15 Fun Activities with Gumdrops
Help promote learning through play with these fun and easy gumdrop activities. There are tons of things to try with these little candies.
Why Use Gumdrops
They Are Colorful
Each container of gumdrops contains a rainbow of colors, making them great for color identification, pattern making, and more.
They Are the Perfect Size for Little Hands
The small size of the gumdrops makes it so little ones can easily grab a handful of them.
While doing gumdrop activities, little ones will be strengthening their hand muscles.
Strong hands correlate to little ones being able to hold a pencil, zip a zipper, and tie shoes.
There are Many Gumdrop Activities To Do with Them
Below, we have listed 15 gumdrop activities to try. There are so many more activities you can try when it comes to colors, pattern-making, and math tasks.
They are a Unique and Fun Sensory Experience
Spicy smell, gritty sugar, and a squishy texture provide a unique sensory experience for preschoolers. Their senses will be awoken as they try gumdrop activities.
Preschool Gumdrop Activities To Try
Celebrate National Gumdrop Day on February 15th with some delightful gumdrop activities.
STEM Activities
Building Structures
Using toothpicks and gumdrops, create shapes, structures, or their own creations.
Try making 2D triangles and squares and 3D pyramids and cubes.
Color Sorting
Provide a bowl of gumdrops. Have preschoolers sort the gumdrops into groups or cups by color. This will help them recognize and categorize colors.
Counting Practice
Set the gumdrops in a line or groups. Tap and count the gumdrops to practice one-to-one correspondence.
Shapes and Patterns
Draw shapes on a piece of paper and have your little one “trace” the shapes by putting gumdrops on the shape lines.
Create color patterns (red, yellow, red, yellow, etc.) and have your little one continue the pattern.
Try more complex patterns and let your preschooler create their own patterns.
Simple Addition and Subtraction
Visually show basic math operations by using gumdrops as manipulatives.
Creative Play
Gumdrop Stamps
Dip the gumdrops in paint and use them as stamps to create colorful art projects.
Try using “dot art” pages to work on hand-eye coordination while stamping.
Gumdrop Art
Glue gumdrops onto cardstock or a cardboard box. Create a picture or abstract art.
Gumdrop Necklace
Thread yarn or string through the gumdrops to make colorful necklaces or bracelets, perfect for hand-eye coordination practice.
Color Mixing Experiment
Drop gumdrops in cups of water and watch as the colors dissolve and mix to change the water color.
Sensory Sorting
Add gumdrops and other small items (like buttons or beads) to a paper bag. Have the preschooler reach in and grab an item. Then, they can sort the item by touch or appearance.
Language and Literacy
Storytelling with Gumdrops
Gumdrops can become the characters of their own story. For example, “The green gumdrop ran over to the yellow gumdrop’s house for a play date.”
Alphabet Learning
Create letters from gumdrops by writing letters on paper and having little ones glue the gumdrops on the letter.
Word Matching
Write simple words on cards (cat, in, a, the, etc.). Place one gumdrop under each letter in the word.
If your little one is ready, tap the gumdrops and say the letter or sound.
Science and Exploration
Floating Gumdrop Experiment
Play sink or float with gumdrops in water. See if the temperature of the water or the addition of salt to the water changes if the gumdrops sink or float.
Gumdrop Melting Test
Set gumdrops (in cups or on parchment paper) in different locations to see how temperature affects their texture. Try places like in the sun, shade, fridge, or even a warm oven.
Preschool Candy Activities
Grab a pack of gumdrops the next time you are at the store to put some of these gumdrop activities to the test. They are sure to keep your little one engaged (at least until they eat them all 😉).
