Categories Sorting Activity
Purpose: Learning new vocabulary is best if it is learned in categories. Being able to sort words into groups is an important skill for comprehending new words and word retrieval.
How to Play:
- Print and cut out the picture cards and sorting mats.
- Start off with just the “Categories” sorting mat. (Food/Clothing/Transportation). Have your child sort the pictures into the correct category group.
- If your child does well with the “Categories” sorting mats, try re-sorting the pictures with the “Sub- Categories” sorting mats.
Different Strategies:
- Talk about what the function is of each category. For example, “Food is for eating, clothing is for wearing, transportation is for moving”.
- Label the pictures first, help your child with any new vocabulary.
- After labelling the picture, then decide what it is used for. Give choice options as needed. (For example, if your child picked the picture of a banana, ask “Is a banana for eating or for wearing?”)
- Last, identify the category the picture belongs to. Give choices as needed (For example, if you had the banana picture, ask “Is it food or clothing?”).
- If your child is having difficulty sorting with three categories, try just two at a time (e.g. Just sort food and clothing pictures).
- If your child is practicing with the “Sub-Categories” mats, talk about what makes each sub-category different (e.g. “Fruits and vegetables are both for eating, but fruits are usually sweet and vegetables are not.”)
Click here to download Picture Cards & Sorting Mats