Keep kids busy and entertained this summer by making a matching game for them to play with. This also makes the perfect toddler matching game to teach kids about different shapes and colors. There are themes like tropical fish, luau or even colorful bugs. The best part, you can easily store the games in a plastic bag and take them with you while you are on the go this summer for a fun boredom buster activity.
Use a paper cutter (or scissors) to cut cardstock into 3-inch by 3-inch squares for your matching game cards. You will want to cut between 12-24 cards, depending on how many matches you want to include in your game.
Choose a piece of patterned paper that coordinates well with your matching cards. Cut out 2-inch circles from the patterned paper with a large circle punch. You will need the same amount of circles as you have matching cards from Step 1.
Glue the patterned circles in the center of the square cards with an extra strength glue stick. The patterned circles give the back of your matching game cards some extra color and dimension.
Get your matches ready for your cards. Do this by removing the matching sets from your self-adhesive shapes. You will need 6-12 matches, depending on how many cards you created.
For a fish themed matching game, you can use 6 matches of the different large fish and 6 matches of the different small fish in the tropical fish self-adhesive shapes. This will give you a total of 12 matches.
Remove the backing from the self-adhesive shapes and place one on each of your matching cards. If you are using the smaller fish shapes, you can include two matches of the fish per card to fill up the card more.
Using blue cardstock for the tropical fish matching cards makes it look like your fish are swimming in the ocean.
You can find more summer themed self-adhesive shapes to create several different matching card sets. The self-adhesive luau shapes are a fun theme for summer. There are also self-adhesive bug shapes that are great for toddlers and preschoolers who are working on recognizing their colors.
Now it's time to play! Mix up the cards and lay them out in equal columns and rows. When it is your turn, turn two cards over to reveal the images on the bottom of the cards. If you have a match, remove the cards and place them in a pile next to you. If you do not have a match, turn the cards back over for the next player to try to make a match. Continue playing this way until all the matches have been found. Store your games in a plastic bag and use them all summer long.