Elephant Shapes: Fun Sorting Worksheet for Preschoolers!
This playful sorting worksheet has children ages 3-5 use an elephant's 'trunk' (their own hand reaching through a cut circle) to pick and sort shapes, building both shape recognition and simple classification skills. Physically selecting and grouping shapes by type, rather than just naming them on sight, helps solidify the concept that shapes can share a category even when their size or color differs.
Part of the pack
Early Learning Activity Book: Math, Science, Literacy & Cognitive Skills for Preschoolers (Ages 3-6)
This is page 12 of the pack. Ages 3-6 · Preschool–KindergartenAges 3-6 · Nursery–Year 1Ages 3-6 · Nursery–UKGAges 3-6
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Curriculum
- 2D Shapes > Shapes & Sorting
How to use this worksheet
Have your child put their hand through the circle on the page to act as the elephant's trunk. Place a small mixed pile of shape cutouts nearby, and let them 'grab' one shape at a time using their trunk hand. As each shape is picked, ask your child to name it and place it into the matching sorted group, such as all circles together and all squares together. Continue until every shape has been sorted, then review each group and count how many shapes are in it.
Materials needed
- Pencil
- Crayons
Extension activities
- 1Go on a shape hunt around the house, finding real objects that match each shape category from the worksheet.
- 2Build a simple elephant collage using the sorted shapes glued in place of ears, body, and legs.
- 3Sort a mixed pile of buttons, blocks, or coins by shape instead of the worksheet's cutouts.
- 4Count and compare which shape group has the most and fewest items after sorting.
Written by
Hemsweta Jain · Teacher Cheena
MBA and Early Childhood Educator, teaching since 2014 · Founder of RaisoActive, Mumbai
Every RaisoActive worksheet is designed and checked by the founder before publishing.
Published · Last reviewed
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