Sorting Activities Teaching Resources
Download printable sorting activities to help your elementary students practice grouping different items into categories.
With activities aligned with the Common Core curriculum and editable options, this teacher resource collection is stocked with hundreds of resources perfect for elementary and middle school teachers,
Each sorting and grouping resource in this teaching resource collection has been created by a teacher, and each resource has undergone a rigorous review by the teachers on the Teach Starter team to ensure it's ready to download and use in your classroom.
Choose from sorting activities for math, ELA, science or social studies with printable and digital options available! This collection also includes sorting activities that can be used for whole class, group or independent tasks.
Curious about how our teacher team uses sorting activities to keep kids engaged and make learning more fun? Read on for a primer!
What Are Sorting Activities?
Let's start with a definition. When we talk about sorting activities at Teach Starter, we're referring to hands-on activities for students that require them to identify, sort, and group different items into alike categories.
This tests recognition and helps students develop their problem-solving skills.
Are you mostly familiar with sorting activities for preschool or kindergarten? We have those, but you'll also find activities designed for older students from 1st and 2nd grade all the way up through 5th and 6th grade.
The goal is to strengthen students' comparison skills and deepening their understanding of a particular topic by sorting cards, playing games and often matching items.
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Long Ago, Now, or In the Future Sort
Help your students develop a sense of history and how life, transportation, and communications have changed over time.
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Dressing for the Physical Environment Sorting Activity
Help children learn about dressing for the environment by sorting clothing items into categories for warm climate and cold climate.
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Singular and Plural Subject-Verb Agreement Sort
Provide students with additional grammar practice with a sorting activity focusing on singular and plural subject-verb agreement.
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Short and Long Vowel Sounds Sorting Center
Distinguish between long and short vowel sounds with a short and long vowel sorting center activity.
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Nearest Inch, 1/4 Inch, 1/2 Inch Sorting Activity
Practice measuring to the nearest ¼ inch, ½ inch, and inch with this set of 20 sorting cards.
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Blending Phonemes Sorting Center
Master phoneme blending and segmentation with this phoneme sorting center activity.
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Using Commas in Dates and Series Sorting Activity
Practice correct comma placement in dates and series with a sorting activity.
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Counting Objects Sorting Numbers 6-10
Practice counting 6 – 10 objects with this colorful sorting activity.
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Counting Objects Sort Numbers 1-5
Practice counting 1 – 5 objects with this colorful sorting activity.
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Past, Present, and Future Verb Tense Sentence Sort
Identify sentences written in past, present, and future tense with task cards designed for primary grades.
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Fact and Opinion Sort - Interactive or Printable Activity
Practice differentiating between fact and opinion with this set of 24 sorting cards or a Google Slides Interactive activity.
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Google Interactive Activity- Reading, Spelling, and Rhyming Word Families
Build skill with word families, rhyming words, and more with a Google Slides Interactive Word Family Activity.
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Short and Long Vowels Google Interactive Activity
Read and identify short and long vowel sounds and place the pictures into the correct columns.
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Spin and Sort – More, Less, Same
Practice comparing numbers with this sorting activity.
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Spin and Sort – Heavier, Lighter, Same
Practice comparing weight with this sorting activity.
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Spin and Sort – Longer, Shorter, Same
Practice comparing lengths with this sorting activity.
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Capitalization Task Cards (Grades 4-5)
Practice capitalizing less frequently occurring words (historical periods, events, languages, races, nationalities, and more) with 28 text task cards.
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Alphabetical Order Card Sort - Set 3
A set of word cards to practice putting words in alphabetical order.
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Alphabetical Order Card Sort - Set 2
A set of word cards to practice putting words in alphabetical order.
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Alphabetical Order Card Sort - Set 1
A set of word cards to practice putting words in alphabetical order.
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Push and Pull Sorting Activity
Use these push and pull sorting cards as a hands-on activity during your science lessons on forces.
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Selecting Units of Mass – Sorting Activity
A sorting activity to help students identify objects that should be measured in ounces, pounds, and tons.
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Organizational Patterns – Sorting Activity
A set of flashcards and paragraphs to use as a sorting activity.
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Text Structures Sorting Activity
A set of 24 text structure cards to use in a sorting or scoot activity.
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Ending Digraphs Sorting Activity
Practice decoding words by sorting 20 picture cards by their ending digraphs.
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What's in a Color? Sorting Activity
A fun sorting activity for students to explore interpretation of color in visual art.
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Goods and Services Sorting Activity
Identify things as either "goods" or "services" by looking at 20 examples and sorting them into their appropriate category.
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Initial Sound Sorting Activity (s, a, t, p, i, and n)
A sorting activity to practice initial sounds regarding the letters s, a, t, p, i, and n.
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Word Family Sorting Activity - Set 4
A sorting activity to practice word families.
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Author's Purpose SORT IT!
Analyze 24 text examples and determine which of the 5 purposes of writing each of the sorting cards belongs to.
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Long and Short Vowel Sort
A set of 40 sorting cards to practice long and short vowel sounds.
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Vowel Sounds Sort - /i/, /o/, and /u/
Practice distinguishing between long and short vowel sounds for letters /i/, /o/ and /u/ by sorting this set of 24 picture cards into categories.