Preschool Learning: Mail Sorter Math Activity

Special delivery! Here's a chance to put you child's color and shape knowledge to work and at the same time practice his sorting and categorizing skills! Their "job" today? Let them play mail carrier!

What you need:

• 5 pieces of paper
• 5 envelopes
• 5 medium-size boxes
• Scissors
• Marker or crayon
• Backpack or handle bag

How to do it:

• Pick five shapes (or colors) and draw one shape on each of the five sheets of paper.
• Draw those same shapes on the five envelopes and five boxes.
• Ask your child to fold and put each piece of paper into its matching envelope.
• Cut a slit in the front of each box (big enough to fit an envelope).
• Set up the five "mailboxes" around your home or backyard.
• Have your child fill her backpack with the mail and then send her off on her special deliveries.

Brain Building Bonus: Add more envelopes and mix in some new shapes and colors: Gather long and short envelopes. Color in the shapes (i.e., red squares and green squares). Use stickers of shapes as stamps (i.e., heart stickers and star stickers). Now see how many different ways you can slice and dice the mail.

How this builds brains: Knowing colors and shapes allows your child to start to sort and classify objects based on those attributes. Encouraging your child to sort objects into different groups will help with their observation and critical-thinking skills and will ultimately lead to better reading, writing, math and science abilities.

Get more brain-building activities for your kid! Check out our Brain Building Boot Camp with Dr. Christine Ricci.