Looking for some ideas on how to make a matching game...

[Marla]

Just wondering if anyone has any great ideas of things to make for preschoolers...I just started a new job and they have a laminating machine and I am in love (with the machine)...I was thinking of making some matching games or something (ie colours, shapes, animals, etc.) anyone know of any good graphics or clip art or any ideas?

[Diane]

I don't know if this is exactly what you're looking for but hope it helps... :)

http://www.familyplay.com/activities/game.html

[Sheryl]

If you could find pictures of birds and of eggs in a nest, you could make a game of matching the color of birds to the eggs. At a conference I went to, the presenter made this into a "can game". She used coffee cans as a game board. She made the board to fit around the can with velcro holding it in place. The can could be re-used for a multitude of games. The nests with eggs could be on the laminated game board wrapped around the can. Laminate the birds and then attach a heavy duty magnet to the back (to hold to the can through the thick layer of paper and laminating film) to match to the nest.

I made bird nests with upper case letters on them and then birds with the lower case letters for the children to match the letters that go together. We have carpet half way up the wall in our center and I put velcro on the back of the nests and put them on the wall under our alphabet so they could look if they needed to. Then I put velcro on the nest so the bird would attach.

I hope this all makes sense to you. I'll try to post more ideas when I get a chance in the next few days!

[Sheryl]

Another easy matching game is making a the classic memory game using frozen juice can lids. Put stickers on the lids and then cover with clear tape. There are so many cute stickers and you can be sure to find some to go with almost any theme, you just have to drink lots of juice, LOL.

[Sheryl]

It's me again...

I just remembered that I printed out a bunch of these rebus rhymes and laminated them. It looks like they have added a bunch since I last visited this site. I think I have just added MORE to my "to do" list.

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/Rhymes.html

[TXmom]

I saw a cute idea the other day. Cut out various colors of some shape (this book used a dinosaur), and get colored paper clips for the kids to match to the shape and clip on. This works on matching and fine motor skills. Also, this isn't matching, but it's a game I play with Trey that he loves. Cut out and laminate several different colors of circles. They're your cookies. Lay as many on the floor as the child can handle (you can even start with just 2 cookies that are the same color if they're just learning). Say the following poem: One fine day in the cookie shop
there were (number) little cookies with sugar on top.
In came (name), hip, hip hooray,
he picked up the (color) one and ran away!

The child picks up the color you named and gets to run around. It's hysterical and Trey loves it. He knows all the colors with they exception of black and white, which he reverses. I'm going to try it expressively next. Since he knows the poem so well, I'm just going to stop after "he picked up the", have him say the color he's going to choose, then he can pick it up and run. Expressive language is much more difficult than receptive, so this is a game you could actually play with a wide range of ages. I'd say 2 to 6 years.