Socks tend to multiply, get eaten by dryers, run off on their own leaving poor mateless singletons behind, and be a source of dissention for many households across the world. Certainly they serve their purpose. They keep our feet warm and help keep our shoes from stinking. But managing them and their wild ways has often been the topic of discussion by the laundry folding persons of various households.
I simplified our socks before our second child was born. Excepting a couple of pairs of dress socks/tights per person in our household, every person has a unique sock style and all of their socks are identical. This makes sorting extremely easy. My children have all been sorting socks since before they were a year old. At that age, sorting socks is fun and leaves me free to fold other items. I never have to worry about finding some obscure sock to match, and if we run out of time? Well, I can always just dump a pile of matching socks in a person’s drawer.
living peacefully with children 
I always had a lonely sock basket. I think those sock secretly elope with the small spoons