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Sorting Worksheets for Preschool

7 free PDFsUS Letter or A4Answer key includedNo login

Sort by color, food or toy, and sky or water, each as a cut and paste page and a no-cut page, plus which one does not belong.

Download the sorting worksheets

Sort by color

Red or yellow: cut and paste, or draw a line.

Sort by kind

Food or toy, and sky or water: cut and paste, or draw a line.

Which one does not belong?

Find the one picture in each row that does not fit the group.

Print at 100% (actual size) for the cleanest tracing lines.

About these sorting worksheets

Sorting means putting things that are alike together. When preschoolers sort, they look closely, compare and explain why things belong in a group. These sorting worksheets for preschool start with an easy sort by color, then move on to sorting by what things are and where they go.

Every sort comes two ways. The cut and paste page has a strip of pictures to cut out and glue in the right group. The draw a line page has the same pictures and groups with no cutting, so you can pick the one that fits your day. Each page has just six big pictures and two groups.

The which one does not belong page turns sorting around: children find the one picture in each row that does not fit. Every page has an answer key on page 2.

Standards

  • ELOF P-SCI 3Child compares and categorizes observable phenomena.
  • ELOF P-LC 7Child shows understanding of word categories and relationships among words.
  • ELOF P-PMP 3Child demonstrates increasing control, strength, and coordination of small muscles.

How to use them

  1. Sort real things first: socks and shoes, red and yellow blocks, or toys and spoons.
  2. Name the pictures together before children start, so everyone knows what each one is.
  3. Ask, "Why does it go there?" Children's reasons matter as much as the answer.
  4. Use the cut and paste pages for scissor practice and the draw a line pages when time is short.
  5. On the odd one out page, ask children to name the group first: "These are all fruit."

Teaching tips

  • Start with sorts that have one clear rule, like color, before sorts that need more thinking.
  • Cut the strip into a few long pieces first so small hands only cut straight lines.
  • Some children sort by a different rule that still makes sense. Talk about it and praise the thinking.
  • The pictures have short labels for the grown-up to read aloud. Children work from the pictures.

Questions teachers and parents ask

Why is sorting important for preschoolers?

Sorting builds the thinking behind math and science: noticing how things are the same and different and putting them into groups. It also builds words for groups, like food, toys and animals.

Do I need scissors for these sorting worksheets?

No. Every cut and paste sort has a matching draw a line page with no cutting.

Do these sorting worksheets have answer keys?

Yes. Every page has an answer key on page 2.