If you’re reading this post, you’re probably working with little learners who are learning or practicing their sorting skills…and I have a BUNCH of fun ideas to share! There are SO many ways to practice sorting in every day life and it’s an essential skill for young kids to learn in order to build on those skills as they continue learning. So, come see some of my favorite ways to practice sorting with littles!

If you need some sorting activities for toddlers and preschoolers, the ideas in this blog post are just what you need! They’re perfect for little learners to practice sorting skills at home or in the classroom in fun ways that are simple to set up. …

1. SORTING SENSORY BINS

Sensory bin activities are a super engaging way to practice sorting skills! Usually, sorting sensory bin activities require little ones to sort cards according to what’s on it, like themed pictures, letters, numbers, or shapes. They simple grab a card from the fun sensory bin you’ve set up and then match it to the mat in the correct spot.

These kinds of sorting sensory bin activities give you the opportunity to let your learners engage with some sensory fun as WELL as practice an academic skill of your choosing. AND, these kinds of sorting activities tend to feel more like a game than a learning activity, so they think they’re playing and you know they’re learning and everyone wins!

2. SORTING MANIPULATIVES

Grabbing something you have around the house that can be sorted by a simple attribute is an amazing way to practice sorting skills! We love to sort buttons, pom poms, mini erasers, playdough balls, dry noodles, and all sorts of other little things we have around. We practice sorting by color a lot, but sometimes we switch it up and sort by size, shape, season, use, or any other attribute we can think of to really solidify those sorting skills.

3. SORTING TOYS

Oh, my! You know that toy box full of toys that your kiddos have forgotten about? LET’S USE THEM! My little guy forgets about the stuff that’s been put away in a box or a closet and that makes those things the PERFECT toy to start sorting. You can sort by what the toy IS (ball, dinosaur, kitchen item, etc.), colors of the toys, size of the toys, or even where the toy belongs in the house! You can even sneak in some clean up and organization time into this sorting game/activity and your littles won’t even know it. :)

We sort by putting all the cars in one basket, the playdough toys in another, and all the things with buttons into his favorite backpack for safe storage. Haha! But, he’s learning to sort, clean up, AND keep his belongings organized in an intentional way. Everyone’s happy!

4. SORTING WORKSHEETS

Sorting things on paper is another way to practice sorting skills! These kinds of worksheets are a simple, fun way to practices sorting skills without ANY prep. Just print them out, explain and model how to complete the activity, and then they can get to work sorting. :) We don’t use worksheets ALL the time, but on occasion, they’re a fun activity to pull out when you don’t have a ton of time to plan and need something simple and fun. You can grab the resources that these worksheets are included in by CLICKING HERE.

5. SORTING SNACKS

Similar to sorting manipulatives, sorting snacks is a simple, everyday way to practice skills in a normal way that doesn’t feel forced. I love letting my little guy sort different kinds of cereal, different colored goldfish, different colors or cereal (like Fruit Loops), or different colors of squeezie pouches. And, if I’m feeling super fun, I’ll bust out some Runts candies or fruit snacks and he can sort them by the kind of fruit they are. You can give your littles a few different kinds of real fruit, like blueberries, raspberries, or banana slices, and give them bowls to sort them into before they eat them. The sky is the limit with sorting snacks! Just grab one of your kid’s favorite things and show them (or ask them?) a good way to sort them.

6. SORTING ACTIVITIES

Sorting activities, like the ones in this binder, provide your kiddos with a more guided way to practice sorting. These activities come with small cards that your little one can sort OR you can place other things that pertain to the topic on the page as well. This spring page would be great for sorting any kind of spring colors, mini erasers, spring-colored pom poms, little Easter eggs, OR the spring pictures that come with the page. But, adding the spring and summer cards together gives your little ones a simple sorting task, but you can make it more challenging by adding all 4 seasons for kids who are ready to do more! You can differentiate the activities in the toddler/preschool binder to meet the needs of learners of SO many levels.

There are also some sorting activities included in these BUSY BOXES if you need another small, organized way to practice sorting!

7. SORTING CRAFTS

Last, but definitely not least, sorting crafts! I don’t know about you, but my little guy LOVES to use glue sticks, so it’s super fun and simple to set up a craft for him to sort and glue based on different attributes! You can use whatever craft supplies your little ones love (paper, glue, stickers, dot markers, tempura paint sticks, pom poms, googley eyes, foam or paper shapes, glitter, paint, etc.) to create a sorting craft.

You can match colors to the same colored construction paper, you can draw a shape or picture and have little ones glue pieces of paper based on color, cut out little shapes and glue them onto the matching bigger shape, or stick BIG stickers to a BIG picture and SMALL stickers to SMALL pictures…just to give you a few ideas! :) I hope that gets your creative juices flowing and you find a little sorting craft that you and your little ones will love.

Hopefully these ideas inspire you to practice sorting with your littles in a new way that sparks their interest! I love all the ways that this foundational skill can be practiced using just about ANYTHING.

Cheering you on!