spring

Spring Activities for Preschool

During the preschool year it is important to expose children to different activities to build visual discrimination skills. Visual discrimination skills include the ability to visually determine the similarities and differences between two or more objects. One way to build these skills is through various matching games and activities.

Traditional matching games include the exact same item to match to another. (Think of memory or concentration in which students must match the exact picture). If that is what you are looking for, check out our free Spring Worksheets here. However, there is much more to visual discrimination then exact matches. For example, matching different shapes or pictures by pattern! That is the idea behind today’s free preschool learning game:

Spring Pattern Matching Game

This game is super low-prep and tons of fun! Your students will enjoy the new challenge of matching by pattern and not just by picture. The game includes two game board mats which you can laminate or mount to a file folder for durability.

There is a single sheet of game cards you’ll cut out that students will use for playing pieces. For each picture, the rainbow for example, there are two matching pattern cards; a bird with a rainbow on it and an egg with a rainbow on it. It is up to the students to match the correct cards to the picture by looking closely at the patterns.

Some patterns are simlar! Notice the lady bug and the watermelon? The paint tray and the cookie? Your preschool students will have to pay close attention as they are matching! Encourage them to go slow and look carefully at each picture pattern as they play!

Spring Pattern Matching Game: Mat 1

Print this free spring matching game mat on cardstock for best results. Features a flower, rainbow, bee, cookie, watermelon, and jelly beans.

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Spring Pattern Matching Game: Mat 2

Print this free spring matching game mat on cardstock for best results. Features a pencil, lady bug, paint tray, pizza, umbrella, and rain cloud.

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Spring Pattern Matching Game Cards

Print these free Spring matching game cards on cardstock and laminate for best results. These can be used with the game mats or separately as a memory or concentration game.

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Butterfly Bingo

Butterfly Matching Game

Every year, my kiddos enjoy watching tiny caterpillars turn into beautiful butterflies. There is just something so magical about the transformation into such a beautiful creature. When Spring comes around it’s time to bring out all of your butterfly activities, games and teaching resources!

Butterfly Classroom Games

If you are looking for a fun classroom game you can play with your homeschool or preschool students then we have just the game for you! Bingo games are great for end of the week activities, or anytime you need to settle children down to transition from one learning activity to the next.

It’s important that even when playing games you are providing your preschool students with the chance to build key learning skills they will need in the coming years. This particular game helps chidlren work on their visual discrimination skills as they must identify each butterfly based on the teacher’s description.

With five different bingo boards, you’ll want to print up one for each student, then an extra boad you can use for calling cards. In small group settings students can take turns turning over a butterfly to reveal which one they need to find on their board.

Listening Skills & Visual Discrimination

For an added challenge, a parent or teacher can do the calling and announce each butterfly by giving slow visual instructions.

“This butterfly has a green body……yellow, purple and orange top wings….”

“This butterfly is mostly purple with yellow and orange circles on the bottom wings.”

Just be sure students are ready for this type of activity so it doesn’t lead to unnecessary frustration…..sort of ease into it. And of course, be near to assist your younger kiddos with finding the correct butterfly.

TIP: Provide your older students with colorful bingo counters or even mini butterfly erasers if you have them! Just be sure your

HINT: For younger students not yet ready to play BINGO, you can print two copies of the same board and make your own Butterfly Matching Game!