Ways to Teach Kindergartners How to Sort

Sorting is one of the essential early skills to teach kindergartners. They learn to sort using colors, sizes, shapes, and kind. Students formally learn how to sort during our geometry unit by coming up with rules to sort 2D shapes. We sort to make sense of the world around us. Sorting also teach us how to compare and contrast objects or ideas. Here are some ways that you can teach students how to sort.

How to Sort

First, students learn best by doing, so give students the sorting category and sort objects (i.e., shapes or buttons) according to a rule.They can sort by colors, shapes, or sizes. I also have them work with a partner because they can explain why they sorted the way they sorted to a peer.

Second, teach students that we can use letters and numbers too. Last, challenge them by asking them to come up with the sorting rule. We talk about curvy lines, straight lines, tall or short, or hanging letters.

Guess My Rule

We also play a game called Guess My Rule. Students sort according to a rule, and another student has to guess what the categories are. They love this game.

Hybrid / Distant Learning

If you are like me, you are probably teaching virtually or partially in-person. Sorting is still an important part of our student’s learning process, so I came up with another way to provide them with independent practice with this skill. I use digital sorting worksheets as assessments to check my students comprehension and as exit tickets.

Sorting Worksheets

Sorting Worksheets are perfect for getting students to sort independently. They cover almost every subject matter from social skills to phonemic awareness to subitizing. They also included pictures to help them figure out the word if they can’t read yet. If your students are learning at home, they can use these sort worksheets on the computer. Since these worksheets are Google Slides, you can easily assign this activity to students and they can complete it. You can also add it to Seesaw.