Chapter I – Classifying Objects

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Why is it important to teach children how to classify?

The ability to classify, meaning to organize objects according to specific features, is one of the fundamental cognitive skills developed during the preschool years. It forms the foundation of logical thinking and also prepares children for learning mathematics, language, and understanding the world around them.

Through classification, children learn to:
● notice differences and similarities,
● create sets and compare them with one another,
● understand relationships such as bigger–smaller, longer–shorter, same–different,
● observe carefully and make decisions based on identified features.

Regular classification activities help develop:
● perceptiveness,
● concentration,
● the ability to explain and justify choices,
● cause-and-effect thinking.

Activities with KORBO blocks are an excellent tool for developing these skills. The blocks are engaging, easily accessible, and varied, allowing children to learn through action, manipulation, and discovery.

The activities presented in this set are easy to carry out, require no complicated preparation, and effectively support children’s cognitive development. They can be freely modified, adjusting the level of difficulty to suit the needs and abilities of a particular group.

We encourage introducing classification in a natural way through play, conversation, and shared exploration. This is the first step in building children’s logical thinking skills and their understanding of the world around them.

Activity 1: Colorful Islands

Educational Objective:
Children classify objects by color.

Materials:
● KORBO blocks in various colors (e.g. Box No. 1 from the KORBO Maluch set)
● Colored sheets of paper (as “islands”) – red, green, blue, purple, yellow, orange

Activity Procedure:

  1. Spread several colored sheets of paper on the carpet (red, green, blue, purple, yellow, orange). Each sheet represents an island of one color.

  2. Pour all the gear wheels from Box No. 1 onto the carpet.

  3. The children’s task is to sort the blocks and place them on the matching color “islands.”

Variations:
During another round of the activity, instead of gear wheels you can use cylinders (found in Box No. 2).

After sorting is finished, divide the children into 6 groups according to colors. In each group, ask the children to divide the blocks of their color into smaller sets, for example 10 gear wheels per set. Then count how many such sets (e.g. blue ones) were created around the blue island.

Activity 2: KORBO Block Families

Educational Objective:
Children classify objects by size and shape.

Materials:

  • KORBO blocks in different shapes (cylinders, gear wheels, platforms, straight connectors, cross connectors)

Activity Procedure:

  1. Explain to the children that the blocks form “families,” for example a gear wheel family, a cylinder family, or a platform family. The families may include different colors, but all shapes within one family look the same.

  2. Divide the children into groups and name them as families (e.g. the gear wheel family).

  3. Ask the children to sort the prepared blocks into their families on their own.

  4. Ask the children to count the shapes in each family by color (for example, ask how many blue gear wheels are in the gear wheel family).

Variation:
Ask the children to count

Activity 3: The Block Shop

Educational Objective:
Children classify objects by function or use.

Materials:

  • Various KORBO elements: gear wheels, cylinders, straight connectors, cross connectors

  • Small baskets, boxes, or “shelves” for display

Activity Procedure:

  1. Arrange the space as a “block shop.”

  2. The children’s task (as customers or shop assistants) is to sort the available elements into categories, for example cylinders, gear wheels, or connectors.

  3. The children place the blocks on the appropriate shop shelves.

Variation:
Ask the children to prepare labels (for example drawings) for the different sections of the shop.

Activity 4: Mysterious Groups

Educational Objective:
Children recognize and name the shared features of a group of objects.

Materials:

  • A mixed set of various KORBO blocks: gear wheels, cylinders, straight connectors, cross connectors

Activity Procedure:

  1. Prepare several groups of blocks that share a common feature (for example all red blocks, all gear wheels in different colors, or all connectors both straight and cross).

  2. The children’s task is to guess why the blocks were grouped together and what they have in common.

  3. After guessing, the children can create their own “mysterious group,” and the rest of the group tries to guess the rule used for sorting.

Variation:
Introduce the concepts of “shared feature” and “difference” through a word based game.

Activity 5: Block Sorting Race

Educational Objective:
Children classify objects under time pressure while practicing concentration and cooperation.

Materials:
● Containers with mixed KORBO blocks
● Small bowls or boxes for sorting
● A clock, hourglass, or stopwatch

Activity Procedure:

  1. Divide the children into small teams of 2–3 children.

  2. Each team receives a container with a variety of blocks.

  3. At the signal “start,” the children begin sorting the blocks according to a previously agreed criterion, such as color, shape, or number of pegs.

  4. After the set time has passed, check together how each team performed.

Variation:
In subsequent rounds, change the classification criterion.

Activity 6: Block Train

Educational Objective:
Children organize objects according to a selected feature and arrange them in a specific sequence.

Materials:

  • KORBO blocks with different features (for example colors and shapes)

Activity Procedure:

  1. Tell the children that they will build a “block train,” where each carriage (block) must match the previous one by color or shape.
    Example: red gear wheel → red cylinder → blue cylinder → blue gear wheel.

  2. Each child explains which feature the next block shares with the previous one (the same color or the same shape).

  3. The children build the train on the carpet or on a table, making sure to follow the chosen ordering rule.

Variation:
Each child can build their own train and present the rules they followed.

Activity 7: Find the Missing Block

Educational Objective:
Children recognize the features of elements and are able to identify which one does not fit or which one is missing from a set.

Materials:
– Sets of 3–4 KORBO blocks (for example 3 red blocks and 1 blue one; 3 gear wheels and 1 cylinder, etc.)

Activity Procedure:

  1. Prepare sets of blocks in which one block “does not belong” to the others.

  2. The children’s task is to point out the block that differs from the rest and explain their choice.

  3. In the second version, the children have to find the missing block that completes the pattern or group (for example a blue block missing among three colors: red, yellow, blue, ?).

Variation:
Older children can create their own puzzles for their peers.

Activity 8: Block Sets

Educational Objective:
Children understand the concept of a set and are able to assign elements to more than one category.

Materials:
– Various KORBO blocks
– Hula hoops, ribbons, or rings to create sets

Activity Procedure:

  1. Place two rings on the carpet. Each ring represents a set defined by a specific feature (for example the color red or a cylinder).

  2. The children match the blocks to the sets. Some blocks will fit into only one set, while others will belong to both (the rings may partially overlap, like in a diagram).

  3. The children hold the blocks in their hands and, from a greater distance, throw them so that they land in the correct set.

  4. Discuss with the children why a particular block belongs to a given set and which blocks are shared.

Variation:
Count the blocks in each set and compare their quantities.

Activity 9: Build According to a Pattern

Educational Objective:
Children analyze a pattern and select blocks according to a specific rule.

Materials:
● Patterns previously built using KORBO blocks. The blocks can be arranged one after another on the carpet or laid out in a rhythm on connected platforms (for example 3 red blocks, 1 blue block, 3 red blocks…).
● Containers with loose blocks

Activity Procedure:

  1. Show the children a pattern built from blocks, such as a sequence of colors or shapes.

  2. The children’s task is to find the appropriate blocks and recreate the pattern on their own.

  3. The children can also continue the pattern by recognizing the repeating sequence.

Variation:
Older children can create their own patterns and exchange them with one another.

Activity 10: Block Bingo

Educational Objective:
Children identify and classify objects by name and feature.

Materials:
– Bingo cards (for example with drawings of blocks in different colors and shapes)
– KORBO blocks: cylinders and connectors
– Markers: straight connectors

Activity Procedure:

  1. Each child receives a bingo card with 6 pictures showing different blocks.

  2. The teacher draws blocks from a container and shows them to the children.

  3. Children who have a matching block on their card place a “marker” on it using a connector block.

  4. The child who marks all fields first wins.

Variation:
Instead of cards, children can first arrange the blocks on platforms. Each child connects two platforms horizontally and places 8 blocks on them in a bingo-style layout. Then the teacher draws the blocks.

Variation II:
The worksheets also include blank cards. The child first colors the gear wheels and cylinders independently.

Activity 11: Find Your Set

Educational Objective:
Children recognize patterns based on name and feature.

Materials:
– KORBO blocks: cylinders or gear wheels

Activity Procedure:

  1. Each child draws one block, either a gear wheel or a cylinder.

  2. The teacher asks the children to hold their block high in the air.

  3. Next, the teacher asks the children to form groups or sets based on shape. The children create two groups: cylinders and gear wheels.

  4. Then the teacher asks the children to form new sets in which all blocks are the same color.

Variation:
After each round, the children can exchange blocks. Sometimes they can look for their sets in a regular way, other times by walking on tiptoes, crawling on all fours, or using other movements.

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