Sorting colors is one activity we often do, but sorting by other attributes, such as small and big, is something I haven’t tried with my kids yet.
Sorting is so simple for us adults, but it’s really a very complex skill.
Kids have to compare objects and find similarities and differences in order to categorize them in a way that makes sense.
It’s a lot of work!
I decided to try some simple sorting activities with my 4-year-old using construction paper and a few other small items.
We used the following categories to sort by:
- small/big
- tall/short
- land/ocean
Sorting Small and Big
For this first sorting activity, I drew a small circle and a big circle on a sheet of paper and wrote “small” and “big” above the corresponding circles.
I provided Elena with tongs, small and big pasta shapes, and small and big seashells.
She used the tongs for the first couple pieces and used her hands to sort the rest. I think she needed to concentrate on the task (the first time through) and the tongs were taking away from her concentration.
Little Sister seemed like she was trying to help sort the shells, but she was really just trying to sneak some away for herself.
To keep her distracted, I gave her a handful of shells and a couple bowls so she could do her favorite activity on her own: transferring!
Sorting Tall and Short
The concept for this is similar to small/big but with different words!
I drew a short rectangle and a tall rectangle on a sheet of paper and labelled them “short” and “tall.”
For this activity, Elena sorted broken crayons and whole crayons. 🙂
Short/tall needed a little more explaining than small/big.
The easiest way to explain this idea was comparing her and my heights.
Once we had that figured out, she could do the activity.
I noticed it was important for Elena to line the crayons up at the bottom of each rectangle so she could compare them properly and really see the difference in size.
The tall crayons were the easiest for Elena to sort.
Some of the mid-sized crayons gave Elena trouble. She drew new boxes for each crayon that was a slightly different size.
I think she didn’t quite understand that all the smaller crayons were “short” even though they weren’t exactly the same size.
Sorting Land and Ocean Animals
We do lots of small world and sensory bin play with these little animals, so this concept of animals living in the ocean or on land is something Elena is familiar with, though I haven’t specifically taught it to her.
I simply gave her a bowl of animals, a sheet of green construction paper labeled “Land”, and a sheet of blue paper labeled “Ocean.”
She got about halfway through the bowl before she ran off to play outside.
We’ll come back to that one again another time. 🙂
Your Turn to Try a Sorting Activity
Like I mentioned before, we do lots of color sorting already. We’ve also done sorting kits.
But I’m excited to try out more sorting activities!
I’ll write a new post once we’ve tried a few more sorting activities out! Hope you’ll come back and join in on the fun.
Do you have any ideas for sorting that your kids have enjoyed? Leave a comment below and join in on this conversation!
Looking for an organized guide of fun, easy activities to do with your toddler that also encourages their growth and development?
I’ve created a 3-month activity planner just for busy parents like you! The plan includes 65 detailed, simple, and stress-free activities including: arts and crafts, sensory play, motor skills, and STEM–all using easy-to-find supplies.
Let me help make planning activities for your toddler easy, so you can skip the stress and get straight to the fun!
