As adults, what may seem like menial play to us is something far more important to a child. Sorting toys are simple in design but far more complex in the educational benefits they offer to young minds.

So, what are these benefits? Matching the shapes to their corresponding holes requires problem-solving and fine motor skills. Matching colors to their homes requires visual discrimination to decide which color goes where. Let’s talk about how beneficial sorting toys can be.

How Do Sorting Toys Help My Child?

Children may grow older, but the benefits of sorting toys don’t disappear. Let’s take a look at some of the most prominent benefits sorting toys have to offer:

• Sorting toys help with cognitive development. These toys teach cause and effect when they see what happens when they find the correct spot for their piece to fit into.
• Sorting toys help enhance fine motor skills. When trying to get a piece to fit where it belongs, children need to turn and manipulate the object, so it matches its home. These small movements help improve their dexterity and strengthen the necessary hand muscles for fine motor development.
• Sorting toys teach classification. Using sorting toys to teach children that everything comes in different colors, shapes, and sizes will help prepare them for when they learn about classification in school.
• Sorting toys help social-emotional learning. Remember, it’s okay to not be right all the time. Sure, being wrong is frustrating, but when they mess up, that’s a good time to remind children to take a step back, breathe, and then try again.
• Sorting toys allow learning to work together. Another great thing about these toys is that they can be used independently or as a group. Children can work together to problem-solve which pieces go into which homes.

Making Early Learning Fun

It’s important to make sure your child is prepared before heading off to school for the first time. Introducing things like math and early literacy will help make sure your child is ready for what they’ll learn in the classroom. This doesn’t mean you need to bombard them with math facts and easy readers.

By introducing them to educational toys like a shape or color sorter, you give children the opportunity to build foundations in math and early literacy. But how exactly can this seemingly simple toy prepare a child for learning math and language arts?

Math Concepts with Sorting Toys

When you take the time to look at a sorting toy, you can see just how math-forward it is. In shape sorting, children learn the name of each shape and what they look like. In color sorting, children learn how to classify items into different groups.

Some sorting toys are even designed for school-aged children and require them to create patterns and work on sequencing.

Early Literacy Concepts with Sorting Toys

While sorting toys are more math-forward, they can also serve as tools for introducing early literacy concepts to children. Giving your child specific prompts to follow teaches them early on how to follow instructions.

Playing together also helps build their vocabulary as you help them name each shape or color as they move them to the correct spot. If you want to expand their learning even more, have them describe each piece as they find its home.

Playing Beyond the Purpose

Sure, sorting toys are meant to be played like a puzzle but there are ways to go beyond its intended use. Whether you choose to introduce other concepts with the toy or you make up a creative game, there are so many ways to make the most out of such a simple toy.

If your child is bored with just putting the shapes or colors where they belong, try introducing other concepts like “in/out/on” or play a game of comparison to shake things up. To streamline things, you can even create a stack of prompts for your child to follow, like:

• “Put the triangle on the toy.”
• “Find all of the blue shapes and put them where they fit.”
• “Only take out the yellow rectangle.”
• “How many green shapes do you see?”
• “What is the orange shape called?”

Which Sorting Toy Should I Buy?

These toys are great, but it’s important to make sure you’re choosing the right one for your child. Some may come with a lot of pieces and that may not be appropriate for a two-year-old. On the other hand, a sorting toy with four pieces may be appropriate for your 18-month-old daughter but not for your four-year-old son.

When choosing a sorting toy for your child, consider these things:

• Size and number of pieces: There are sorting toys designed for a variety of ages. Some sorting toys come with small pieces, which are a choking hazard for babies and toddlers. If your child is younger than 3 years old, opt for a different sorting toy with fewer and larger pieces. 
• Rounded vs pointed edges: It’s also helpful to look out for sorting toys with rounded edges. Young children are rarely careful when first learning to play and toys with pointed edges can hurt if hit with them.
• Overall design: Not all sorting toys are created the same. Some are shaped like a cube and have 3d shapes that fit into the sides and others have a frame and magnetic pen for sorting. Keep in mind your child’s age and interests when choosing a sorting toy.

Simple, Yet Important

Although sorting toys are simple in design, the benefits a child can get from them are anything but. Just remember to choose a sorting toy appropriate for your child’s age and developmental stage and they’ll be good to go!