Help Your Child Learn Categories: 144 Category Sorting Picture Cards & Sorting Mats

Looking for a calm, hands-on activity that grows your child's language? Sorting pictures into groups helps children learn new words, notice what things have in common and explain why, and it keeps little hands busy for a good while.

144 clear picture cards and 14 sorting mats to help children learn categories: what goes together and why. One picture and one word on each card, in the same simple style as my Communication Cards.

WHAT YOU GET (33 PAGES)

• 144 picture cards, 2 x 2 inches (5 cm), 12 groups of 12, one border color per group:

- Food: apple, banana, grapes, carrot, cheese, cereal, pasta, rice, sandwich, pizza, yogurt, cookie

- Clothes: T-shirt, pants, dress, socks, underwear, school uniform, raincoat, jacket, hoodie, shoes, costume, swimsuit

- Animals: cat, dog, rabbit, bird, elephant, giraffe, lion, monkey, tiger, zebra, koala, whale

- Toys: blocks, puzzle, play dough, ball, bike, board game, fidget toy, teddy bear, drum, train, rocking horse, toy box

- Bathroom and Hygiene: toilet, bath, shower, wash hands, soap, toothpaste, brush teeth, brush hair, wash face, towel, blow nose, cut nails

- Places: school, preschool, classroom, library, park, playground, store, doctor, dentist, hair salon, home, sandbox

- Jobs at Home: make the bed, set the table, sweep, wipe the table, water plants, feed the pet, walk the dog, take out trash, put toys away, sort laundry, help cook, vacuum

- Feelings: happy, sad, angry, scared, worried, excited, surprised, tired, silly, proud, shy, frustrated

- Ways to Calm Down: deep breaths, blow bubbles, count to 10, hug a teddy, listen to music, squeeze a ball, quiet corner, cozy blanket, coloring, go for a walk, stretch, smell a flower

- Summer: beach, sunglasses, flip-flops, watermelon, popsicle, sprinkler, shell, sun hat, swimming, barbecue, beach towel, hot

- Winter: snowman, snowflake, mittens, scarf, beanie, sled, ice skates, snowballs, hot chocolate, polar bear, penguin, cold

- Christmas: Christmas tree, Santa, reindeer, present, stocking, candy cane, ornament, wreath, star, bells, gingerbread man, elf

• 12 blank cards (one in each group color)

• 12 group label cards

• 12 sorting mats, one for each group, with a space for every card

• 2 "Sort It" mats: 2 groups and 3 groups (put a group card on top)

• 2 "What doesn't belong?" pages, 10 rows, answers printed upside down

• Category list of all 144 cards with check boxes (2 pages)

• How to use page

• 2 PDF files: US Letter (US words) and A4 (Australian / New Zealand words: thongs, ice block, swimmers, kindy, shop, rubbish, colour), plus a printing guide. Each paper size comes as Part 1 and Part 2 (same cards, split into 2 smaller files so they download faster)

HOW TO USE

1. Print at 100% scale. Card stock is best for the cards; the mats can be plain paper. Laminate if you like, then cut out the cards.

2. Start with 2 very different groups and 6 to 10 cards.

3. Your child names each card and puts it on the right mat. The colored borders match the mats, so children can check their own sorting.

4. Add more groups over time. Use the Sort It mats and the What doesn't belong? rows to talk about why things go together.

MATCHING SETS

The cards are the same size and style as my Communication Cards and Action Verb Cards, so they fit the same boards.

PLEASE NOTE

• This is a digital download. No physical item will be shipped.

• The files are PDFs and are not editable.

• These cards support language learning at home and in class. They are not a therapy program, not medical advice, and do not replace the advice of your speech therapist or doctor.

• Colors may look slightly different depending on your screen and printer.

• The pictures were created by me with the help of AI tools, then selected, checked one by one and laid out for print.

TERMS OF USE

For personal, classroom and therapy use. You may print as many copies as you need for your own home, class or clients. Files may not be resold, shared or redistributed.

If there is any problem with your files, send me a message and I will fix it for you. This does not affect your rights under consumer law.