Cutlery Drawer Sort: illustration of a toddler doing the activity

Cutlery Drawer Sort

from 36 months · 5-10 min · Everyday helper

What you need

  • the clean forks and spoons from the draining rack
  • the cutlery tray in the drawer

How to do it

  1. Take every knife out first and put them away yourself.
  2. Tip the clean forks and spoons onto a cloth on the counter, open the drawer and look at the tray together: where do forks live, and the big spoons, and the little ones?
  3. Let them put each one in its place, saying fork or spoon as it goes in.
  4. Hunt for the odd ones out, like a wooden spoon or a ladle, and decide together where they belong.

Why it matters

Forks and spoons look alike at a glance; only the end gives away where each one lives.

What they're learning

Sorting by shape
Prongs or a bowl at the end.
Big and little
Teaspoons apart from big spoons.
Putting away
Every one back where it lives.

What to look for

Notice them turning a spoon over to check which end is which.

A tip

Knives come out first and go away with you. Keep this job for clean, cool cutlery straight from the rack.

Make it easier or harder

Easier: forks and big spoons only, in two piles

Harder: count each pile before it goes in and say which has the most

More like this

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Everyday helper activities · Toddler activities with a spoon · Toddler activities with a tray

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