Matching Games for Teachers
Explore matching games for kids created by teachers to play in maths class, English rotations and more! Get students excited about learning with fun games designed to help them increase their attention to detail and classify objects.
This collection of printable and digital games was created by the expert teachers on the Teach Starter team with kids (and teachers) in mind. It includes curriculum-aligned activities designed to promote active learning and primary student participation, helping them improve their ability to find similarities and differences in objects.
Haven't used a matching in your classroom and want to know more? Or maybe you just want some fresh ideas for your classroom. Either way, read on for a primer from our teacher team!
What Is a Matching Game?
Sometimes referred to as a memory game, matching games typically consist of a set of cards or tiles that are laid out face down. The objective of the game is to find pairs by turning over two cards at a time until all matches have been made.
This fun game concept has been used in classrooms for years, based on the concept of memory or concentration games, which have roots dating back to the 19th century.
Of course, the games have evolved over time! The traditional format has been transformed into interactive digital versions, and you'll find matching games right here on Teach Starter that students can play online on their tablets or classroom computer!
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Data Match-Up Cards (Set 2)
A match-up activity for students to use when exploring data.
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Money Match-Up Game (New Zealand Currency)
A set of six cards to be matched up for each note and coin in New Zealand currency.
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Data Match-Up Cards (Set 1)
A match-up activity for students to use when exploring data.
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Alphabet Matching Activity
A great matching activity to consolidate your students' knowledge of the alphabet, letters and sounds.
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The Circulatory and Cardiovascular System Match-Up Activity
A match-up activity to use in the classroom when learning about the human circulatory and cardiovascular system.
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Chemical Elements and Compounds Matching Activity
Match chemical symbols and formulas with their corresponding elements and compounds with a printable Chemical Elements Matching Game.
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Phoneme Deletion Match-Up Activity
Explore phoneme deletion with initial and final phonemes with your students, and make new words using this 32 card game.
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Phoneme Blending Blender Activity
Set your students up for success when learning to blend phonemes by using this fun blender activity to practice blending simple CVC words.
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Multiple Meaning Match-Up Cards
Determine the meaning of multiple-meaning words with an engaging Vocabulary Card Game.
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Verb Tense Puzzle Pop Activity
Grow your students' knowledge of the tense of verbs with this puzzle pop matching activity.
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Alphabet Matching Game
Use this alphabet matching game to familiarise your students with the letters of the alphabet and their corresponding sounds.
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Past, Present, and Future Verb Tense Matching Activity - Irregular Verbs
Master past, present, and future tenses of irregular verbs with a butterfly matching activity.
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Counting to 20 Match-Up Cards
Count objects up to 20 with our match-up card game.
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Contractions Flower Match Activity
Practise matching the correct words with their contraction with this cute flower match activity.
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Contractions Matching Activity - Dog Bone and Bowl
Practise matching words with their contraction with this fun bone and dog bowl matching activity.
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Bugs in a Jar Counting Activity
Practise counting to 20 with this engaging and hands-on bugs in a jar activity set.
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Numbers 1-10 Bug Matching Game
Help students learn to represent numbers 1-10 in picture, word and number form.
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Phoneme Interactive Spelling Game - M, MM, MB
Use an interactive spelling game to help your students learn to spell words with m, mm, and mb correctly.
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Christmas Game - Upper and Lowercase Letter Recognition
Build letter recognition skills and add Christmas spirit to your literacy centres with a Letter Matching Christmas Game.
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Push and Pull Examples – Matching Game
Have students explore examples of push and pull forces with this matching game to use during your forces and motion science unit.
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Estimating Products of Whole Numbers Matching Game
Guide your students to round the factors to estimate the product with this maths matching game.
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Word Family Pumpkin Sort
Enhance your phonics lessons with a pumpkin-themed word family game.
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Skip Counting Multiplication Matching Game
Use this resource as a hands on-task to practise using skip counting to solve multiplication expressions.
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Area of a Parallelogram – Match-Up Activity
Calculate the area of parallelograms and match them with their corresponding areas with this match-up activity.
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Rounding Numbers on Vertical Number Lines Matching Activity
Practise rounding to the nearest ten and hundred on a vertical number line with this set of 36 match-up cards.
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Writing Equations – Match Up Activity
Practise matching word sentences to equations with variables with this 36-card match-up activity.
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Lab Equipment Vocabulary – Match-Up Activity
Identify different types of science tools by matching vocabulary terms, pictures and definitions.
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Hands-On Numbers 1-10 Caterpillar Activity
Match numbers 1-10 with their various visual representations to build a fun mathematical caterpillar!
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Counting Objects Parking Lot - Numbers 1-10
Count objects and recognise numbers with a fun car-themed match-up style game.
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Percent of a Number Match-Up Activity
Practise how to find the percent of a number with this match-up activity.
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Number Match Treasure Hunt
Have students gather the treasure and make matches of numerals, quantities and number names with this match-up activity.
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Random Pair Generator Cards
Use these printable partner cards as a randomized pair generator when grouping students in the classroom.