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Same and Different Worksheets

10 free PDFsUS Letter or A4Answer key includedNo login

Circle the one that is different, find the two that are the same, same or different, and spot the difference pictures.

Download the same and different worksheets

Circle the one that is different

Three pictures in a row are the same and one is not. The pages go from different animals and things to shapes, to the one facing the other way, to a small missing part.

Circle the two that are the same

Find the matching pair in each row. The look closely page has pictures that differ in only one part.

Same or different?

Look at two pictures and circle same or different. Each answer has a picture cue, so children who can't read yet can choose on their own.

Spot the difference

Two farm and park pictures with 2 or 3 clear differences to find and circle.

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

About these same and different worksheets

Telling same from different is one of the first thinking skills preschoolers practice. It trains the close looking children need later to tell b from d, 6 from 9, and one word from another.

These same and different worksheets start easy, with a pig among three sheep, and build up. Next come shapes, a picture facing the other way, and pictures that differ in one small part, like a house with no door or a ladybug with no spots. Then children find the two that match, say whether two pictures are the same or different, and spot 2 or 3 differences between two scenes.

Every page has big black and white pictures and one short direction for the grown-up. Each page has an answer key on page 2, and every page prints on US Letter or A4.

Standards

  • ELOF P-SCI 3Child compares and categorizes observable phenomena.
  • ELOF P-MATH 9Child identifies, describes, compares, and composes shapes.
  • ELOF P-ATL 6Child maintains focus and sustains attention with minimal adult support.

How to use them

  1. Start with Circle the Different Picture, then move on to shapes and the pages that ask children to look closely.
  2. Ask your child to point to each picture and say what it is before choosing. Naming the pictures slows them down and helps them look.
  3. After they circle an answer, ask "How is it different?" Putting the difference into words is half the learning.
  4. For spot the difference, look at the top picture first, then find what changed in the bottom one. Color a circle at the bottom for each one found.

Teaching tips

  • If a child guesses, cover all but two pictures and ask, "Are these the same?" Then add the others back one at a time.
  • The facing the other way page is harder than it looks. Point to where each animal's head is.
  • The same or different pages use two circles for "same" and a circle and a triangle for "different", so children can answer without reading.
  • Turn it into a game away from the page: line up three spoons and a fork and ask which one doesn't belong.

Questions teachers and parents ask

Why do preschoolers practice same and different?

Spotting what is the same and what is different is the base of sorting, matching, patterns, and later of telling letters and numbers apart. It also builds focus, because children have to look carefully before they answer.

What age are these same and different worksheets for?

The first pages suit most 3 year olds with a grown-up's help. The look closely and spot the difference pages suit 4 and 5 year olds.

Is there an answer key?

Yes. Every page in this set has an answer key on page 2 with the right pictures circled.