Sorting is a critical math skill for children to develop. Not only does sorting help children to identify patterns, but it also helps them to understand more complex concepts like numbers and operations.
There are many different ways to sort and lots of fun sorting games that you can do at home with your children. In this article, we will provide a lot of ideas for sorting activities and free sortings activities that you can do at home.
A. Why teach Children Sorting Games?
There are many benefits to children playing sorting games. Not only are they fun, but they also help children learn important skills.
1. Develop Problem-solving skills
Sorting games help children develop problem-solving skills because they have to identify an object and then link it to a specific category. Learning to make connections between people, objects, and places is a foundational skill in language development.
2. Develop Memory Skills
Sorting games develop memory skills since children need to memorize a variety of objects, their attributes, functions, and the categories they belong to. One popular sorting game is called “memory.” In this game, children have to remember where different objects are located and then match them up.
3. Develop Pattern recognition
Sorting games are a great way for children to learn how to identify patterns. Pattern recognition is an important skill for children to learn because it helps them to understand the world around them. Check out our Guide for Pattern Matching and Extension with Free Cards.
4. Learn to organize information
Sorting games also help children to learn how to categorize objects. This is an important skill for children to learn because it helps them to organize information.
5. Develop Fine Motor skills
Sorting games also help children to develop fine motor skills. Fine motor skills are the ability to use small muscles in the hands to perform tasks such as writing and tying shoelaces. Sorting games help children to develop these skills by providing them with opportunities to practice picking up and manipulating small objects.
Sorting games are a great way for children to learn important skills. They are also a lot of fun. So next time you are looking for a fun activity for your child, consider a sorting game.
B. Sorting games for Speech Therapy
When it comes to sorting games that you can do at home with your child, there are quite a few options available. Not only are these games fun and interactive, but they also help to teach your child important life skills such as organization and problem-solving.
1. Sorters
Sorters are the most popular games for learning classification in speech therapy. When using a sorter, you can teach your child to sort by color, size, or shape.
Sorters come in multiple types and are particularly popular in preschool and kindergarten and Montessori schools.
2. Sorting Task Cards
These Task Cards allow you to sort by attribute (size, colors, shape, etc.) or by Category, like sorting a set of cards into animals, plants, and furniture.
Check out our free Sorting Cards :
You can find all of our Free Classification Task Cards in this link.
There are lots of fun sorting games that you can play with your children at home. By playing these games, you can help your children to develop important math skills.
3. Shell Game
One popular sorting game is the Shell Game. This game can be played with two or more players, and involves sorting shells by color. Each player is given a handful of shells, and they must then take turns placing their shells into the correct order. The first player to correctly sort all of their shells wins the game.
4. Button Game
Another fun sorting game is called the Button Game. This game is played with a group of children, and each child is given a button. The goal of the game is for each child to sort their button by color, shape, or size. Once all of the buttons are sorted, the child with the most buttons in their sorted pile is the winner.
5. Cards Sorting Games
There are also many Sorting games that can be played with cards:
One card-sorting game is called the Memory Matching Game. This game is played with a deck of cards, and each card has a different image on it. The object of the game is to match up the cards with identical images.
Another card-sorting game is called the Concentration Game. This game is played with a deck of cards, and each card has a different number on it. The object of the game is to match up the pairs of cards with identical numbers.
Sorting games are a great way to teach your child important life skills, and they can also be a lot of fun. If you are looking for a fun and interactive way to spend time with your child, try sorting games.
C. How to make DIY Sorting Games at Home
Sorting games are a great way for children to learn important skills such as shape recognition, color recognition, and sorting by size. These skills are important for many tasks in life, such as organizing a closet or putting away groceries. Playing sorting games can help your child practice these skills in a fun and engaging way.
1. Sorting by size DIY activity
One sorting game that you can do at home is to Sort by Size. To play this game, you will need a variety of objects of different sizes, such as coins, buttons, or pieces of cereal.
Have your child pick up one object and compare it to another. Help them identify whether the object is bigger or smaller than the one they are holding. Once they have sorted the objects by size, challenge your child to put them in order from smallest to largest.
2. Sorting by Shape DIY activity
Another sorting game that you can play at home is Shape Sorting. For this game, you will need a variety of objects of different shapes, such as blocks, balls, or pieces of fruit. Have your child pick up one object and identify its shape. Then, challenge them to find another object that is the same shape. Once they have found a match, have them place the two objects next to each other. Continue until all of the objects have been sorted by shape.
3. Sorting by Color DIY activity
Color Sorting is another fun game that you can play at home with your child. To play, you will need a variety of objects of different colors, such as crayons, markers, or pieces of fabric. Have your child pick up one object and identify its color.
Then, challenge them to find another object that is the same color. Once they have found a match, have them place the two objects next to each other. Continue until all of the objects have been sorted by color.
Sorting games are a great way for children to learn important skills such as shape recognition, color recognition, and sorting by size (check out our free Pirate theme sorting by size worksheets).
These skills are important for many tasks in life, such as organizing a closet or putting away groceries. Playing sorting games can help your child practice these skills in a fun and engaging way. All of these games are great ways for your child to learn about different concepts and have fun at the same time.
4. Sorting DIY games to play together
Sorting games aren’t just a great way to help your child learn important skills, they’re also a fun way for the whole family to bond and spend time together. Here are some fun sorting games that you can do at home with your child:
Scavenger Hunt
Put together a simple scavenger hunt where your child has to find items that are all the same color or shape. You can take turns placing objects into categories. For example, you might put together a pile of things that are all red, then things that are all shapes, then things that are all animals. The first person to run out of objects wins!
Mystery Bag
Create a “mystery bag” containing a bunch of different objects. Have your child reach in and feel the objects, then try to sort them by shape or texture.
Sorting games are a great way to keep your child’s mind active and engaged. Not only are they fun, but they also help develop important skills like problem-solving and fine motor skills. With so many different sorting games available, there’s sure to be one that’s perfect for your little one.
So get Sorting and Have Fun!