Sorting Builds Vocabulary and Discovery

Initial lessons in the Montessori classroom are considered as introduction and serve as only first steps in the learning process. In the infant and toddler classroom the lesson is given silently emphasizing the discovery of the work. As the child masters the work a teacher can add language by naming the shapes in the shape sorter. 

 

Teaching a skill is not the same as learning that skill or concept. The child is given a new experience so they can discover and experiment. As Maria Montessori said, "When a child has come to understand something that is not the end, but only the beginning. For now, there comes the 'second stage'... the more important one, when the child goes on repeating the same exercise again and again for sheer love of it" 

 

 

Sorting exercises are one of those activities that you will see a child repeat over and over again. These sturdy wooden sorting trays have a place for each object being sorted, which allows a child to be successful over and over again. Giving children a variety of different learning materials to sort will build vocabulary and awareness that things may be sorted in different ways. For example this dice color, size and counting sorting kit can be sorted by color, size and number!

 

 

Language is learned through auditory processing. Auditory or sound discrimination can be learned at a young age by teaching activities like the sound cylinders or similar auditory sorting activities. These sensory sound egg shakers are a fun addition for spring and this sound box set with knobs adds more complexity to the activity for more advanced lessons.

 

Children love books and are fascinated with reading. Often you will see young children picking up a book and tell the story with pictures to model what they see adults doing. Classification cards, which build children's understanding of their world through pictures and labels, allows the child to sort and match cards with objects. Then children make connections with the pictures and the written words. The animal 3-part wood tiles with object classification cards are the perfect work for young readers to start making connections with written words. These cards have many simple reading words such as pig, dog, cat, cow, while also featuring common animals that children recognize easily.

From simple color sorting activities to sorting by beginning blend sound, Montessori N' Such has a variety of sorting activities that are sure to help the children in your classroom continue to develop their sorting, classification and language skills.

Check out this week's worksheet a CVC word to photo cut and paste!

Enter our sorting kit giveaway!