Rainbow colour sorting takes the St Patrick's Day rainbow theme and turns it into a rich maths activity. Children sort everyday objects by colour, count groups, compare quantities, and build early reasoning skills — all through hands-on play.

Materials Needed

Coloured objects in rainbow colours (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo/purple) — buttons, pompoms, unifix cubes, beads, or small toys
Sorting trays, bowls, or hoops
Rainbow colour cards or labels for each sorting group
Large rainbow template (printed or drawn on paper)
Tweezers or tongs (optional — great for fine motor practice)
Number cards 1–10

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Prepare the Colour Collection

Gather a mixed collection of small objects in at least five rainbow colours. Aim for roughly 8–12 objects per colour. Place everything in one large container — a treasure basket works brilliantly.

Tip: Raid the craft cupboard. Pompoms, pipe cleaners, buttons, and beads give varied textures that enrich the sensory experience.

2. Create Sorting Zones

Set up the sorting zones using:

Coloured bowls or trays
Hoops on the floor (for a larger-scale version)
Sections of a drawn/printed rainbow

Label each zone with a colour card so children can self-check their sorting.

3. Introduce the Activity

Gather the children and show them the mixed collection. Ask:

"What colours can you see?"
"How could we organise these?"
"What do you think a rainbow looks like — which colour comes first?"

Model sorting a few objects, thinking aloud as you go: "This is red, so it goes in the red bowl."

4. Sorting and Counting

Let the children sort independently or in pairs. Once sorted, extend to counting:

"How many red objects did you find?"
"Which colour has the most? How do you know?"
"Can you put the groups in order from fewest to most?"

Provide number cards so children can label each group with its total.

5. Extend the Activity

Graphing: Line up objects in columns to create a simple bar chart
Estimation: Before counting, ask "How many green ones do you think there are?"
Pattern making: Use sorted objects to create colour patterns (red, blue, red, blue…)
Recording: Children draw their rainbow and write the number in each colour section

Classroom Adaptations

Large class?

Set up as a continuous provision activity that children access in small groups throughout the day

Limited resources?

Use coloured paper scraps instead of objects — children sort torn pieces

EAL learners?

Colour sorting is naturally visual and low-language-barrier; add colour word labels in home languages

High ability?

Introduce Venn diagrams for objects that could belong to two colour groups (e.g. blue-green)

Rainbow Colour Sorting: Colour Sorting Maths Activity for St Patrick's Day