The 10 Best Shape Sorters
This wiki has been updated 32 times since it was first published in September of 2015. It's never too early to help your kids with their spatial skills and hand-eye coordination. Our selection of shape-sorting toys come in classic cubes and more inventive styles to pique your child's interest. Some are geared toward babies and toddlers, while others will challenge preschoolers. Be sure to check the manufacturer's recommendations before buying one for a child under the age of three. When users buy our independently chosen editorial picks, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
1. Melissa & Doug Cube
2. Fisher-Price Baby's First Blocks
3. Skip Hop Yeti
Editor's Notes
August 07, 2020:
The shape sorter is a classic toy that's been around for generations, and while or top two picks, the Melissa & Doug Cube and the Fisher-Price Baby's First Blocks could be mistaken for some very well cared for vintage toys, our selections include plenty of creative choices and a few with some fun bells and whistles.
For this update we added the Skip Hop Yeti because it offers three different activities of increasing difficulty, so it's a toy that will interest children for years.
Our other electronic addition, the VTech Sort and Discover Drum, is an interactive choice that names the shapes as they are put in the correct holes, so the child can be learning new words while developing reasoning and motor skills.
July 24, 2019:
You may think of a shape sorter as a toy for a baby or toddler, but there are more complicated versions out there to teach older pre-school aged kids more advanced shapes and to help promote more spatial awareness. So when recommending our choices we were careful to note which options are designed for a child over the age of three so that they aren't given to little ones still at risk for choking on smaller pieces. In addition these options wouldn't be as fun for toddler, as they may be too difficult to master.
The Fisher-Price Baby's First Blocks set takes the top spot because it is a budget-friendly way to introduce infants as young as 6 months to two types of sorting, whether placing shapes through holes, or determining the relative sizes of the rings on the rock-a-stack.
4. Leap Frog Turtle
5. My First Green Toys
6. VTech Sort and Discover Drum
7. Melissa & Doug Take-Along
8. Infantino Jumbo
9. Tupperware Shape-O Toy
10. Battat Shape Sorter House
Tina Morna Freitas is a writer who lives in Chicago with her family and three cats. She has a B.A. in anthropology with a minor in English, and has built a freelance career over the years in writing and digital marketing. Her passions for cooking, decorating and home improvement contribute to her extensive knowledge of all things kitchen and home goods. In addition, her 20 years as a parent inform her expertise in the endless stream of toys and equipment that inevitably takes over the homes of most parents. She also enjoys gardening, making and sipping margaritas, and aspires to be a crazy cat lady once all the children are grown.