Sort It
Parent and toddler sort objects by one attribute — colour or size. The agent coaches the parent to observe the child's ability to identify a shared property, group items accordingly, and explain their sorting logic.
Opens a guided voice session in TogetherTime.
What you'll need
8-10 small items sortable by one attribute (colour or size). Two containers or marked areas. Clear workspace.
How it works
- 1~25s
First, model it. Pick up an item, name the attribute — 'This is RED, it goes HERE' — and put it in the red container. Do two or three. Then hand your child an item and ask: 'Where does this one go?' Watch — does your child put it in the right place? Does they seem to understand the rule?
Watch for: Child places an item in the correct group after parent models the sorting rule.
- 2~30s
Now let your child sort the remaining items without you modelling each one. Just say 'Can you sort the rest?' and watch. Does your child continue the pattern? How many items can they sort correctly in a row?
Watch for: Child independently sorts items by the established attribute without item-by-item modelling.
- 3~20s
Point to one of the sorted groups and ask your child: 'Why are these together? What's the same about them?' It's okay if your child can't explain — the attempt tells us about language and reasoning. Even pointing to the colour or saying the attribute word counts.
Watch for: Child names or identifies the shared attribute of a sorted group.