Sorting with children online can be difficult. It is hard to see what is being asked to be sorted. I found PowerPoint to be quite helpful in creating a sorting activity for preschool children. I used a clipart shell and three clipart buckets of different color.
The shells were three different sizes. With a click of the mouse, one of the shells would spin. The children would then shout out which color bucket the shell belonged in.
To create the shell sort, open PowerPoint. Place the clipart at the top of the page in different sizes. Place where you will sort the objects at the bottom. Select one of the shells and open the animations tab. Select the emphasis effects option. Choose the spin effect.
This will make the shell spin when the mouse is clicked. Now, select the bucket the object is being sorted into. Apply the same spin effect to this object. As the children play the game together, the spinning indicates the objects that are being sorted and where they belong.
Prior to our virtual circle time, the children were asked to create a fish.
We shared our fish and then read The Three Little Fish and the Big Bad Shark.
Our song was by Laurie Berkner. The children swam the fish they created along with the song!