Living Skills -Sorting Groceries
At Home Learning for Developmentally Delayed Kids
Putting groceries away in some organized fashion is a part of life. This functional skill is important for kids with cognitive delays because of the benefits in other are
What is the grocery routine at your house? Chances are that most parents have some built-in help. With a little explanation, sorting the groceries can be helpful for parents and children alike.
What is Sorting?
Sorting involves the comparison of items. The person sorting must ask himself how the items are the same or different. Then, he must place each item in the appropriate place. Items can be sorted by how they look (color, shape, size), what they do, or what category they are in (vegetables, paper products).
Sorting is separating things into similar groups. A child sorting the groceries may be taught to put all the canned goods in the pantry, all the paper products in a different location, and soaps and toiletries in the bathroom.
What Does Sorting Teach?
Learning to sort helps the child in personal care skills. A child who can sort can follow a pattern in putting toys or clothing away. He can arrange needed toiletries (all hair care products together, all dental items in another place, etc.).
Sorting also teaches skills that are helpful in school. In Reading a mental kind of sorting is used to identify letters or letter patterns. It is helpful in Math (identifying problems that follow an example and then applying that process). Sorting helps the student who is arranging note cards for a writing project. Sorting helps the student who is organizing an essay by writing ideas on a web.
Sorting is used in recreational skills. Children need to sort game pieces (your checkers – my checkers); they can sort puzzle pieces (flat edge pieces – middle pieces by color); and they can sort items when organizing a hobby collection of coins, stamps, shells, or baseball cards.
What Can be Sorted?
The following things can be sorted. Again, learning this skill (through a simple household chore like putting the groceries away) helps in many areas of learning, personal care, and recreation.
- Toys
- Silverware
- Dishes (unload the dishwasher)
- Clothes (before washing or afterwards to put them away)
- Mail (by name)
- Recycled items
- Coins
- Candy
- Old greeting cards
Who Can Sort?
The appropriateness of sorting depends on the maturity and cognitive ability of the child and the nature of the items to be sorted. Parents and caregivers should always consider the safety of the child in the possible sorting activity. If the items are in any way unsafe for the child to handle or carry, obviously that particular sorting activity is not a good idea.
This week, when the groceries are piled on the countertop, enlist the help of an expert sorter. The benefits will extend beyond the moment into the personal skills, school work, and leisure time of your child. Let the sorting begin!
