Sorting is one of the first skills that children can master. It may seem simple, but sorting is so much more. Sorting and matching skills support early learning, helping young children build their thinking and communication skills to understand the world around them.

Sorting is the ability to identify similarities and differences among a group of objects and then organise them into categories. Matching is when children pair two items that are the same or belong together. These skills help children build confidence as they explore new ideas through play.

When your child is engaging in these types of activities, they are building fundamental skills that will benefit your child when it comes to schooling and learning in the classroom.

What is the difference between matching and sorting?

Matching usually develops first. It involves pairing identical or closely related objects, such as two socks, two animals or two blocks of the same colour. Sorting builds on this by organising a larger group of objects into sets based on colour, shape, size or purpose.

Both matching and sorting help children learn how objects relate to each other, which supports later learning in reading, writing and math skills.

Benefits of Sorting & Matching

Sorting skills help children make sense of their world. Through hands-on play, children practise comparing objects, noticing details, organising information and learning basic concepts that support early childhood education.

Sorting and matching activities encourage children to:

• notice similarities and differences
• classify objects into groups
• explore colour sorting, shape sorting and simple patterns
• follow ideas in daily routines and play
• build coordination through picking up, holding and moving objects

These early experiences support problem solving, hand eye coordination and overall development.

Math Skills

Sorting is a key pre-math skill. Before children can understand numbers, they need to develop the ability to compare, group and order objects. Sorting activities help children explore basic concepts such as size, shape, quantity and sequence.

Through sorting, children learn to:

• recognise patterns
• identify attributes such as colour, shape or size
• understand that objects can belong to multiple categories
• practise early numeracy in a simple and enjoyable way

These early skills support memory and help children prepare for more structured learning later on.

Thinking and Problem Solving

Sorting and matching activities support cognitive development and help children practise important thinking skills. Grouping objects by colour, size or shape is a key developmental milestone for cognition, as it encourages children to compare, organise and use reasoning to complete a task.

These activities strengthen attention, problem solving, memory and visual perceptual skills. Children learn how to explore an idea, test it and adjust their approach, which supports their growing understanding of how things work.

Language Development

Sorting activities provide many natural opportunities to build language skills. Talking about similarities and differences helps children learn the words they need to describe and group objects.

When you chat with your child about colour, shape, size or what an item is used for, you support their ability to:

• describe what they see
• learn new vocabulary
• explain their thinking
• follow simple instructions
• share their ideas with confidence

These small conversations during play help your child develop strong communication skills that support learning and connection.

Activities You Can Do

If you are interested in supporting your child’s sorting and matching skills, have a look at our suggested activities. These simple sorting games can be done at home or at playgroup and are a fun way to encourage important skills for young children.

Sorting games across the ages

Baby  •  Toddler  •  Child  •  Playgroups