This perfectly simple preschool game about colors requires no prep, gets kids moving, and helps them practice colors and counting skills.  “Necessity is the mother of invention”…so said Plato. I’m inclined to agree, as some of my most successful ideas for learning activities to do with my kids have come when I’m desperate for something to keep us all busy at 4 o’clock in the afternoon. At least, that’s how this one started.

Or, maybe more accurately, it started with a moment of nostalgia for my childhood…

Do you remember going roller skating as a kid? Not on your sidewalk, but at the REAL roller skating rink. Ours was stuck in a 1970s color scheme (hello mustard yellow and avocado green), but I loved it! We went there occasionally for school rewards in elementary school, and I have fond memories of the smell of old leather mixed with popcorn and red vines.

What I remember most though are the games…red light green light, the hokey pokey, and…FOUR CORNERS. One of the workers would bring a giant die out onto the floor and everyone would choose a corner to skate to. He’d roll the die and if it landed on your corner’s number, you were out. I think the prize for the last person standing was a bag of stale popcorn. It was all very exciting. 🙂

Somehow, I remembered this a few weeks ago on an afternoon when I was too exhausted to do much (I was a VERY pregnant mama at the time), and I thought I could adapt it to something my boys might enjoy.

I grabbed a few sheets of construction paper, laid out some basic rules (see below for the full instructions), and we tried it out.I was amazed by how much my boys loved this simple game. Little Man (5) played it for close to a half an hour with me. I actually got tired of it before he did (although I couldn’t complain too much since my job was to lay on the couch, count, and shout out colors). Little Brother (3) was less interested at first (he usually prefers more independent play), but he got into the competition aspect of the game and got really excited about it by the end.All in all, it was a perfectly simple learning game. It required practically no prep, got the kids up and moving (their fave way to learn), helped them practice colors and counting, and I could play sitting down (important for me right now).

Interested? Read on to learn how to play!

Four Corners

A Preschool Game about Colors

What we’re learning:

• colors (or numbers, letters, or whatever skill YOU choose)
• counting
• prediction/outcome
• gross motor skills

Materials Needed:

• 4 different colored pieces of paper
• A marker (optional, to write numbers on the papers if you want to practice counting)

How to play:

1. Place each piece of paper in a different corner of the room. (We used our living room.) Tape them down with painter’s tape if needed.
2. Explain to your child that you are going to close your eyes. While your eyes are closed, they will have 5 seconds to choose a “corner” (a color of paper) to stand on.
3. Count down from 5 to 1, and then, with your eyes still closed, call out a color. If you call the same color as your child is standing on, they get a point.
4. Repeat as many times as you want!

Note: You can change up this game to focus on different skills. For older kids, you could add more papers and write numbers, alphabet letters, or even simple math problems on them (call out the number and have them see if their math problem equals that solution).

Like this game? Here are some other preschool activities you might enjoy:

• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Alphabet Game
• Pirate Alphabet Treasure Hunt 
• Land Ho!…a preschool math & motor skills game
• Alphabet Kaboom!