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110 File Folder Activities For Every Student and Subject

January 16, 2023 //  by Christina Cunningham

File folder activities are perfect for early finishers or extra practice and can be customized to meet any educational need. If you envision a file folder activity, you’re probably thinking of matching or counting tasks; however, there are so many more varieties available for you to explore! Children can keep file folders in their desks as resources, complete morning work, practice visual discrimination, play board games, and learn life skills from these quickly-made activities! Take what works for you and your class’s needs from the list below!

6 Activities & Resources For Morning Work

1. Check-In

Use file folder activities to help your young students start their day off on the right foot by asking them to name their feelings, pick a greeting, and select a center. This simple task can help children check into the school day and feel accomplished early!

Learn More: Autism Adventures

2. Calendar Time

If whole group calendar time is a struggle, create a personal calendar folder for children to complete each day, or for your “Calendar Helper” to do for the class. Children can record the date, day of the week, weather, season, or anything else you typically include! 

Learn More: Autism Adventures

3. Mini Office

Assemble this “mini office” for your students at the beginning of the year! This is a printable resource you will be thanking yourself for creating all year long. Students can utilize the calendar, hundreds chart, color chart, and more as a reference or as a stage for practicing skills independently.

Learn More: File Folder Fun

4. Describing Clothing

Make morning work simple while children practice their matching and describing abilities with this file folder activity! Kids will record what they are wearing; including types and colors, using these pieces. This great activity gets children tapping into an independent-work mindset at the beginning of the day.

Learn More: Autism Tank

5. Personal Sound Wall

First grade sound walls can be displayed on bulletin boards or as a mini personal or portable sound wall

As the science of reading is being adopted by districts throughout the country, the prevalence of sound walls is increasing. Provide children with a personal copy that they can keep on their desks or take home to equip them for reading and writing anywhere! 

Learn More: Ship Shape Elementary

6. Speech Practice Folders

File folder resources are great for sending home practice activities with students, as well as providing them with a way to assess their performance! Simply change out the sounds students need to practice (perfect for literacy or speech lessons!), and this resource can be used repeatedly!

Learn More: The Dabbling Speechie

35 Math-Focused Activities  

7. One-to-One Tasks

Errorless Spring File Folder Activities

Help establish students’ one-to-one correspondence skills with errorless file folders! Children will match one Velcro piece to each spot on the opposite page, helping them to understand how to make pairs and generally work within file folders. This task also builds a sense of competence for young learners!

Learn More: Autism Work Tasks

8. Butterfly Symmetry

Build your students’ understanding of symmetry and work on visual discrimination with a beautiful butterfly-themed file folder game. Students will have to select the mirror image of each butterfly’s wing to build the whole insect. This task is perfect to stick in your life cycle file or letter B activities!

Learn More: Mama Jenn

9. Dinosaur Count and Match

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Make this simple game for your dinosaur-lover to practice their counting and number recognition skills! Students will match a numeral to a given set of dinosaurs. Use it as a quick assessment, an on-the-go task for the car, or a simple game to tuck away for unexpected wait times!

Learn More: The Whatever Mom

10. Counting Flower Petals File Folder Game

Springtime Counting File Folder Game

Children will love this spring-themed, printable file folder game matching numbers to flower petals. Children will count the petals attached to the inside of the folder, then match the correct number to make the center of the flower. It’s simple, sweet, and goes perfectly with a spring theme! 

Learn More: From ABCs to ACTs

11. Ice Cream Match

What child doesn’t love sprinkles? They will get to count the sprinkles on ice cream cones in this counting file folder game! Then, they will affix the correct number to the cone to complete this task. You can easily adapt the activity to include different arrangements, larger numbers, and more!

Learn More: The Measured Mom

12. Counting Ladybug Spots

Did you know you can tell the age of a ladybug by the number of spots it has? Share this cool fact with your students before starting this file folder task together! Children should count the number of spots on each ladybug and match it to the correct numeral or number word. 

Learn More: My Folder Games

13. Counting Pepperonis

Counting the toppings on a pizza is a perfect way to get children engaged in their math learning! Children will think it is super silly to count all the pepperonis and match the slices to the corresponding number. Extend this activity by making felt pizzas for your dramatic play center! 

Learn More: Mrs. Bremer’s Class

14. Hungry Bunnies

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Incorporating cute animals is one of the best ways to make any file folder fun! Children will enjoy feeding some bunnies their meal of carrots in this counting file folder game! Each bunny is marked with a particular number, and the student has to feed them the correct amount of carrots. 

Learn More: Fun Learning For Kids

15. Hands-On Numeracy

Preschool file folder games should have as many opportunities for hands-on learning as possible. This sweet Valentine’s-themed file folder set incorporates just that! Students order, trace, write, build, count erasers, and more to investigate a particular number. This task is sure to keep them happy, busy, and having fun learning!

Learn More: Make, Take, & Teach

16. Bumblebee Number Representations

Children will be buzz-buzzing with activity as they work on this fun file folder game. Dominoes, dice, tallies, and other representations of numbers adorn little bee bodies, and children must match them to the hive with the corresponding number. Easily adapt to your child’s current level of understanding by limiting the pieces!

Learn More: Simple Everyday Mom

17. Gumball Counting

Grab this great freebie to practice counting skills at a higher level–children will have to count non-linear pieces in this downloadable file folder game. The creator suggests keeping this one with your sub plans or as an option for early finisher work! 

Learn More: Teachers Pay Teachers

18. Watermelon Seed Counting

Math file folder games are always more fun when there is a hands-on fine motor element! In this watermelon counting game, children choose a card, then count the button “seeds” on their watermelon. Keep the seeds attached to the file folder with a little zip lock baggie, and you can take this activity anywhere!

Learn More: Planning Playtime

19. Floatie Count

What little one doesn’t love a rubber duckie? Add this engaging element into your file folder work by having children count duck “pool floaties” during this file folder activity. Children will select a card, then add that many ducks to the pool. Leave this out as a center close to summertime!

Learn More: Planning Playtime

20. Feed the Monkey

This silly monkey loves to eat bananas. While your students feed him his lunch, they are simultaneously practicing their colors and counting skills! The game also has a simple rhyme that goes along with the play, which makes it adaptable to whole group or small group work as well! 

Learn More: File Folder Heaven

21. Balloon Number Match

matching numbers file folders

This matching game will help young learners begin to recognize the strokes that make up different numerals. This is a precursor to number formation for early childhood students. Children will simply match a balloon number piece to the cloud with the corresponding number for almost-errorless fun! 

Learn More: Teaching Special Thinkers

22. Pencil Patterns

Matching patterns is one of the initial steps to students being able to create their own! Get them working on this crucial skill with this pattern-matching file folder. Students will match colorful, patterned pencils to a black-and-white counterpart in the folder. Challenge them to design their own pencil pattern when finished!

Learn More: Kids Activities

23. Heart Patterns

This visual discrimination task is a perfect introduction to patterns while also working on matching skills. Students will look at the patterns on each heart and find its perfect pair! They will look for zig-zags, stripes, polka dots, and more. Extend the activity by having students decorate their own pairs!

Learn More: Desert Crafter

24. 2-Level Patterns

These patterning folder games are the perfect activities for preschoolers who are mastering the easier levels (like AB patterns). Children will build confidence as they create and complete this type, then move on to more difficult patterning with 3 objects or with longer expectations for extending.

Learn More: The Autism Helper

25. Build-a-Pizza

This tricky shape game requires students to match a particular arrangement of shapes with their outlines on the background picture. The shapes become the toppings on a delicious pizza! This is a busy folder that builds visual discrimination skills and can prompt discussions involving shape vocabulary terms. 

Learn More: Learning with Missy Marlo

26. Leaf Shapes

Make this beautiful shadow-matching activity to use during your autumn leaves theme! Children will match the shapes of the leaves to their shadows on the folder. It’s simple and sweet and will leave your students feeling confident in their abilities to do hard work!

Learn More: Pinterest

27. Ice Cream Shapes

This simple shape-matching file folder comes with two levels of this printable game. Students will work with 6-8 shapes and match the shapes to the corresponding outline on top of the ice cream cone. Use it as a quick assessment before summer or at the beginning of the school year!

Learn More: Tot Schooling

28. Shape Sorting Pockets

Preschool Shape File Folder Game

This simple sorting game for preschoolers will help develop shape-recognition skills during your math block! Students will sort and tuck shapes into corresponding pockets inside the folder. It will also encourage children to be looking out for shapes in their everyday lives!

Learn More: From ABCs to ACTs

29. Shapes All Around

Build math skills in your preschool or kindergarten classroom with this shape-sorting file folder! They will encourage children to extend their understanding of shapes by looking for them in everyday life. Students will sort common objects by shape, then extend the activity by sending them on a shape hunt in your classroom afterward!

Learn More: The Autism Helper

30. Fall Sequencing

These fun fall sequencing tasks will help children build their concept of time and order. Students will use the sequencing file folder game to think through the process of carving a pumpkin, raking leaves, getting ready for school, and more! Use them to prepare children for your real-life seasonal activities.

Learn More: The Autism Helper

31. 3-Step Sequences

Kids will begin to make sense of the order in which events happen when you introduce them to sequencing with these 3 step sequencing cards for kids.

What came first, the chicken or the egg? Challenge students to solve these sequencing mysteries with these simple, 3-step file folder tasks. Students will put short scenarios in the appropriate order to build their sense of patterns happening in the world around them and their understanding of changes occurring over time.

Learn More: Homeschool Preschool

32. Non-Identical Sorting

Improve students’ sorting abilities with this challenging activity. Students will sort non-identical objects–think cars and airplanes vs. colors of cars–onto their file folder mats. This resource includes 10 different activities to use for independent or small group work!

Learn More: The Autism Helper

33. Sorting by Size

Sorting by size is an essential skill to build among early elementary-age children. Themed activities like this zoo animal sort provide the perfect opportunity to practice this! In this fun game, kids will sort zoo animals by size–big or small. This cute activity also helps students learn more about animals in general!

Learn More: The Autism Helper

34. Category Sort

In this sorting game, students will have to decide if animals belong in a pond, on a farm, or if they could live in both places! Sing along to “Down by the Bay” and “Old MacDonald” using the pieces once they are sorted!

Learn More: Speech Sprouts Therapy

35. Car Roll and Cover

Add this to your list of file folder games to prep for your transportation unit! Car Roll and Cover builds number recognition, subitizing skills, and one-to-one correspondence. Children simply roll a die and cover up the corresponding numbered car. Increase the challenge by using two dice and numbers up to 12!

Learn More: Child Care Land

36. The Very Hungry Caterpillar Board Game

April file folder games should definitely include activities based on this classic story! Bring spring into full swing by creating and sharing this easy board game with your class. Children will roll a die and help the hungry caterpillar make its way to finally becoming a butterfly!

Learn More: Kids Activities

37. Count and Cover

This unique, space-themed count and the cover game help children to develop concepts of value and one-to-one correspondence. Kids simply draw a card, then use that many pieces to fill in the empty spaces on the rocket picture. Put one copy on each side of a file folder to make the game last longer!

Learn More: Child Care Land

38. Spring Puzzles

Tuck these puzzle pieces away in a file folder for springtime! You can include the background template for an easier task, or leave it out and test your children’s spatial awareness skills! They’ll feel accomplished once they’ve completed these adorable bunny, chick, and lamb pictures!

Learn More: Child Care Land

39. Key Matching

Every parent gives their child a ring of keys to play with at some point–children are mesmerized by the jingling bunch! Put “keys” on a key ring in this file folder game for children to match their silhouettes on the opposite page. 

Learn More: From ABCs To Acts

40. Tetris Shapes

Tetris is the age-old game that captivates everyone! Children will have to use their spatial awareness skills to solve these introductory puzzles in this matching file folder activity. It is a key skill for eventually building adult logic and spatial reasoning! Best of all, it’s a free download!

Learn More: Mr. Printables

41. Telling Time

Just add a brad and some lamination to create this file folder game where children practice telling time on an analog clock, digital clock, and in words! The moving parts will help keep children engaged, and this is an activity you can revisit throughout the day to practice recording the current time!

Learn More: Mr. Printables

23 Lovely Literacy Tasks

42. Hands-On Letters

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Children get to use one of their favorite classroom materials–play-dough–in this daily phonics file folder activity. Children will build the letter from the dough, focusing on the types of lines and curves in each upper- and lowercase letter, then use the letter sound to sort Velcro pictures. Complete the alphabet at your students’ pace!

Learn More: Make, Take, & Teach

43. The Letter Monster

“The Letter Monster” is a great file folder story that helps children learn their alphabet and letter formation! The poor monster in this story eats some letters to help himself go to sleep, but the different letters wreak all kinds of havoc on his tummy. Your kids will laugh themselves silly as they listen to this story!

Learn More: Dr. Jean And Friends

44. Alpha Animals

Incorporate children’s universal love of animals with literacy learning in “Alpha Animals.” In this activity, your students will match letters with the animal in the folder that begins with that sound. Make the activity more engaging by exchanging the pieces for letter manipulatives like foam letters or letter magnets!

Learn More: Earth Mama’s World

45. Chicka Chicka, Boom Boom

The quintessential first week of school story comes alive in this alphabet file folder game. You can modify the directions to meet different letter-learning needs by asking children to add a letter based on their formation, the sounds they make, vowels vs. consonants, and more!

Learn More: Pinterest

46. Earth Letters

While this resource is technically geared toward a unit on Earth Day, it would also work nicely with a space unit. The file includes upper and lowercase letter work that you can use as a file folder activity for matching both cases, matching manipulatives to the letters, and more!

Learn More: Simply Special Ed

47. Letter by Letter

file folder games

This file folder pack focuses on each individual letter of the alphabet, integrating math through patterning and sorting tasks. Students will build the letter, sort lowercase and uppercase versions, and sort objects that do and do not begin with the corresponding sound. Use this set for intervention or review!

Learn More: Lesson Plan Diva

48. Turkey Beginning Sounds

inside of turkey alphabet file folder game

Simply print the template for this turkey file folder game and cut out the feather letter pieces (that you can store in a front pocket), and students are ready to play! Kids will work on identifying beginning sounds in words and matching alphabet letters with these sounds to complete the turkey tail!

Learn More: 123 Homeschool 4 Me

49. Sound Match

This beginning sounds-matching activity includes several extensions to keep your hardworking students busy! Children will match pictures to letters attached to the folder. You can stop there, or have students get in some tracing/writing practice with the additional pages!

Learn More: In My World

50. Interactive Stories

Fairytales present an endless source of fascination for children. Utilize them as a file folder task using these amazing interactive storyboards. Students will work on skills like story sequencing, identifying characters, vocabulary, and more as they manipulate these pieces and place them in the correct spaces in their folders. 

Learn More: Teachers Pay Teachers

51. Mittens vs. Hats

Grab this freebie for a perfect file folder activity to complement your Jan Brett winter stories theme. Students complete the simple task of sorting pictures into the category of hats or mittens. While they play, you can also build color vocabulary by asking students to “find the red hat…,” etc. 

Learn More: Simply Special Ed

52. Labeling

Develop beginning readers’ vocabularies with these labeling activities! Children will use their knowledge of letter sounds and blending to read simple words, like food terms, number words, etc., then match the appropriate picture. This resource covers colors, shapes, numbers, and foods!

Learn More: Autism Tank

53. See-Know-Infer

This file folder resource can be used again and again with photos and videos to help children practice their skills of making observations and inferences from what they notice. Laminate the response page, and provide sentence frames to assist children with responding to different scenarios that you provide. 

Learn More: The Dabbling Speechie

54. Sort the Nouns

Reviewing parts of speech won’t be boring with these file folder sorts! Children will sort words into the different types of nouns–people, places, things, and ideas to practice identifying these types of words in their reading and writing. Encourage children to create their own example for each column as an extension activity!

Learn More: Mama’s Learning Corner

55. Pumpkin Rhyming

This pumpkin rhyming match-up is a great game for preschoolers or kindergarten students who are working to develop their phonemic awareness. Children will find and match a rhyming pair–with one member on a leaf and the other on a pumpkin. This includes a quick and easy printable for making more fall file folders!

Learn More: Make, Take, & Teach

56. Multisensory Name Folders

Check out this amazing name folder idea for your preschoolers and kindergarteners! Children first tap and say the letters in their name, then trace them with their fingers (this version is covered in hot glue for a sensory element). Next, children build their names and write them on a dry-erase portion.

Learn More: Play to Learn Preschool

57. Personal PC

Keyboard

Dr. Jean’s typing center is a file folder activity you can prep in five minutes. Simply print out a picture of a keyboard and give your child their name card to practice typing out their letters. It’s a simple task that builds a useful skill for each child’s future!

Learn More: Dr. Jean

58. Pre-Writing Cards

pre-writing skills newsletter exclusive for preschool and kindergarten

Laminate and glue these prewriting cards into a file folder for reusable writing practice! Children can take these folders on the go (if you’re homeschooling), or use them in centers (in the classroom). Attach a dry-erase marker with tape and a piece of yarn to make it an all-in-one activity.

Learn More: Child Care Land

59. Umbrella Letters

Umbrella Roll and Cover File Folder Game For Preschool and Kindergarten

This umbrella alphabet roll-and-cover game is perfect to recreate again and again as a review activity for each set of letters you introduce. Simply adjust the letters included in the file folder and on the foldable dice to meet your students’ current needs!

Learn More: Child Care Land

60. Alphabet Match

interactive alphabet activities for kids

This pre-made alphabet activity is great for children needing to build exposure to the shapes of letters. Children will consider various alphabet letters and find the corresponding space in the file folder that matches. This helps children learn things like which letters have curves, straight lines, diagonal lines, etc.

Learn More: Teaching Special Thinkers

61. CVC Words

Kindergarten and 1st Grade are the years of mastering blending letter sounds to read CVC words! For some additional practice for early finishers or small group work for students needing some support, check out this simple matching game! Kids will read the word, then match the label to the pictures.

Learn More: Supports for Special Students

62. Hands-On Sight Words

FileFolderSightWordsboderreduced

Play-dough, letter tiles, and dry-erase markers–the workhorses of literacy manipulatives–make this file folder activity for sight words engaging and fun for all your little learners! Provide students with a list of sight words to work on or challenge them to come up with their own words to try!

Learn More: Make, Take, Teach

63. Word-Building Folder

Utilize this excellent resource with older elementary students for a do-anytime activity! Children can use the included letters and letter combinations to build words, then practice writing them and drawing a picture to describe them. This is a great activity for a daily word work center or early finisher activity! 

Learn More: Lucky Little Learners

64. Beginning Sound Puzzles

To create this file folder game targeting beginning sound isolation, cut up flashcards and glue one piece into the folder, and leave the other out for matching. Aided by the pictures, students will have to find the beginning sound for each word to finish each puzzle.

Learn More: Little Family Fun

13 Spectacular Social Studies Activities

65. Land, Air, and Sea

File folders can be a useful tool during your transportation-themed unit to help children develop an understanding of the different modes that exist. In these quick sorting activities, children will have to recall how each mode of transportation travels–by air, land, or sea. This multi-leveled resource is also cost-effective!

Learn More: The Autism Helper

66. How Community Helpers Travel

In this fun matching activity, children will decide how each different community member travels–they will match police officers to their cars, firefighters to their trucks, pilots to their planes, etc. These file folder game pieces build useful social studies concepts and logical/practical reasoning skills!

Learn More: The Autism Helper

67. Wants vs. Needs

This social studies sorting exercise helps children to consider the things they encounter that are wanted or needed. Children will sort photographs showing things like water, clothing, and toys into wants and needs. After completing the sort, challenge kids to come up with their own cards to add!

Learn More: Teacher Pay Teachers

68. Happy/Sad Sort

Children will build social-emotional skills of labeling emotions and noticing facial expressions through this sorting activity. The original creator made this file folder game from an easy Google image search. Keep that in mind if you plan to adapt this game to include more emotions! 

Learn More: Desert Crafter

69. Animal Feelings

Errorless File Folder Activities | Animal Emotions and Faces

These errorless folders include a repetitive sequence of matching animal pieces showing different facial expressions to spaces on the opposite page. This reinforces labeling feelings, fine motor skills, and one-to-one correspondence for learners with disabilities or in early childhood classrooms who are just beginning independent work tasks. 

Learn More: Autism Work Tasks

70. Identifying Emotions

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Your classroom management will reap the rewards when children are able to notice how others are feeling as a result of their actions. Build your students’ vocabulary with this matching activity. Name an emotion, and help your students identify the correct picture of a facial expression showing that feeling. 

Learn More: Simply Special Ed

71. Identifying Emotions, Pt. 2

This is an excellent resource for children to use in early childhood grades, special education classes, guidance activities, and more! Children will explore and identify how certain emotions make them feel in their bodies. Matching emotions to physical sensations will help them be better able to label their feelings!

Learn More: The Responsive Counselor

72. Community Helper Tools

Community helpers have a lot of tools at their disposal to help them do their important work. Children will have to determine which tools belong to whom in this file folder sort. Occupations include doctors, teachers, firefighters, artists, and more important community members for students to match with vehicles and objects.

Learn More: The Autism Helper

73. Tomb Dash!

This file folder board game is perfectly geared toward older students learning about ancient Egypt! Students will have to answer trivia questions about that era in time in order to travel through the tomb and win the game! Best of all, this game can have up to six players!

Learn More: Home School in the Woods

74. Westward, Ho! 

This amazing board game is the file folder version of the iconic Oregon Trail! As they play, children will have to gather supplies, finalize plans, and set out on a journey westward through the United States. This game teaches older elementary students about the beginnings of American expansion. 

Learn More: Home School in the Woods

75. Name That State

Are you about to embark on a cross-country excursion, or just want to help your children learn more about American geography? Name That State! is the perfect game to play! It teaches children names of states, important cities, and more, and is adjustable to different levels of difficulty! 

Learn More: Home School in the Woods

76. Route 66

Another amazing file folder game for teaching history and geography, this board game helps children learn about the origins and landmarks along Route 66. To win the game, students answer a series of questions about different eras in able to move along the highway. Kids will “get a kick” out of it! 

Learn More: Home School in the Woods

77. Bill of Rights

This social studies matching and sequencing activity helps older elementary children learn about the Bill of Rights and what it includes. Children have the option to match just the description of each statement to a picture, or sequence the picture and the description for a more difficult challenge!

Learn More: The Wise Nest

12 Simple Science-Based Tasks

78. 5 Senses Game

Students five senses are one of those exciting themes that can be revisited throughout the year! After introducing the concept, let children work in this file folder sort to help them better identify the things that can be seen, heard, tasted, smelled, and felt.

Learn More: From ABCs to ACTs

79. Zoo Animal Matching

This file folder may seem simple, but creative teachers can utilize it in so many ways! Children will complete an identical matching activity using zoo animal pieces, but this simple challenge will build vocabulary, develop their oral language skills, help children identify beginning sounds, and much more!

Learn More: The Autism Helper

80. Farm Animal Matching

This matching game can be serious or silly–it depends on your classroom needs! Students will match the front and backsides of animals to make farm creatures. Or, let children mix and match the pieces to make crazy, mixed-up animals! Either way, it’s a fun way to develop farm animal vocabulary!

Learn More: Pinterest

81. Animal Habitats Sort

Bring your study of animals and their home environments to life with this habitat sort. This is a perfect activity for middle-elementary students who are developing vocabulary terms and an understanding of geography. Children will match animal photographs to biomes like the tundra, rainforests, grasslands, and desert.

Learn More: Earth Mama’s World

82. Insects vs. Spiders

One of the biggest surprises for little ones studying bugs is that spiders are, in fact, not insects! As you delve into what defines an insect versus a spider, children can test their knowledge using this file folder sort! Children will categorize real photographs into these two groups.

Learn More: File Folder Heaven

83. Living/Nonliving Sort

Challenge students to think outside the box with this sorting game! Kids will have to decide if pictures belong to the living or nonliving categories; some items are a particular challenge, like an apple or fire. Let the work inspire thoughtful discussion in the whole group once everyone has had a chance to play!

Learn More: My Folder Games

84. Mom/Baby Animal Match

Baby animals: they’re totally adorable, and kids love them! They’ll definitely be delighted by all the pictures in this sweet matching game! After studying mom/baby pairs, children will have to put their powers of recall to use and remember who goes with whom. Bonus points if they remember the baby animal terms!

Learn More: Little Family Fun

85. Simple Machines

Help your kindergarteners learn the types of simple machines in their physical science unit with this matching file folder game. Students will match a picture of the machine to its correct vocabulary term. Use this game before diving deeper into how each tool functions for deeper, more knowledgeable discussions!

Learn More: Teachers Pay teachers

86. Garbage or Recycling?

Use this printable to create a file folder sort to help children learn which items can be recycled to better our planet! Students will sort through the “trash” to pick out items made from glass, paper, or plastic and “recycle” them. A science lesson and useful life skills, all in one! 

Learn More: Supply Me

87. Earth Day Sort

Use this great sorting activity from Totschooling to help your children learn about actions and activities that can help or harm the planet! Students will decide if things like car exhaust, planting new trees, littering, and other activities belong with happy or sad earth.

Learn More: Tot Schooling

88. Food Group Sorting

Challenge students to make a healthy plate and sort their foods by type: grains, dairy, protein, vegetables, and fruit. Add the plate to one side of the file folder, and add the foods to a copy of a fridge or pantry for children to choose among and make their meals!

Learn More: Tot Schooling

89. Fruit Slice Matching

As you study food groups, entertain your students with this colorful fruit slice matching game! Students will have to remember what the inside and outside of different fruits look like and match the two together. It’s also a perfect game to go along with a summertime picnic theme! 

Learn More: Coffee Cups and Crayons

12 Creative Color Activities

90. Scat the Cat

Use file folders to tell a silly story that supports children’s color words vocabulary with the tale of Scat the Cat. Dr. Jean’s story also helps children practice rhyming and sequencing, and can be a conversation starter about the things that make us unique! 

Learn More: Dr. Jean

91. Paint Chip Color Sorting

Students will love this low-prep activity that you can make for almost free! Utilize your local hardware store and pick up some paint chips to cut up for this activity. Students will match the colorful squares to their appropriate color words inside this color sorting file folder. 

Learn More: Fumbling Through Parenthood

92. Food Color Matching

Kids will discover that foods come in all of the colors of the rainbow as they work on this file folder activity building beginner matching skills. Given color swatches and pieces showing different foods, children will match the two categories based on their colors. 

Learn More: The Autism Helper

93. Paintbrush Color Matching

Work on preschoolers’ visual discrimination and matching skills with this color-matching file folder with paintbrushes! Students will sort each paintbrush into the correct pocket with the matching color. Expand into different hues or more obscure colors as children master the basics!

Learn More: Confessions of a Homeschooler

94. Clothing Color Sort

File folder games are even more wonderful when they encourage children to develop multiple skills at once, like in this clothing color sort game. Students will develop visual discrimination skills, color words vocabulary, and an essential skill of sorting laundry by color all with one simple game!

Learn More: The Autism Helper

95. Cactus Colors

Cacti and succulents are a cute trend burning their way through elementary classrooms (and the adult world!). Capitalize on that interest with this cactus color sort! Kids will enjoy matching these cute cactus plants to the corresponding colorful pot in the file folder, building some math skills along the way!

Learn More: Planning Playtime

96. Roll-a-Leaf

Printable Leaf Matching Game

This sweet file folder game board helps children develop turn-taking skills, matching abilities, and social-emotional concepts like being a gracious winner or loser during gameplay. It is best used for kindergartener practice during free choice time or during math centers. And, you can get the download for free!

Learn More: Look We’re Learning

97. Bumble Bee Colors

Color words are one of the first sight words children latch onto. Build their reading abilities with this bumblebee file folder. Kids will match wing colors, then add a color word piece to make the body. The words come in color for additional support, or black and white for a more demanding challenge.

Learn More: Child Care Land

98. Paint Splash

Oh no! The paint spilled! Task your students with finding the correct paint can color to “scoop” the paint splatter back into! This color-matching file folder is simple to build children’s confidence, and is best used in preschool or early kindergarten rooms!

Learn More: Arrows and Applesauce

99. Pete’s Shoes

Pete the Cat stories are a hit with little learners, particularly the one about his white shoes! In this matching activity based on the book, children will find the colorful pairs and put them together in the file folder. For children building verbal skills, ask them to name each color pair they find!

Learn More: Line Upon Line Learning

100. Repurposed Border

If you ever have a leftover piece of bulletin board border with color words, cut it up to turn it into a file folder activity! In this example, the creator uses color words from a Sesame Street border as the picture, then children use letter pieces to spell the color word.

Learn More: Mama Jenn

101. Mr. Monster’s Color Sort

This printable file folder game encourages children to sort by more than one attribute. While children sort by color, they are also having to decide what body part they are sorting by. Is it green shoes? A green body? Grab this resource to work on those “next-level” math skills!

Learn More: File Folder Heaven

9 Lively Life Skill Activities 

102. Laundry Helper

Another way students sort clothing is by putting the clean clothes in the dresser and the dirty clothes in the laundry basket.

Previewing the basic steps for life skills like doing laundry is a great way to use file folders! In this activity, children sort laundry by color or season to prepare for washing, then practice where clean and dirty clothes go (in the drawers versus in the hamper). 

Learn More: Breezy Special Ed

103. Bathroom Sequence

Help make visiting the restroom an independent task for your young learners by first reviewing the steps they will need to take when they arrive. Students will use this sequencing file folder game to put the routine in order. This folder game also builds skills in logic!

Learn More: Adapting for Autism

104. Shopping List

Students will love getting to “visit” the store as they complete this file folder learning activity! Children will have to use the provided grocery list to “shop” for items. They will then sort the groceries into items that are and are not on the list. 

Learn More: Adapting for Autism

105. More Grocery Games

Help prepare children for a visit to the store by letting them play these file folder games in the car! Children will get thinking about where to find certain groceries by sorting them by food groups: vegetables, fruits, meats, dairy, bread, and condiments. These are perfect for your food theme in the classroom as well! 

Learn More: Breezy Special Ed

106. Managing Money

Students will use this activity to practice their skills in selecting the right bills to pay at a store. Students will see the amount on the cash register, then choose the correct $1, $5, $10, or $20 bill to use to pay! It is perfect for teaching another basic skill to your elementary students. 

Learn More: Breezy Special Ed

107. Sorting by Room

Students will prepare for the skill of cleaning up at home using this file folder sorting activity. Given certain rooms of a house, children will have to correctly place items in their proper room. This helps children build their logic and sorting skills (and will hopefully lead to some happy parents at home!). 

Learn More: Autism Tank

108. Phone Numbers

This classroom center is perfect for building an important safety skill for young learners–memorizing important phone numbers. Give students cards for building their phone numbers so children can learn them for emergencies. This is one of those basic skills that can be overlooked in the age of smartphones, but it’s important nonetheless!

Learn More: Etsy

109. Interactive Winter Weather Work

Children will practice the skill of selecting appropriate clothing for winter weather while engaging in this simple file folder fun! Attach the story pages using binder rings, and let children select the correct Velcro piece to match each picture and complete the story. It’s satisfying and almost errorless!

Learn More: My Speech Universe

110. Identifying Body Parts

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Helping children be able to name the different parts of their bodies is a crucial skill in early childhood. It promotes safety, helps children establish body autonomy, and is a typical science unit in preschool. In this game, name a body part and have the children match its picture to the word. 

Learn More: Simply Special Ed

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