Sorting: how the skill grows from 20 to 36 months
Sorting means putting things into groups by kind, color, size or shape. Sorting is early classifying, and real-life sorting jobs, such as laundry or cutlery, make it useful as well as fun.
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Sorting: the ladder, step by step
Pick the step that looks most like your child today. The next step and activities that practise it appear below.
No step picked yet. There is no wrong answer: pick the closest one.
Next step: Two very different kinds. Puts spoons in one cup and blocks in the other.
Activities that fit this step
- Does It Roll? Ramp Test · 15–26 months · 5–10 min
- Cars Here, Blocks There Tidy-Up · 16–26 months · 3–8 min
- Big Sock, Little Sock Sort · 18–28 months · 5–10 min
Next step: By color. Sorts red and blue blocks into two bowls.
Activities that fit this step
- Cars Here, Blocks There Tidy-Up · 16–26 months · 3–8 min
- Big Sock, Little Sock Sort · 18–28 months · 5–10 min
- Two-Hoop Nature Sort · 20–32 months · 8–15 min
Next step: By size. Puts big and little balls into separate baskets.
Activities that fit this step
- Two-Hoop Nature Sort · 20–32 months · 8–15 min
- Drying-Rack Unbreakables Put-Away · 24–34 months · 5–10 min
- Long Stick, Short Stick · 24–34 months · 8–15 min
Next step: Sorts real things. Puts socks in one pile and shirts in another on laundry day.
Activities that fit this step
- Drying-Rack Unbreakables Put-Away · 24–34 months · 5–10 min
- Long Stick, Short Stick · 24–34 months · 8–15 min
- Picture-Label Toy Homes · 24–34 months · 5–10 min
Top of the ladder (sorts real things). Keep it flexible: offer it in a new place, with a different person or with new materials.
Activities that fit this step
- Long Stick, Short Stick · 24–34 months · 8–15 min
- Picture-Label Toy Homes · 24–34 months · 5–10 min
- Color Parking Lot for Cars · 26–36 months · 5–10 min
The sorting ladder
5 steps from the first sign to a flexible skill, covered here from 20 to 36 months. Children move at their own pace: use the steps to see what comes next, not as deadlines.
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Collects one kind
Gathers all the balls into one basket.
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Two very different kinds
Puts spoons in one cup and blocks in the other.
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By color
Sorts red and blue blocks into two bowls.
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By size
Puts big and little balls into separate baskets.
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Sorts real things
Puts socks in one pile and shirts in another on laundry day.
When sorting usually shows up
Sorting is not a CDC checklist item. Sorting by kind, such as spoons in one cup and blocks in another, often starts between 2 and 3; sorting by color or size tends to come a little later.
This page follows sorting from 20 to 36 months, a window that spans the 24-month, 30-month and 36-month CDC checklists.
In the library, 8 activities practise sorting (3 as their main skill), for ages 15 to 36 months. 2 of them need no prep and take 10 minutes or less. By age, they sit closest to steps 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the 5-step ladder.
Activities that practise sorting
Placed on the closest ladder step by age. By primary domain: 6 early concepts and 2 practical life. Quickest to start: Cars Here, Blocks There Tidy-Up (3–8 minutes).
Step 1: Collects one kind
Step 2: Two very different kinds
Step 3: By color
Step 4: By size
Skills practised alongside
The activities for sorting most often also work on size words (3), colors and shapes (2), household helping (2), tidying up (2) and cause and effect (1). Pairing them keeps practice playful: one activity, several skills.
Practise it inside everyday routines
- Sort clean laundry together: socks here, shirts there.
- Let your child sort unbreakable cutlery from the drying rack into a drawer tray.
- Use a muffin tin or egg carton for sorting a handful of large items.
What to avoid
- Small sorting items such as beads, buttons or dry beans, which are choking hazards.
When to mention it to the pediatrician
Sorting is not a milestone to watch. If your child seems uninterested in exploring objects at all, or you have wider worries about learning and play by 3, talk them over with the pediatrician.
Worried about sorting between visits? Call the pediatrician; CDC's free resources also explain how to contact your local Early Intervention program directly. Milestones are for monitoring, not diagnosis.
Frequently asked questions
When do toddlers start sorting?
Sorting is not a CDC checklist item. Sorting by kind, such as spoons in one cup and blocks in another, often starts between 2 and 3; sorting by color or size tends to come a little later. The first step to look for: gathers all the balls into one basket.
How can I help my toddler with sorting?
Sort clean laundry together: socks here, shirts there. Let your child sort unbreakable cutlery from the drying rack into a drawer tray. A good first activity is Does It Roll? Ramp Test (15–26 months).
What should I avoid when practising sorting?
Small sorting items such as beads, buttons or dry beans, which are choking hazards.
When should I mention sorting to the pediatrician?
Sorting is not a milestone to watch. If your child seems uninterested in exploring objects at all, or you have wider worries about learning and play by 3, talk them over with the pediatrician. You can also contact Early Intervention yourself.
Related
Monitoring, not medical advice. Talk to your pediatrician about any concern. Our sources and method.