Sorting and classifying exercises with beads for kids

Why for kids sorting and classifying exercises are so very important and if so, how can you help?

“The mathematical mind is active from the first,...we see it also in the fact that the little child's need for order is one of the most powerful incentive to dominate his early life.” (Maria Montessori, 1967,p 190)

Let's try the following simple exercise for kids.

For the very young child (2-3 years old) start with:

*Three or four groups of beads that are similar in all aspects except one. For example, have five or six red beads, some yellow, and some white beads of the same size and same shape.

*A muffin tray with several compartments or several small bowls for sorting.

Invite the child- "We are going to sort the beads"

Pick up one bead and put in one compartment. Take another one. If it is same colored one as the previous one, drop it in the same compartment.

Pause. Verbalize- "Same".

Pick up another bead that is different and drop it in another compartment. Say "Different."

Once you feel the child has gotten the concept, involve him- "Do you want to sort?"

At the end give feed back "See we sorted the beads according to colors. All the red ones here, all the white here and all the yellow here."

It is important to limit unnecessary words while you are demonstrating to the very young child. Let him focus on the words that are relevant and concentrate on your demonstration.

Once you are sure that the child gets the idea, give him different opportunities to sort things; like his toy cars in the basket, his clothes from the rest of the family's, repeating the new word sort.

Another exercise for kids can be- when you bring beads that are same in some ways but different in other ways. For example a handful of 6 mm size beads of different colors and shapes; some red beads but of different shapes and sizes; then another group of beads where the shape is the same but the colors and sizes vary. Here the child has the option to sort them according to a particular color, or he may choose to sort them by the shape or size.

Demonstrate once this classifying exercise and then leave him to decide how he wants to categorize them.

It's nice to introduce beads from another culture or vintage beads that are from another era. For kids that's an important thing to remember.

Do feel free to share your frustrations and classifying dilemmas from every day life.

How do you sort all your beads? Do you keep all the swarovki beads in one place regardless of their colors, and all the seed beads in another container and all the precious gemstones in another place? Or, do you keep all the green beads,for example- the seed beads, swarovski bicones and cubes, and the precious peridots, aventurine all in one place just because they are GREEN?

Share how you are confronted with sorting problems sometimes. It will be interesting for kids.

Involve your child when you are doing the laundry and give feed back at the end,- “Lovely, you sorted all the whites in this pile, all the colored in this and all the delicate ones in this! Wow!!'

Or, pat him on the back when he puts all the vegetables in the refrigerator, all the frozen things in the freezer and all the non perishables in the pantry. What an A+ classification job!

Introduce the concept, role model in your life, allow and encourage in different ways and then leave the child to sort and classify on his own. Let the kid decide the criteria for classification.

In her book, Getting to”Got It”, author Betty G.Garner brings out the question and sheds light on the mystery in her own voice- 'why do some students?get it?and some students don't?t?'

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