08/12/2026
This somehow turned into a 20-minute activity because Kendrick kept asking for more items, stopping to talk about colours, describe things, make animal sounds and give me his running commentary.
And eventually, I had to leave. I had other things to do. He, apparently, did not.
He absolutely loves sorting.
We usually give him a small number of items from different categories. Today, he was sorting cars, animals, shapes and numbers from one big bin, placing each item into the right group.
And honestly, this is one of my favourite things about cognitive play. Sometimes, you really don’t have to do much.
You can pull together a few toys or household items, create simple categories, set the space up, and step back.
The rest can happen through play.
And this doesn’t replace independent play. Sometimes, it’s simply a little intentional parent-child time.
As children sort, compare, group, identify patterns and make decisions, they’re building important cognitive skills while doing something that simply feels fun.
That’s the beauty of play with purpose.
