Block Project: Sorts Objects by Color and Size

A good beginning-of-the-year project to get children accustomed to table projects and gives you a chance to observe kids' skills.

Objectives

Children ages 4-5 can label colors Lang. IB
ages 2 ½-4 can sort by color Cog. IIIA
and sorts big and little pieces into one pile Cog. IIIA
and ages 2-2 ½ years can identify objects by size Cog. IIIB

 

Materials

A set of large and small cubes with six different colors: red, blue, green, yellow, orange, and purple; three or four shallow bowls.

Procedures

1. Settle children into a small group at a table or quiet rug area. Set out all the blocks and let children build with them for a few minutes. The teacher asks individual kids for a big block or a little green one, etc.

2. Next put out 2 bowls and have the children sort (as a group) by size. They can follow cues from each other.

3. Next put out another bowl and have them sort by color—first red, blue, yellow, then orange, purple and green.

4. End by having them sort by color and size, i.e. "put the little green ones here; big red ones here; little blue ones here, etc.: The teacher basically directs this project but at a later point may have the children give some of the verbal cues. ("Jason, which ones should be put in here?")