Simple Plants and Animals Sorting Game in Montessori

Table of Contents

How to Play the Montessori Sorting Game
- Materials
- Presentation

By sorting, children understand that things are alike and different; that they can belong to, and be organized into groups. This Montessori activity focuses on helping children to understand the concept of plants and animals.

Prerequisite

– Stories on Biological Classification, explaining the characteristics of plants and animals

Age

3 years +

Control of Error

– The adult and other children
– Colored dots at the back, each color representing either living or non-living

Direct Aims

– Help the child appreciate life
– Build the child’s vocabulary
– Prepare for future study in biology
– Teach the child to categorize their surroundings

Indirect Aims

– Prepare the child for writing and reading

Special Notes

– The story should be read either just prior to the presentation or the day before.

How to Play the Montessori Sorting Game

Materials

Create sets of pictures from categories of plants and animals.

These sets of pictures should not necessarily be the same as those from the stories. Ideally, the sorting card sets should match the topics covered in the booklets. If you add new topics to the booklets, make sure to include them in these card sets as well.

I made a printable with watercolor pictures. You can find it by clicking through the image below.

Get your copy here!

Presentation

Invite an individual or small group to participate.
Show the cards one by one and ask the child to name the object in the picture and identify whether it is a plant or an animal.
Sort the cards into two piles or columns based on the child’s identification.
Encourage the children to do this activity with a friend.