A simple printable matching game for kids to make and play. Both DIY and print and play versions you can download for free. Also more pond themed learning activities for kids.
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My Five Little Ducks printable is one of my more popular blog posts, so for this week’s pond theme I took that image and created a matching game. It’s the perfect companion for In the Small Small Pond by Denise Fleming – this week’s Virtual Book Club for Kids pick.
Duck Matching Game Printable
What You'll Find on This Page
I created this printable with four-year-old Anna in mind. Seven-year-old Lily was eager to join in, and the beauty of a printable is that it’s easy to make extra copies! Especially since I have a gorgeous new printer HP sent us and I subscribe to Instant Ink, so I don’t worry about using up all of our ink.
Lily was very creative with her coloring – reminding me that this is a great way to explore patterns as well as colors with kids. They are using some double-ended markers made by Leisure Arts that I was given when I went to Creativation. The kids LOVE these markers, with one fine tip and another broader tip.
Lily kindly demoed this game in action. We laminated our cards using our well-loved laminator and laminating pouches. Before I got my laminator, I used to laminate by hand, using contact paper for larger items and packing tape for smaller pieces. You can also play with these pieces as is, particularly if you print them on card stock, or glue the pieces on to construction paper to make them a bit sturdier. We used normal printer paper since we planned to laminate.
We do recommend mixing the pieces a bit better than we did before playing!
I created a black and white version of this game, so that you can color it however you like. It saves ink, and it’s a great way to play with colors and patterns. Click on the image below for the PDF file.
If you want to print the game and play right away, go with this color version. Click on the image below for the PDF file.
More Pond Themed Learning Activities for Kids
As always, my co-hosts have some great activities for this week’s theme and book, In the Small Small Pond by Denise Fleming.
- Edible frog lifecycle snack
- Frog coloring pages
- Frog lunch number recognition and counting printables
- Frog Hop Phonics
- Five Little Ducks printable
- In the Small Pond Storytime
THE 2016-17 VIRTUAL BOOK CLUB FOR KIDS
Click on the image above to see all of the themes, books, and activities for this year’s 2016-17 Virtual Book Club for Kids! I am updating the page as new posts go live.
If you are looking for a home preschool curriculum, ABC & 123 is a wonderful place to start! I contributed to the book, along with some of my favorite early education bloggers. The activities provide a tiny bit of structure in a playful environment where children can explore early literacy and numeracy skills.
What is your favorite pond themed activity for kids? Have you tried out our ducks printable matching game? Do you have another pond themed book for us to read? Please share in the comments below, or on my Facebook page. You can also tag me on Instagram.
MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.
I love that kids can personalize this game!
Lily and Anna loved adding their own touches to the game.
I’m a big fan of black and white versions. I just had a long discussion with a friend about people’s fondness for adding random color backgrounds into things and making it expensive to print.
I subscribe to HP Instant Ink, so it doesn’t cost more if I print in color, but with some printers it makes a BIG difference!