We love open-ended toys and play activities, but there is a time a place for skill-based toys like sorting toys for kids. Toys like this are designed to be used in a specific way to strengthen a skillset. We recommend having a balance of around 80% open-ended toys with 20% skill-based toys (i.e., sorting toys, puzzles, and beading).

Sorting toys are an essential educational tool that can help kids learn about colors, shapes, sizes, and patterns, all while playing and exploring. Sorting toys come in different shapes and sizes, designed to develop cognitive skills and improve hand-eye coordination in kids.

• Looking for more toys that encourage play? Check out our favorite toy animals!

Join us as we discuss the benefits of these educational toys, the different types of sorting toys available, and how parents and caregivers can use sorting toys to help kids learn.

In this post:

• Benefits of Sorting Toys
• Types of Sorting Toys
  • Shape Sorters
  • Color Sorting Toys
  • Size Sorting Toys
  • Pattern Sorting Toys
• Daily Life Sorting Activities
• How to Use Sorting Toys

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Benefits of Sorting Toys

Sorting toys are beneficial to kids in a multitude of ways:

• Sorting toys promote cognitive skills like problem-solving, decision-making, and critical thinking. As the kids sort by size, shape, color, etc., they must use different parts of their brains. This process enhances their ability to distinguish similarities and differences and improves their reasoning skills.

• Sorting toys develop early math skills. Math is so much more than solving equations. Did you know that sorting and shape recognition are early math skills? As they sort, kids practice essential skills such as classification, seriation, and sequencing – which are all essential for math!

• Sorting toys help to improve hand-eye coordination in kids. When kids pick up objects and sort or stack them into different categories, they are using their hands and eyes together to complete the task. This activity strengthens the connection between their hands and eyes and improves their fine motor skills such as pincer grasp.

• Sorting toys promote language and communication skills in kids. As kids sort objects, they can learn the names of different colors, shapes, and sizes. This activity also allows parents and caregivers to engage in conversation with kids about the objects they are sorting, which helps improve their vocabulary and communication skills.

• Sorting toys encourage play! And this makes them beneficial if for no other reason. Kids learn best through hands-on exploration, discovery, and experimentation (aka PLAY).

Types of Sorting Toys

There are different types of sorting toys available, each with unique features and benefits. The following are some of the most popular types.

Shape Sorters

Shape sorters are toys that require kids to match shapes with corresponding holes. The toy usually has different shapes, including squares, circles, triangles, and rectangles. The child has to identify the shape and match it with the corresponding hole on the toy.

Shape sorters are excellent for improving hand-eye coordination and problem-solving skills in kids. We also love that they are a self-correcting toy – the shape will only fit into one matching hole. This means that parents do not have to hover or step in to correct kids and can instead allow them to work on their own.

Here are two of our favorite shape sorting toys:

Melissa & Doug Shape Sorting Cube

We have had several Melissa and Doug shape-sorting cubes in classroom and home settings over the years!

The Melissa & Doug Shape Sorting Cube is designed to promote shape, color recognition, and fine motor skills development in young kids. This wooden cube has 12 colorful shapes that neatly fit into corresponding slots on the cube’s sides, helping your child learn about different shapes and sizes.

The easy-to-grip shapes make it simple for even the smallest hands to grasp and manipulate the pieces. Made from high-quality wood and bright, kid-safe paint, the Melissa & Doug Shape Sorting Cube is built to withstand years of playtime. This is an excellent choice for both infants and toddlers.

You can introduce the shape sorter with one or two shapes and add more as your child masters matching those to the corresponding holes.

HELLOWOOD Wooden Color Sorting & Stacking Toy

The HELLOWOOD shape sorting is another set we have used in preschool classrooms with toddlers and preschoolers!

This stacking toy is a bright and engaging way for toddlers to learn about shapes and colors. Made with quality, eco-friendly materials, this set features 16 shapes and colors for kids to sort and stack. The pieces are designed to fit easily into a child’s hand, making them simple to grasp and play with.

As they play with stacking toys, they’ll learn about balance and cause and effect while also developing fine motor skills. This toy is perfect for babies and toddlers aged 1-3 and is an excellent addition to any Montessori-inspired playroom or classroom.

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Color Sorting Toys

Color sorting toys are toys that require kids to sort objects by color. The toy usually comes with things of different colors, and the child has to group the objects by color. This activity is excellent for improving kids color recognition, critical thinking, and decision-making skills.

This is one of our favorite color sorting toys:

Balls and Cups Color Sorter

This ball and cup sorting set is designed to help kids learn and develop their counting and sorting skills, as well as their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. With its vibrant colors and sturdy construction, it is sure to keep your child engaged and entertained for hours on end.

It comes with 12 balls, 12 wooden cups, a wooden bowl, a spoon, and a bag. Kids can use the spoon to scoop the balls and match them with the corresponding cup. We love the varied colors and find they are great for teaching colors. Instead of quizzing, we do this by holding up a cup and saying, “Here is the light blue cup. Can you find the light blue ball?”

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Size Sorting Toys

Size sorting toys require kids to sort objects by size. The toy usually comes with objects of different sizes, and the child groups the objects by size. This matching activity is excellent for improving kids size recognition, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.

As kids advance, they can begin arranging items from smallest to biggest—the fancy math word for this seriation. When kids do this, they notice differences and compare multiple objects.

This is our pick for the best size sorting toy:

Learning Resources Birds in a Nest Sorting Set

This Nest Sorting Set is a fun and educational play item for young kids. It includes six colorful birds in varying sizes and a nest for them to fit inside. The birds are made of durable plastic and are easy for small hands to grasp confidently.

The set is designed to help kids learn about size sorting and matching, promoting important cognitive and motor skills development. Kids can sort the birds by size, match them to the corresponding slots in the nest, and use them for free play.

The set is recommended for kids ages 2 and up, making it a perfect gift for toddlers and young kids.

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Pattern Sorting Toys

Pattern sorting toys are toys that require kids to sort objects by pattern. The toy usually comes with objects of different patterns, and the child has to group the objects by pattern or items or various colors that allow kids to create a pattern of their own. This activity is excellent for improving kids pattern recognition, critical thinking, and decision-making skills.

Here’s our favorite pattern sorting toy:

Skoolzy Pattern Play Peg Board

This pattern sorting toy is a fun and engaging way for young kids to learn while they play. The set includes a wooden base with 12 different “pattern” cards and 36 stacking pegs in different colors and shapes. Kids can use the pattern cards as a guide for making different patterns and shapes using the stacking pegs.

The set is recommended for Kids ages 2 and up, making it a perfect gift for toddlers and young kids who are just starting to explore the world around them.

We love simply allowing kids to stack and use the pegs as they would like. Some kids love creating tall stacks, while others enjoy placing a peg in each hole.

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Daily Life Sorting Activities

Sorting activities are part of everyday life, so don’t feel like you need to rush out and buy a new toy to get your child learning.

Instead, involve kids in daily life activities like cleaning and cooking. As an added bonus, you’re meeting their emotional need for belonging and significance by allowing kids to help and contribute to the family in meaningful ways.

Here are a few ways our kids practice sorting:

• Laundry

Kids can practice sorting as they match socks in pairs by color and size and place all the shirts in one pile and the pants in another.

• Emptying the Dishwasher

Kids can help unload the silverware and stack plates and bowls.

Protip: store your silverware in a low kitchen drawer that your kids can reach independently. This will allow them to easily help when it comes time to unload the dishwasher.

• Picking up Toys

Kids as sorting as they put blocks in one bin and cars in another. This is a perfect way for them to strengthen their classification skills while learning to be great helpers!

How to Use Sorting Toys

Sorting toys are great tools for parents and caregivers to use to help kids learn. The following are some tips on how to use sorting toys effectively.

Start with Simple Tasks

When introducing sorting toys to kids, keep it simple! For example, you can try starting with a color sorting toy and ask the child to group objects by color. Don’t try to ask them to sort by color, size, and shape; it’s too much at once.

Sorting by one attribute is simple and easy to understand, and it helps to build confidence in young kids.

Provide Guidance and Support

When kids are sorting objects, providing guidance and support is critical. But try to avoid quizzing by asking questions like, “What color is this object?” or “What shape is this object?” These questions are simply designed to test and do nothing to teach/reinforce as they provide no information. So these types of questions are best avoided unless you are 100% sure your child has mastered what you are asking.

Instead, engage in ways that share information to help the child identify the objects they’re sorting. For example:

• “Here is the light blue cup. Can you find the light blue ball?”
• “You found the black sock. Where is another black sock?”
• “Would you like the triangle or the square?” (While showing each to the child)

This lets you slip vocabulary into conversations instead of trying to drill kids. They will pick up on shapes, colors, types, and sizes over time simply by talking about them. Providing gentle guidance and support helps kids to understand the activity and encourages them to learn.

Make it Fun

Playing with sorting toys can be a fun activity. You can make the activity more exciting by incorporating games or challenges. You can time how long it takes the child to sort objects, or you can challenge them to sort things in a particular order or pattern. Making the activity fun and exciting helps to keep kids engaged and motivated to learn.

Encourage Exploration

Sorting-style toys provide an excellent opportunity for kids to play. Kids can learn and expand their cognitive abilities as they navigate the different shapes, colors, and sizes. By asking them questions about the objects they see, you can help encourage them in their exploration.

Final Thoughts

Sorting toys are an excellent educational tool for promoting learning and development in kids. They provide a fun and engaging way for kids to develop cognitive skills and improve hand-eye coordination.

Sorting toys come in different shapes and sizes and are designed to promote learning and development in kids of all ages. By using sorting toys effectively, parents and caregivers can help kids learn and grow while having fun.

Remember to balance sorting toys with open-ended toys and give kids lots of uninterrupted playtime! This is when their deepest learning happens.