Sort Switch: a card-sorting game for flexible thinking

Two boxes sit at the bottom, for example a red star and a blue circle. A card appears, and a cue on top says whether to sort by color or by shape.

When the rule changes, your child has to let go of the old rule and use the new one. That trains cognitive flexibility, also called task switching.

At first the rule changes once per round; later it switches several times and then at any moment, and a time bar makes each card quicker.

How to play

1. Look at the rule on top.
2. 🎨 means match the color.
3. 🔷 means match the shape.
4. Tap the box that matches!

Why it helps

• Practises switching between rules
• Trains letting go of old habits
• Builds attention to cues
• One of the core executive function skills

Based on the Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS), a standard task for children’s cognitive flexibility. Grown-ups can see accuracy and speed on switch cards.

💡 Sort real things — socks, Lego bricks, cutlery — by one rule, then call out a new rule. Let your child call the switches for you too.