Simple activity to introduce the concept of alphabetical sorting (FREE printable)

I can do this! – JD, 6

Recently, while working through some literacy activities with my son, we noted that the ability to put words in alphabetical order is part of the KS1 (4-6 years) UK schools curriculum.

This was a new concept to JD, but he was keen to give it a go. As he, like many children, responds very well to hands-on activities, we created this simple activity to help solidify the core concept of alphabetical order in his head.

The first sheet in the printable is a guide sheet – a blank table with lines labelled A-Z. The second sheet contains a list of words to cut out to create word tiles.

Once you’ve printed and prepared your printable, it’s simply a case of inviting the child to place the word tiles against their matching letters on the guide sheet. If done correctly, at the end of the activity, all the words should be in alphabetical order.

Further suggested activities:

• Freestyle sorting: Once JD mastered the activity using the guide sheet, he was able to push that aside and just use the word tiles to create alphabetically ordered lists on the rug. If you’d like to try it with your little one, just hit the image above to download the free printable as a PDF.
• School register: If your child attends school he/she’s probably already used to hearing names called in alphabetical order. You could try listing a few friends names and working out where they should go on the guide sheet. If they’re home schooled, why not use friends and families names?
• Sorting when two words start with the same letter: I have also included a few extra words at the bottom of the second sheet, so that you can move on to talking about which word goes first when they start with the same letter, if you wish.
• High frequency words: If you’re keen to concentrate on High Frequency Words, there’s a good list here and you could try either printing and cutting them out, or writing them on to a guide sheet.

Have fun!