I made up this game when Ada was learning her colors and just dug it out again for Josie to play.  I am convinced it helped Ada learn her colors quickly and it is a simple and pretty toy to have around.  The felt swatches are beautiful to play with on their own, and my kids seem to find paint chips are endlessly entertaining.  I found the felt swatch ring here on Etsy.  The paint chips are free at almost any hardware store.  Felt + Paint Chips + Double-sided Tape = Awesome.

To make your own Paint Chip Matching Game you will need:

*Felt Sample Ring

*Paint Chips in Variety of Colors (We used Behr because I liked the square shapes)

*Double-Sided Tape

*Scissors

1. Stick the double tape to back of paint chip and place the same color on its back.  This will keep you from having to turn over each chip to see a color.

2. Trim any excess tape with scissors. The closer you tape to edges, the less likely the child will be to pull apart the chips.

3. Here is how we play:  Find a color on the felt ring, say the name of the color and ask the child to find the same color paint chips.  (None of the colors we have are exact matches, so it challenges a child to think about shades and grouping of colors).  Ada also liked to find the same color toys around her room and match them to swatches.  The possibilities are pretty endless…

*Pantone Colors is a beautiful new toddler book about the subtle shades of each color. The book is one of my favorite new baby gift and would make a great companion to this game.