Consider the humble gumdrop. With so many candy options available to us, we can forget the classic gumdrop. And believe it or not, there is actually a national day committed to gumdrops. Yes, February 15 is National Gumdrop Day. And here’s another fun fact: with all their varieties of colors and flavors, gumdrops can be a great learning tool. Since there are so many educational things you can do with gumdrops, let’s look at some super fun learning times you can have with gumdrops.
Why learn with gumdrops? Well, it’s the middle of February, and it can become a time that we parents could use some new activities for our kids. The newness of holiday gifts has worn off. Valentine’s Day is over. Winter is getting long at this point. Plus, it’s always good to have a few candy-based educational activities up your sleeve. So let’s jump in to a few ideas for some super fun learning times with gumdrops.
Sorting Colors
Little ones love sorting games. And this is a chance to sort with sweets, so that’s even more fun! Dump a pile of gumdrops on the table, and hand your kid a muffin tin or some other container that works for sorting. You could even use a sheet pan or a plate divided into sections with masking tape. Then have your child sort the gumdrops by colors. As they do so, you can help them name the colors.
Want to take it a step further? Learn the signs for these colors while you are talking about the names of the colors you’re using. You can find instructions for signing each major color in our free Signing Time Dictionary. There’s an entire section for colors!
Searching Game
Try hiding gumdrops all around your living area. Just be sure to remember where you’ve put them! Then, send your kids to go find them. This is another fun activity that kids love. If you have more than one little one, you can make it even more interesting by assigning each child a color to find. So simple and so fun! Yet we’re tapping into our children’s reasoning skills as they consider where to look for a gumdrop.
Counting Activities
We can use gumdrops to help our kids with their counting skills. Sort your gumdrops into different piles with different amounts, and have your child count each pile to see which one has the most. Then that pile can be the prize for all that counting.
Or you could combine color and number skills by pre-sorting the gumdrops into piles by color. Then ask your child how many red gumdrops there are, and how many green gumdrops there are. If your child can handle more, you could have them sort the gumdrops by color, and then count the color piles.
There are so many ways to change up counting activities and make this a super fun learning time with gumdrops.
Get artistic
You can use gumdrops for art too! Get out a piece of parchment or wax paper, or even use regular paper. Then challenge your kid to make a picture by either placing the gumdrops. Or they could smoosh the gumdrops into the shapes they need for their pictures. Either way, your kids can use gumdrops to create their own little masterpieces.
Once they’re finished, we can take a picture and toss the mess. Easy and fun and creative.
Make a sculpture
Want to get even more creative with gumdrops? Grab some toothpicks to attach your gumdrops together, and have your kids build something. This takes some more thinking and logic, but it’s also creative for our kids. And how easy to pull this together for a super fun learning time with gumdrops.
Helping our little kids learn at home doesn’t have to be complicated or time consuming. These super fun learning times can be really effective. At the same time, they are super fun and easy for us to set up. So try out one of these super fun learning times with gumdrops to help celebrate National Gumdrop Day or to help get through some February boredom.
My Signing Time can help too
Need some more fun to help you get through February? Check out our fun, educational shows at My Signing Time. We have a section you can watch for free, or you could check out all of our shows with a 14-day free trial. Try it out here!