Sorting Games And Resources For EYFS

FAQ’s About Sorting Games: 

What are sorting activities? 

Sorting games and activities involve a child to identify the number of items that have similarity between them. This helps children develop the skill to identify common properties that form a group or class of items. Some examples of ways you can do sorting include: 

• Colour sorting 
• Shape sorting 
• Size sorting 
• Texture sorting 
• Category sorting 
• Number sorting 
• The letter or sound sorting 
• Weight sorting 
• Magnetic vs non magnetic 
• Pattern sorting 
• Sorting by function

Why are sorting games beneficial for toddlers? 

There are many benefits for children to engage in sorting activities. These include:

• Learning to notice similarities and differences between objects 
• Learning to categorise 
• Developing early literacy and numeracy skills
• Further cognitive development and understanding of the world around them
• Enhancing fine motor skill development through handling objects and moving them around 
• Developing mathematical foundation through recognising set sand categories
• Enhancing problem-solving skills
• Encouraging social interaction and language development as they vocalise with friends what they are doing
• Sensory exploration through the exploration of different textures, temperatures and sounds. 

How do you make sorting fun?

There are many ways you can make standard sorting games even more fun. Some ways include: 

• Themed sorting activities - use themes that resonate with your child’s interests. Some ideas include space-themed, Easter-themed, Christmas e.t.c 
• Incorporating abstract tools - tweezers, cranes and soons can make sorting more challenging and engaging. 
• Time challenges - use a timer and get children to sort resources as quickly as possible, trying to beat their last time. This is a great idea for older kids who have more experience with sorting games. 
• Outdoor sorting - get children to adventure outdoors and collect natural resources to sort. Some great resources include leaves, rocks and flowers. 
• Incorporate movement - have children sort into different baskets in corners of the room. 
• Edible sorting  - some great resources for this include coloured cereal, candy and fruit