Where Does this one Go?: Categorization Game to Play with Stuff you Already Have

The other day I was playing with my son in his play room. We were literally sitting in a sea of toys that spanned the entire floor of the room. So obviously, I started thinking about categorization. Not so obvious? OK, maybe it’s just me. Anywhoo, what resulted was a fun game. I’m a huge fan of games that:

1. are educational and fun
2. entertain my little critter
3. use things I already have

This game has it all! It’s a simple categorization game using your child’s toys. You can even throw in other (safe) things from around the house into the mix. First try it by color: “let’s pile all the toys that are blue. Now, red. Now, yellow.” and so on. Then mix it up. “Let’s pile all the toys that are smooth. Now, rough.” “Let’s pile all the toys that have eyes.” Let’s pile all of the toys that are round.” You get the general idea.

This game is simple, but is also a great brain booster. Being able to categorize objects is a major building block of learning. And being able to put items into a category and then take those same items and place them into new categories is an even bigger skill that helps kids begin to analyze and see different aspects of a challenge or problem they need to address while  learing that their are different ways to reach a solution.

This is also a great game because when you have things to do around the house you can yell into where your child is playing, “Let’s pile things that are striped!” and presto, you just bought yourself another few and precious minutes.

Have fun!