Categorizing with Word Clouds

One of the important skills we teach children is categorization.  Many people don't realize how necessary categorization is to everyday life.  Think about when you go to the grocery store.  How do you know where to look for flour?  The thought process might go something like this:

What do we do with flour?
We use it for baking.
So, the flour might be located with other baking items.
Therefore, head to the aisle with all the cake mixes to find the flour.

Bet you didn't realize all that thinking went into grocery shopping!  Now what about when you get home to unpack those groceries?  You probably have a place where every item goes.  Maybe you store the poptarts next to the cereal in the cabinet because they both are breakfast items.  Or the apples and oranges you bought maybe go in the same refrigerator drawer with other fruit items.  You are more organized than you think because you are able to categorize, or sort items that go together.

Sometimes children who struggle with language concepts have difficulty learning to categorize.  Teaching them how to figure out where to find items in the grocery store is a great way to help them with this skill.  Then letting them help you unpack those items at home is extra practice!