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After working on matching some basic 2D shapes, one of the next steps in those early math skills is for children to learn to recognize and match some irregular shapes. Looking for and finding visual similarities and differences in a set of objects allows them to learn to discriminate objects by sight, making it easier for them down the road to discriminate between similar letters like b and d or p and q when they are learning to read and this leaf shadow matching file folder game is a great way to practice!
Not only is this game a great way to work on those visual discrimination skills, but the vibrant green leaves also make it the perfect file folder game for Spring!
Leaf Shadow Matching
Spring may still be several weeks away, but this game will certainly get you ready for it!
Inside in the printable set, you’ll find the cover for the front of your file folder, a set of green leaves, and a set of gray “shadow” leaves.
Intended for preschoolers, this game comes together quickly and makes it easy to practice an important pre-reading skill.
When you have the set printed and cut out, laminate the green leaves and attach the gray shadow leaves to the inside of your file folder with some clear contact paper.
Add one set of Velcro dots to the middle of your gray shadow leaves and the other side to the backs of your green leaves and then have your child sort through the green set and attempt to match them.
This simple game forces them to look for those more subtle similarities and differences as they cannot simply match two leaves based off of their color or basic shape.
Instead, they’ll have to observe the leaf’s shape, size, and other attributes to determine which shadow it belongs to.