Math Play ~ Sorting Activities for the Early Childhood

Children's mathematical play happens daily within their experiences and play. Whether that environment is at home or within a school setting, children engage in mathematical thinking as they interact with materials and explore the world around them. As we offer children materials within their play, we can carefully select items to spark deep mathematical explorations. 

Sorting is a concept that might seem easy for children to master. However, it is very much rich in its potential for mathematical dialogue and learning. When children sort they are thinking critically, analyzing and making decisions. Sorting involves comparing and classifying objects based on attributes. This is multi-leveled and foundational to future mathematical understandings. It is therefore important for children to have many experiences with sorting and classifying objects by their attributes. 

When children first begin to sort they often match objects that are similar, perhaps by colour and size. Then as their understanding of the properties and attributes of objects grows so does the complexity of their sorting. Children can begin to discover more than one way to sort the same collection of objects. The relationships between objects and the complexity of inter-relationships all build upon children's mathematical understandings. 

While children engage in sorting activities we can guide them through sharing mathematical language. As they compare sets of objects, we are able to communicate using mathematical terms. Think of the object's size, capacity, length, and the numerical value of sets that children create when they are sorting. All of these, when explored within their experiences makes math meaningful and visible to children.  

Sorting can be interwoven within children's daily experiences as well. Putting away laundry and helping to put the groceries away is a wonderful way to sort. Children can also sort silverware, shoes, and toys as they tidy. It is within these authentic everyday experiences that children can connect the value of mathematical thinking to their everyday lives.

Here are several sorting play invitations for children. 

Rainbow Rice Sensory Tray 

Magnetic Play with Nuts, Bolts and Washers

Everything Blue

Collect a variety of objects all the same colour.

Alphabet Sort

A variety of alphabet letters in various fonts.

Mixed Beans

A variety of dried beans and ice cube trays.

A Deck of Cards

There are many ways to sort the cards and

an opportunity to engage children in conversation

about numerals in this sorting play.

I hope that this post inspires you to create opportunities for lots of creative math play with your child. Become a blog subscriber to receive each post right into your inbox.

Sincerely,

❤️

𝑀𝒾𝒸𝒽𝑒𝓁𝓁𝑒