Sorting activities make the best toddler games.
Sorting activities are some of my favorite toddler activities. I’d go all out and say they are my favorite favorite, but I do love me some messy sensory play too. Hold the phone: someone make me a messy sensory sorting activity. My head would spin.
Oops, I’ve digressed, haven’t I?
Sorting activities. The Cadillac of Toddler Activities. Why do I love sorting activities so much? Because they have so much bang for their buck. They take seconds to prep and you get tons of learning (and concentrating quiet time) in return.
Here, I’ll show you…
Here’s my sales pitch on sorting activities
Sorting is a math skill and one of the first that our kids can master. When a child sorts objects, they are analyzing data, finding relationships among objects, and applying rules to groups.
They are also thinking logically and critically about a given set. It may seem like an easy skill, but sorting is so very much more.
I try to do at least one sorting activity every day with my toddler – whether it’s pasta sorting or color sorting.
Easy sorting activities to try today
I’ve come up with 8 super simple to set up, super easy to put together sorting activities.
Perfect for busy moms with busy kids living busy lives. I promise – these sorting activities will be easy on you, but the learning return with be great for your tot.
Each activity title is linked to a full blog post for more information on that specific sorting activity.
MAGNET SORT
MAGNET SORT: Sorting magnetic vs. non-magnetic items in this simple STEM sorting activity.
OBJECT SORT
OBJECT SORT: Sorting activities often come back to color so I took that variable out with a “like objects” sort of all blue items.
PUZZLE SORT
PUZZLE SORT: Dump, mix, and have your kids sort back out their favorite puzzles. This is a tough one (in a good way)!
ABC LETTER SORT
ABC LETTER SORT: AKA what to do with all those alphabet pieces from all the puzzles and games you own…
BEAN SORT
BEAN SORT: Sorting out a bowl of beans is one of my favorite quiet sorting activities.
PLAYING CARD SORT
PLAYING CARD SORT: Playing cards invites sorting by color, suit and number – the sorting possibilities abound!
STICKER SORT
Sticker Sort: Grab those dot stickers – this is one of my all time favorite ways to sort!
SORTING & GRAPHING
SORTING & GRAPHING:You can take sorting up a notch by turning it into a simple toddler graph… seems tricky but it’s actually a breeze!
Sorting is a powerful skill and one that is easily mastered at home with simple, easy to prep activities. You’ll feel like Wonder Parent with all the learning from sorting activities like these.
What are your favorite sorting activities?
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Brittney says
What a great list with so many different ideas. We’re going to have to try a few of these.
Vanessa says
Thank you for linking up at “A Little Bird Told Me” Wednesday link party! You have been featured on Mama’s Happy Hive blog. 🙂
My Bored Toddler says
A great collection of sorting activities! Thanks for sharing on #ToddlerFunFriday
Jennifer | Deliberate Homeschooling says
Sorting really is a favourite toddler activity, isn’t it?!
I love the list you’ve compiled here. Awesome!
Thanks for sharing (and for linking up to the #SHINEbloghop).
Wishing you a lovely day.
xoxo
Adventures of Adam says
So many brilliant activities! I love your wooden crate. I have wooden box envy!
Julie says
I love this post! Such great ideas!
The Autumn leaves are awesome!
busytoddler says
Thanks Julie!!! We love nature sorting!
Erin @ Stay At Home Yogi says
Love these ideas! Pinning!
busytoddler says
Thanks Erin!!
Maria says
These suggestions are so helpful, Susie. My 2 year old is into sorting and making piles with different objects and I love that she’s able to do it independently and (sometimes) even quietly. We do color sorting a lot, but will definitely be trying sorting objects with the same color next time as well. Thank you for sharing this on #SHINEbloghop. This was such a pleasure to read, and we’re so happy you joined us this week
busytoddler says
I really appreciate that Maria! We just love sorting over here – it’s definitely our go to / fall back!
Kim says
You have the best activities! My kids would love the playing cards. I really need to get some water beads! Thanks for sharing at #made4kids!
Elizabeth Meyers says
Great ideas! Thanks for sharing!
Ruthie Gray says
OH MY WORD this is so good! I will have to do this with my Tiny Tornado! He will be all into it. And I’ll share this post with his mama too – she’ll love it!
Thanks for joining us for Tuesday Talk, Susie!
Heather says
I love the different materials you provide to extend the sorting activity – lots of sensory experiences.
Chelsea @ Life With My Littles says
This is awesome! I’m going to start doing more intentional activities with Little J (we sort of fell off the wagon in December haha) and these are perfect! Thanks!