Welcome back to the Kinder Club blog! Each week we will focus on an early literacy concept and share fun stories, activities and tips to help reinforce a variety of kindergarten readiness skills.
This week’s concept is sorting!
Sorting is a basic math skill. When we sort items, we put them into groups. There are many ways to sort items. We can sort by color, shape, size and type. By sorting, you understand that things are alike and different and that they can be organized into certain groups. Practicing sorting is important for numerical concepts and grouping numbers and sets as you get older.
Look at the above image. Use your finger to tap all the blue objects. Next, see if you can find all the round items. Which items can fit into both categories (blue and round)? Are you ready for a challenge? See if you can put the shapes in the bottom row in order from smallest to largest. Great job sorting and following directions!
Click on the video below to watch Mrs. K. share some fun sorting activities for you to do at home. Do you remember what objects Mrs. K. mentioned in her reading? What letters do you see on the cover of the book Mrs. K. showed you? Which letter is uppercase? How many letters are lowercase? Do you remember one of the letters Mrs. K. pulled from her bag?
Mrs. K. sorted alphabet letters and foam stickers in her video today. What else could you do to practice sorting? How about helping your grown-up sort the laundry, put away the dishes (clean of course!) or organize the toys in your room. For even more ideas, visit our Free Play blog.
If you picked up a Kinder Club practice packet from the library, have fun completing this week’s activities and stay tuned for our next activity post.
- Kindergarten Readiness Tip: Sorting helps develop EXECUTIVE FUNCTION SKILLS. That big phrase simply means – important brain skills that help with memory, attention and problem-solving. Research shows that the stronger these skills are when a child begins kindergarten, the more likely they are to perform better at school. (Courtesy of www.curiousneuron.com) Here are a few materials found around the house that can be used to practice sorting.
- Deck of playing cards – sort by color, suit (shape), number vs. face, numerical order
- Dry beans or pasta – sort by color, size, or shape
- Jelly beans or M&M’s – sort by color
- Crayons – sort by color or length
- Groceries – sort by location (pantry, refrigerator, freezer)
