Physical
Items required: several collections of crayons so that each participant may have a collection, coloring pages of dark outlined flowers, birds, butterflies, etc.
Gather participants around the table and greet each one by name, eye contact, and touch.
Present two pictures to each participant and ask them to choose one. If they do not, place one on the table in front of them and move on. Once everyone has a picture, place a small container of crayons within reach of each individual. Encourage them to choose a crayon and begin coloring. Demonstrate with your own picture. Move from participant to participant, assisting them in acquiring a crayon or beginning the process of coloring. Perhaps you will need to color their picture while keeping them in appropriate contact with the activity; naming the color, naming the item being colored, offering them the crayon, asking them to choose a different color. Continue with the activity until it reaches an obvious conclusion but not before there has been positive effort to involve all individuals.
Cognitive
Items required: crayons (enough that each participant has more than enough to make a set), templates for the sorting of crayons into primary colors (colored plastic cups would work better if they are available), small crayon boxes (the ones the crayons came in).
Gather participants around the table and greet each one individually.
Place a template in front of each individual and keep one for yourself. Hold up your template and label the sections by color.
Indicate that each template is the same, all having the same colored sections. Then present each participant with a collection of crayons. Direct them to locate the crayons that match each of the colored sections on the template and place them appropriately. If you have plastic cups, perform the same presentation and sorting activity. The crayons will roll off the templates but will be secure in the cups.
Begin with the first color to the left and ask everyone to locate all the red crayons, then the blue, green, etc…After all the crayons have been sorted, ask each participant to fill a crayon box by beginning, once again, with red, then blue, green, etc…
