Teach
Learning to Match
Make a Match
Now that your child knows colors, shapes, and sizes, it's time to have them match similar items.
Skill Building
Why
Before children learn to sort items by attribute, they learn to match items that are the same. A pink striped sock is matched with it's mate. An uppercase letter 'B' card is matched with the lower case 'b' card. A toy pig is a match for a picture of a pig even though one is 3D and the other is 2D.
What
This skill focuses on your child's ability to find items that are the same. At first they may match two things that are red. As they become more skilled, they'll match two apples that are red. And then two different fruits that are both red.
How
You don't need a big number of objects to begin with. Start with three sets of two like items. Two tennis balls, two beach balls, and two soccer balls. Or two yellow crayon, blue crayons, and two red crayons. Mix them up and ask your child to find the matches. Make a pile of three pairs of shoes and ask your child to match them up.
Where
You can match things anywhere. Your child can match the condiment packs at a restaurant, or the leaves at a park. You can draw shapes on a page and ask them to draw a line showing the things that match. You can look for things that match in the books you read together or the foods on your plates.
When
This is another quick activity. You can do this at home or on the go. If you're on a walk, ask your child to find two people wearing red shirts or look for two black dogs. If you're at the store, ask your child to find two yellow fruits or square packages.
Next
Now that your child is learning to match things that are the same, they are ready to put items into categories based on their attributes. Learning how to sort items into groups is next.
