Sort the Recycling

What you need

• cardboard box
• rinsed plastic bottles
• paper bag
• rinsed milk carton

How to do it

1. Put three empty boxes or bags on the floor and name them out loud: card, plastic, paper.
2. Tip a small pile of clean recycling in front of your toddler and pick one thing up together, saying what it is made of.
3. Let them choose which pile it goes in. If it lands in the wrong one, say what it is again and let them move it.
4. When the pile is gone, carry each sorted box to the real recycling together.

Why it matters

Deciding what a thing is made of and putting it with its kind is early sorting, done with real objects instead of a puzzle. It is also the actual job, and toddlers know the difference between helping and pretend helping.

What they're learning

Sorting

Grouping by material is the same thinking as grouping by colour or shape, with a real reason attached.

Naming

Card, plastic, paper: three new words that mean something they can touch.

Helping

Carrying the sorted box to the bin finishes a real household job.

What to look for

Watch for them checking an item against the pile before they drop it, a sign they are comparing rather than guessing.

A tip

Keep the pile small and everything rinsed; this is about the choosing, not the volume.

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