Sorting by Size: Cut and Paste Worksheet
This cut-and-paste worksheet asks 3-5 year olds to compare objects by size — big, medium, and small — and sort them into the correct jar, which is a genuinely tricky comparison since 'medium' only makes sense relative to the other two sizes rather than as an absolute category. Working through this sorting builds early comparative reasoning alongside the fine motor practice of cutting and gluing small pieces accurately.
Curriculum
How to use this worksheet
Cut out the pictures at the bottom of the page together, spreading them out so your child can compare them all at once. Look at the three jars and talk about which is labeled big, medium, and small. Have your child pick up each picture, compare it to the others, and decide which size jar it belongs in before gluing it down. Once every picture is placed, review the three jars together and check that the sizes make sense side by side.
Materials needed
- Scissors
- Glue
- Pencil
Extension activities
- •Find household objects of different sizes and sort them into big, medium, and small groups.
- •Draw three versions of the same object — a big one, medium one, and small one — and color them.
- •Use nesting cups or stacking toys to practice ordering objects from biggest to smallest.
- •Play a comparison game holding up two objects and asking which is bigger and which is smaller.
- •Sort a mixed pile of blocks or toys into size groups and count how many are in each.
Tips for parents and teachers
The 'medium' category is the trickiest of the three since it only makes sense in comparison to the other sizes — encourage your child to compare all three pictures side by side rather than judging size in isolation. Verbalizing the comparison out loud, like 'this one is bigger than that one but smaller than this one,' helps make the relative reasoning explicit. Offer help with cutting small pieces if needed so your child can focus on the size judgment.
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
Related worksheets
Long, Tall, and Short: Comparing Objects Worksheet for Kids
Children ages 3-5 build comparative reasoning by identifying which of two or three objects is long, tall, or short. Understanding relative size — that an object is only 'tall' compared to something else — is an early measurement skill that lays the groundwork for later concepts like more/less and eventually numeric comparison.
Big and Small Fish Counting Worksheet for Preschoolers
This counting worksheet gives children ages 3-5 practice with one-to-one correspondence — touching and counting each fish exactly once — while also comparing two groups by size. Splitting the fish into 'big' and 'small' groups before counting adds a light classification step that sharpens observation skills alongside basic numeracy. Recording each total as a written numeral also connects counting aloud to number formation.
Tall and Short Worksheet: Comparing Sizes for Preschoolers
Comparing objects and circling the tallest and shortest one in each row teaches children ages 3-5 comparative size vocabulary, an early math skill that goes beyond simply describing single objects as big or small. This worksheet requires children to look across an entire row and rank items relative to one another, which builds visual comparison skills that later support measurement concepts like longer, shorter, and equal. Using varied pictures for each comparison also keeps children engaged while practicing the same underlying skill repeatedly.
Big and Small Objects: Coloring Worksheet for Preschoolers
This coloring worksheet helps children ages 3-5 practice comparative size reasoning by identifying and coloring the larger object within each paired set of pictures. Making a size judgment before coloring means the coloring itself becomes a way to record and confirm the child's reasoning, rather than being purely decorative. Repeated practice comparing 'big' and 'small' objects supports later measurement and comparison skills in early math.
Tall and Short Worksheet for Preschoolers: Identifying Sizes
This worksheet builds children ages 3-5's understanding of relative height by having them identify which of two objects is tall and which is short across several picture sets. Comparing height is one of the earliest forms of measurement reasoning children encounter, and practicing it with varied, unrelated objects helps the concept generalize beyond just the specific pictures shown.
Big and Small Sorting Worksheet for Preschoolers
This worksheet helps children ages 3-5 build early comparative reasoning by identifying and sorting objects as big or small, then physically arranging cut-out pictures to show that understanding. Comparing size is one of the first ways young children learn to describe and organize the world around them, laying groundwork for later measurement and comparison skills in math.
Size Sorting Worksheet: Big vs. Small!
Deciding whether a cut-out picture is big or small and gluing it into the correct jar builds comparative reasoning for children ages 3-5, an early step toward understanding relative size before moving into formal measurement.
Big or Small? Size Sorting Worksheet for Preschoolers
Sorting pictures into 'big' and 'small' categories teaches children ages 3-5 an early comparative concept, requiring them to judge relative size rather than an object's absolute measurement. Cutting and gluing each picture into its correct column also reinforces this classification decision physically, making an abstract comparison concrete and visible.
Guides for this topic
Age-Appropriate Problem-Solving Activities: Building Critical Thinkers from the Ground Up
Discover fun, age-appropriate problem-solving activities for children ages 1-8. Build critical thinking, logic, and reasoning skills through play-based learning.
Critical Thinking Activities That Actually Work for Young Children: Building Tomorrow's Thinkers Today
Discover proven critical thinking activities for young children. Age-wise logic games, questioning techniques, and hands-on ideas to build thinking skills at home.
Preparing Your Child for a Rapidly Changing World: Essential Skills for Future Success
Discover the essential 21st century skills your child needs for future success. Practical tips on creativity, critical thinking, digital literacy & emotional intelligence for ages 1-8.
Reviews
Every worksheet for ages 3–5, no watermark
Members download the full library of 1,000+ worksheets and every activity pack without watermarks or daily limits. One year costs ₹1,000 in India or $20 elsewhere.
See membership plansOr download any worksheet free with a watermark (5 a day).