Beginners - "Categories"- Introduction

Welcome to the Categories Program! This is one of the favorites among children because it involves organizing their own toys and items, which can be both fun and engaging for them. This program is designed to help your child stay on task and pay attention for longer periods of time—something that’s especially helpful for their development. While many of my programs focus on this skill, the Categories Program really intensifies this aspect, as we work through 30 different category groups.

You’ll learn to teach your child 10 categories at a time, but we’ll take it slow and steady because this process is intense. The idea is to build up their understanding of how things fit into different groups. When your child struggles to remember a word, they can start identifying the broader group it belongs to. For example, if they’re talking about food or toys, it’ll help them focus and organize their thoughts better.

One of the best parts of this program is watching your child organize things themselves. You’ll get to observe their thought processes as they decide how to group and categorize their toys and other items. This gives you great insight into their skills and how they approach problem-solving. For example, if they’re putting their socks near their shoes, you’ll know that organizing them that way makes sense to them.

Children tend to get really excited about this program. You’ll see that as you start presenting these categories, they will enjoy it so much that they’ll want to organize everything! They’ll begin to look at the world differently. Books, toys, clothes—they’ll start categorizing them in their minds, not just based on function but also by color and other features. This skill of categorizing will extend to many future activities and will help them in various areas of learning.

Through this program, your child will start recognizing what doesn’t belong in a group. This is huge because they’ll be able to spot when something is out of place and express it. Imagine the first time your child tells you, “Mommy, that doesn’t go there!” or “Teacher, we should put that over here!” That moment will show how well they’re starting to understand categories.

These categories will be a foundational skill in helping your child describe objects. After completing this program, you’ll want to move into the Attributes Program, as it perfectly complements what we cover in the Categories Program. In the Attributes Program, children will need to identify the category each object belongs to before they can describe it in detail.

A Few Key Tips:

• Work on vocabulary alongside the Categories Program. This is important because while your child learns categories, expanding their vocabulary will allow them to describe those objects in more detail. Make sure to either do the vocabulary programs before or at the same time as the Categories Program.
• Start with what’s around you. You’ll find plenty of objects at home or school to use for these exercises. They can be anything from stuffed animals to toys to everyday household items.
• Get ready for a lot of excitement! Children love this process, and they will quickly begin categorizing everything around them. This will help them develop stronger cognitive and language skills.

I’m excited for you to begin this program with your child, and I’m confident you’ll see them grow in amazing ways as they develop these important skills!