Sorting, Matching, And Other Fun Activities For Nursery Pupils To Try At Home

While nursery school and preschool are used interchangeably in the Philippine setting, kids in nursery schools typically fall between the ages of 3-4; nursery being a usual precursor to pre-Kinder or Kinder itself.

Keeping your kids in this age range engaged and preoccupied can involve a lot of singing, dancing, storytelling, jumping, and definitely more singing and dancing around.

Yes, these are fun activities to channel their robust energy and enthusiastic spirit.

But, additionally, there are other fun things that you can do at home, with materials you might already have, that can aid your little ones improve their fine motor skills, sorting skills, pattern recognition, and visual understanding. These activities are more subdued that often require observation and concentration. 

Sorting, matching, and classifying are vital to cognitive function and development. These skills are significant to their early journey with Mathematical skills and processes. Later on, these will translate to logic and reason, number representation, and problem-solving. 

Developmental sequence of understanding

According to Nesk Kids Australia, there is a developmental sequence of understanding which starts from identifying to matching and sorting, then comparing, up until arranging things or attributes in order.

 1. Identifying and describing attributes

Children need to observe and notice the details of a particular object (Color, size, shape, quantity, etc).

2. Matching

Here, children are focusing on the similarities of an attribute and why they match. Matching is believed to nurture children’s reasoning skills.

3. Sorting 

Sorting is “a step further than matching as children group different objects with one or more attribute. Sorting involves making a variety of different decisions. The ability to sort using two or more attributes embodies higher order thinking.”

4. Comparing

Here, children are engaged with determining which object possesses more or less of an attribute. Children develop "their vocabulary of comparative description and begin using “er” words for example bigger, darker etc."

5. Ordering 

“Children can only order when they are able to identify and describe attributes, notice differences and make comparisons. Ordering involves arranging objects according to increasing or decreasing amounts of an attribute.”

According to Young Mathematicians, Mathematics is a study of pattern. “When we see patterns we are able to predict—to count on things happening.” Patterns can be recognized according to repetition (repetitive unit or stable unit), growth (increasing/decreasing), symmetry, and concentricity (circles inside one another).

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So here are less-intense activities that you can try at home with nursery-aged kids to help improve cognitive skills!

Fun nursery activities to try at home 

1. Color sorting with pompom balls

This is an easy way to sort and group colored pompom balls using tongs!

Materials: colorful pompom balls, tongs, cardboard and markers for the pattern on the base that acts as sorting pad

2. Animal size sorting 

This is a simple way to sort according to size: big or small!

 

Materials: big and small animal toys, cardboard and marker for the base that acts as sorting pad 

3. Feed the monster

There are kids who can identify letter as early as age 2. This is a fun way to sort and identify letters according to the letter the monster wants to eat!

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Materials: empty cereal box, box cutter to cut out the monster-shaped hole and letter-identifying strip 'side slits', arts and crafts materials for decor, letter blocks or magnetic alphabet letters for sorting and classifying

4. Letter bugs matching

This is another fun way to sort, classify, identify and match letters through yarn-made bugs!

Materials: yarn to form the bugs, paper and marker for the leaves, masking tape for letters to match the leaf 

5. Create a monster 

This is a creative way to sort through the materials and create your own monster!

Materials: googly eyes, colorful arts and crafts materials for decor, scissors for cutting monster shapes, glue

6. Tubes of emotion

This activity bursts with excitement as colored foam flows out each tube that is marked and classified with color and emotion (sad, happy, surprised, angry, etc). This experiment is erupting bubble-full of fun as the vinegar interacts with food dye and baking soda.

Materials: toilet paper cardboard tube, marker, a scoop of baking soda inside each cardboard tube, drops of food coloring, and vinegar to pour inside each tube

7. Build a pattern

This activity is all about following a pattern of colors!

Materials: kitchen towel cardboard tube, colored paper cut and glued together to fit the tube, a handmade pattern of colors to follow

8. Dot - number counting

If your kids are quick to recognize numbers, here's a way to re-introduce numbers and match them according to the quantity of dots on a popsicle stick!

Materials: popsicle stick, marker, styrofoam/paper plate

It's not all about Math

While the skills in sorting and matching activities primarily hone the cognitive function and Mathematical skills, it also involves listening and comprehension skills (listening to instructions and making sense of it), language skills (using words such as what comes first, what comes after, what comes next), letter and number recognition, color identification and social skills as well if playing and interacting in a group. 

Other Source: TeachingExpertise