Free Preschool Activity – Color & Shape Matching Game

During summer break, children are still learning. You can use this activity with preschool & kindergarten age children anytime.  Try it when you are waiting for a meal in a restaurant.  Print two copies of the above shapes onto heavy card stock and cut them out. Save the pieces in a snack size baggie. You can play two ways:

1 - Ask a younger child to match the cards while they are placed face up.

2 - Play concentration with your child. Place the mixed up cards face down in rows. Ask your child to turn over two cards at a time and try to find two cards that match. If the cards match, remove them from the row. Try to find another pair that matches. If the cards do not  match  the second player takes a turn.

How does this activity help children get ready to learn to read?  They learn to pay attention to what is the same or what is different.  Here they are matching colors, but if you print it in black and white, they will need to pay more attention to the shapes. Noticing the differences in shapes prepares them to look for the differences in the shapes of letters which is an important reading skill.  We’ll talk about that a bit more next week.