Sorting Activities for Preschool and Kindergarten: Math and Literacy Ideas

September 29, 2023

Sorting by attributes math and ELA activities for preschool and kindergarten

We have been having so much fun exploring math manipulatives by engaging in different sorting activities this week! Sorting by attributes not only helps students develop their cognitive skills but also lays the groundwork for more complex math skills. Here are some ideas for you to try.

Math Activities:

Color Sorting with Everyday Objects: Gather a collection of regular objects from around the room (markers, crayons, buttons) in various colors. Model for students how to sort the objects into piles based on their colors. Ask them to figure out your "sorting rule" and use descriptive language like: "This is the red set, this is the blue set."
Shape Sorting: Use construction paper to cut out basic shapes in various sizes. Provide children with their own set of shapes and containers for sorting. Model descriptive language as they sort: "This collection has all the small circles."
Size Sorting with Building Blocks: Use building blocks of various sizes (small, medium, large). Have children sort the blocks into three containers based on their size. Ask questions like: Which block is the smallest? Which one is the largest?
Texture Sorting with Nature Gifts: Go on a nature walk and collect leaves and small rocks. Have students gently rub over the leaves and rocks while describing the texture. Model descriptive language like: bumpy, soft, smooth, rough, hard, spiky, crispy.

ELA Activities:

Alphabet Letter Sorting: Provide children with a set of letters (uppercase and lowercase). Have them sort the letters into two groups: vowels and consonants, or uppercase and lowercase. Encourage students to say the name of the letter and make the sound it represents as they sort.
Rhyming Word Sort: Create visual cards with pictures of objects or animals. Ask children to sort the cards based on the rhyming family (cat, hat, mat).
CVC Word Sorting: Create a set of decodable words on index cards (hat, car, bus, hen, pig, fox). Ask children to sort the words into categories such as: objects, animals, food.