Dino Sort and Count: Invitation to Play

Dino Sort & Count

Play Invitation, Planning & Printable Resource

A simple, playful maths invitation designed to help children find, match, count and fill through hands-on dinosaur play. Using coloured dinosaurs, matching cups and the Dino Sort & Count Cube, children can roll the cube, find the corresponding dinosaurs and explore number and colour in a way that feels like play rather than a maths activity. The cube is there as a prompt for exploration, not a test.     Early Years Dino Sort & Count B…

There’s plenty of early learning happening as children play. Matching dinosaurs supports colour recognition and sorting, moving one dinosaur at a time introduces one-to-one counting, the dot patterns encourage early subitising and number sense, while grasping, transferring, stacking and placing the dinosaurs develops fine motor control. It isn’t about getting it right — it’s about noticing, trying and repeating.     Early Years Dino Sort & Count B…

The booklet also includes ideas for introducing mathematical language naturally without constantly asking children “What colour is this?” or “How many?”. Simple words and phrases such as one more, same, different, full, empty, match and count can be modelled alongside what children are already doing. Notice what they notice, then add the language.     Early Years Dino Sort & Count B…

And the play doesn’t have to follow the cube at all. Children might sort, stack, fill and empty, line the dinosaurs up or create their own dinosaur adventures. There are also simple extension ideas including comparing more and fewer, making groups, matching to the pictures and creating a dinosaur hunt.     Early Years Dino Sort & Count B…

Includes the printable Dino Sort & Count Cube resource with numbers 1–6, colour matching, quantities and dot representations.

Digital download | 5-page play inspiration booklet + printable resource | Part of The Play Library