheerful “Yaaay!”
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, if your toddler is new to color-sorting activities, it’s advisable to supervise and play along. Playing together will help your toddler learn the names of each color. Plus, you’ll be there to regulate any frustration if they struggle with the balancing part.
No, I used store-bought play-dough. Since I supervised the entire activity, I didn’t make homemade play-dough.
👉 If you’re unable to supervise the activity, it’s best to use homemade, taste-safe play dough. There’s always a risk of mouthing, especially with toddlers’ curious nature.
You’ll find tons of rainbow song rhymes on YouTube. You can play these songs through a Bluetooth speaker or sing along with your toddler.
Have you tried a similar activity with your toddler? I’d love to hear how it went in the comments!
