Vocabulary game: Sorting pictures/words into categories
Why?: Being able to sort words into categories is how our brains learn words! It gives us a way to make connections between words, such as their similarities and differences. Plenty of research has shown that the stronger these connections are, the better we are able to store and retrieve newly learned words.
What you will need: You will need objects or pictures from two different categories, e.g. animals and food, clothes and transport toys. Make two post boxes to post pictures in. Or alternatively, have two boxes to sort pictures into. Amazon have plenty of postbox toys if you are keen
To start off, use two different categories e.g. transport and food / clothes and furniture / animals and plants etc.
To make it more challenging, move on to more specific categories within broader categories e.g. Animals that live on a farm and animals that live in a zoo / pets and wild animals / fruit and vegetables / transport with wheels and transport without wheels etc.
On each post box, put a picture of either group e.g. 1st postbox: An animal that can fly. 2nd postbox: An animal that can’t fly. Turn the pictures face down or put them in a bag. Take it in turns to draw a picture and decide which box it goes in (which group it belongs to) and then post it.
Resources:
Twinkl have many picture cards and other resources available. A couple linked below.
https://www.twinkl.co.uk/resource/t-s-859-animal-clothes-and-food-sorting-activity
https://www.twinkl.co.uk/resource/t-s-860-fruit-toys-and-transport-sorting-activity
