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Now that you've begun to explore the appeal and challenge that I'm Hiding has for your child, why not go one step further . . .
===Take It One Step Further===
Younger children can best understand traits such as size and color when they have only a few of these variables to be sorted out at one time. For example, it
is easier to distinguish things by either color or shape than by both. Eventually, however, your child may simultaneously think about an increasing number of traits. Younger children may classify by more than one trait more easily and successfully when given small groups of objects. Too many objects can overwhelm young children. The following are classifying activities that you and your child may enjoy doing together.
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====Sorting Games====
Old magazines can provide enjoyable learning experiences. Help your child cut out pictures of foods. Next, pick out two or three sheets of construction paper with the colors of the most common foods (we suggest green, red, and yellow). Ask your child to glue the pictures onto the paper with the matching color. For instance, strawberries, apples, and tomatoes go on red paper; lettuce, cucumbers, and limes go on green paper.
For a different activity, your child can cut out a number of "favorite pictures" from magazines and sort them according to kind of object (birds, babies, bugs, cars, and so forth). A more challenging version of this activity is for your child to sort the pictures according to a number of characteristics (blue birds and blue cards, or big blue cars and little blue cars). Have your child make collages of each group on separate sheets of paper.
====Useful Sorting Games====
Some sorting activities can also allow your child to feel useful. You can ask your child to sort laundry according to object and color (white sheets, blue sheets), or by some other appropriate trait (long sleeve shirts, short sleeve shirts). Children may enjoy sorting foods on the shelves at home: canned fruit goes next to canned vegetables, and so forth. In a variation of this, your child can sort groceries after you arrive from the store. Children can separate groceries into freezer goods, refrigerator food, pantry items, and cupboard goods. You can also have your child design menus for meals in which all the foods are the same shape and color.
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