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Matching Worksheets for Preschool

8 free PDFsUS Letter or A4Answer key includedNo login

Match the same pictures and shapes, find the same and the different one, match halves, things that go together and memory game cards.

Download the matching worksheets

Match the same

Draw a line between pictures or shapes that are the same.

Same and different

Circle the picture that is the same, or the one that is different.

Halves, go together and memory

Match two halves of a picture and things that go together, and play a memory game.

Print at 100% (actual size) for the cleanest tracing lines.

About these matching worksheets

Matching asks children to look closely and spot what is the same and what is different. It is one of the first thinking skills preschoolers practice, and it gets them ready to match letters, numbers and words later.

These matching worksheets for preschool start with drawing a line between two pictures that are the same. Then children find the picture that is the same as the one in the box, and the one picture that is different in a row. Match the halves joins two halves of one picture, and what goes together matches a dog with a bone and a key with a lock.

The memory game cards turn matching into a game for two or more players. Every page has four rows or fewer, with big pictures, and every page with one right answer has an answer key on page 2.

Standards

  • ELOF P-SCI 3Child compares and categorizes observable phenomena.
  • ELOF P-LC 7Child shows understanding of word categories and relationships among words.
  • ELOF P-ATL 8Child holds information in mind and manipulates it to perform tasks.
  • ELOF P-MATH 9Child identifies, describes, compares, and composes shapes.

How to use them

  1. Start with match the same, then move on to find the same and find the different one.
  2. Show children how to put a finger on the dot and draw the line across to the other dot.
  3. Ask children to say why two things match or go together.
  4. For the memory game, cut the cards, mix them up face down and take turns turning over two.

Teaching tips

  • If a child is unsure, name both pictures out loud and ask, "Are they the same?"
  • For match the halves, let children cover one half with a hand and imagine the other.
  • Start the memory game with only three or four pairs, then add more.
  • The pictures have short labels for the grown-up to read aloud where it helps.

Questions teachers and parents ask

What do matching worksheets teach preschoolers?

They teach children to look closely, notice details and tell same from different. These skills help later with letters, numbers and reading.

How many pictures should a preschool matching page have?

Three to five pairs is plenty for most preschoolers. These pages use four big pairs or fewer.

Do these matching worksheets have answer keys?

Yes. Every page with one right answer has an answer key on page 2. The memory game cards do not need one.