Bean Bag Toss and Sort

Sorting is a beginning math skill and children naturally sort things in their environment without even knowing it. You may have seen your child separate their toys into categories by creating piles of balls, dolls, stuffed animals, or all sorted by colors. When children sort, they are learning to classify objects by specific attributes. Objects can be sorted by shape, color, size, texture, taste, and much more. In the beginning, it is easiest for children to sort by color, shape, or size. As children get older, they begin to sort with more complex attributes. 

If you have bean bags, your kids are sure to love a game of throwing toys.  I mean, what kid wouldn't like the idea of throwing toys without getting in trouble?! My kids throw bean bags at each other all the time and it's not even a game that I "mom approved". The last time I caught my son throwing bean bags at his sister, I had to quickly think of a way that he can throw those bean bags like he's a baseball player in a more meaningful way. I used clear bins for this activity, but it can also work with old boxes. I made labels for each bin and explained what each label represented: 123 for numbers, ABC for letters, and square, triangle, circle for Shapes. While it may seem obvious, you never want to assume, so it’s best practice to explain the purpose of each activity and how it will be completed. You can always label your bins based on what materials you have for sorting. I must warn you, sometimes your child might toss things into the wrong bin because they are so excited to throw those bean bags. Just give a simple reminder that the bean bags should be tossed into the correct bin or box for sorting. 

Another way to play this bean bag toss game:
Numbers: As your child picks up a new bean bag number, ask him/her to identify the number, clap, hop, or stomp that many times, then toss it in the correct bin. 

Alphabet: Ask your child to identify each letter before throwing it into the bin. You can also ask your child to identify each letter and say the letter sound before tossing it. 
​
Shapes: Ask your child to identify each shape and name something in the environment with the same shape. 

This quick bean bag toss sorting activity targeted multiple skills: letter recognition, phonics, number recognition, shape recognition, and eye-hand coordination. 

Sorting Around The Home:

• Laundry to be washed
• Washed clothes (what gets placed in drawers or the closet)
• Toys when cleaning up
• Eating utensils
• crayons/markers (color and length)
• Groceries as you unpack (what goes in the refrigerator or the cupboards)
• Books (big and small)