Matching

Matching games are endless, and so many are completely FREE! Here are the three main types of matching: object to object, object to picture, and picture to picture.

1. Object to object – now don’t go spending money because you think you don’t have duplicate toys. Where is my favorite room in the house? The kitchen! It’s wonderful for children to put their little hands on REAL materials…think matching fruits, matching nuts (if no allergies!), matching veggies, you get the picture.

2. Object to picture. You can see one variation here: shadow matching! Again, FREE because I just used the bottom crate to a La Croix case & utensils we already had! 🙌  It is perfect for visual recognition, motor control & of course, concentration. 🤓  A language element can be added to this as well – “where does the spatula go?” Or more advanced, when your child picks one out of the cup, simply ask, “what is that?” & allow her/him to name it.

A couple other great object to picture matching games that Bates enjoys are matching his jungle animals to their animal print/fur (I just found these online). Another one you see here, but isn’t free are the My Busy Books. He has always loved cars, so it was perfect for him to turn each page and find the actual car figure that matched the picture. These can be found at Costco or Barnes & Noble, and of course, Amazon.

3. Picture to picture is very easy to find online and do for free. I’ve also found some amazing matching cards at the Dollar Tree – our current favorite is international monuments (YES, only $1!). We also love using just a plain old deck of cards, which also teaches basic color (red/black) and number matching. This is easy to start small/easy and grow more and more difficult as the child grows up! For instance, start with only the red cards 2-5, then add more.

BONUS: Lots of time on your hands (aka corona virus quarantine!)? Do objects categorized by each room of the house that aren’t exact matches – for instance, a spoon and a knife, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a crayon and a coloring book. Then talk about what generally happens in that room of the house & let the child pick the objects for the next round of play. This incorporates basic life skills into the activity as well! Alright, that’s it for now! Happy creative matching!