How to Make a Sorting Spinner Using a Clothespin
A sorting spinner is a fun way to help children practice identifying and sorting objects by their characteristics or attributes — such as color, size, type, and shape. Watch this video from PBS SoCal and make your own spinner. Then gather some items like buttons, craft pom poms, building blocks, or other small toys and have your child sort them according to the different attributes on the spinner.
Materials
Directions
Draw a cross on your paper plate to create four equal sections. If you don’t have a paper plate, you can cut a circle out of construction paper.
Label the four sections. In each section, write one of the following attributes: Color, Size, Shape, Type.
Use a toothpick to poke a hole in the center of the paper plate.
Cut out a small piece of cardboard the same length as the clothespin and the width of two clothespins. Use a toothpick to poke a hole in the center of the cardboard (make sure the toothpick goes all the way through).
Carefully cut off both ends of the toothpick using scissors.
Align the holes in the cardboard and paper plate and insert the toothpick through both holes. Make sure the cardboard is on the back of the paper plate.
Tape the cardboard onto the paper plate.
Slide the clothespin onto the toothpick, on the side of the paper plate.
Play the game! Hold the spinner from the toothpick on the back and start spinning. Sort miscellaneous objects around the house, like toys, utensils, or other household objects, based on the attribute the spinner landed on.
Explore Further
- Spin twice to sort by two attributes. For example, sort the objects by color AND size.
- Guess the attribute. Organize your objects and have someone else guess how you categorize them.
- Talk About It: How are these objects similar or different? Why did you sort these objects into those groups? What is another way that you can sort this group?
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- Activity Type
- Craft