Sorting And Categorizing

Sorting and categorizing is a great introduction to pre-math and numeracy skills. Learning these skills in a hands-on way will allow for stronger retention and understanding.  Start with some broad categories with items you may have in the house.  For example, if you child has a play kitchen, sort the play food from toy cars.   Set out a couple of baskets, mix the items all together on the floor and help him sort the food into one basket and the cars in another! Make sure that you have only a few of each item so that he is not overwhelmed with the amount of items to sort.  Also, since children at this age usually have a short attention span, don’t worry if he is interested in this activity for only a few minutes.  Move on to something else when he wants to and come back to it another day!

Keep in mind that since this is a concept that will be reinforced for years to come, the key is to just introduce the idea. Once your little one starts to catch on a bit, you can sort by all sorts of categories such as color, size, shape, and more!  This kind of work also helps reinforce the concept of cleaning g up, as this is a skill that requires a child to put objects in the right place.  If you have an organized playroom, with similar toys stored together, understanding how to sort items will lead to a stronger ability to independently clean the playroom after play!

As always, communicate with your child during playtime and make the point to repeat the sorting categories each time he places it in the basket.  As you help him place the food item in the food basket, say, “Food goes here and cars go here!”  You will repeat yourself a lot but it really reinforces the lessons you are teaching!