Match the trains in this printable matching game!
Start this activity with a book of your choice about trains. Then, using the included printable matching cards, have your child use their memory and comparing skills to match the different trains.
🧭 Go on an adventure! If possible, go for a small drive to your local train station to see what trains are coming through and talk about the different trains as they go by.
📚 Books to explore: The Caboose Who Got Loose by Bill Peet, Two Little Trains by Margart Wise Brown, and The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper.
🏁 On your mark, get set, go! Once they’ve mastered matching the trains, time how fast the kiddo can match all the cards and then have them beat their high score!
Materials
For this activity you will need:
Printable matching cards
Scissors
Learning Outcomes
Domain
Cognition
Skills
Memory
Indicators:
Increasing memory capacity
Instructions
Step 1:
Print the included cards sheet.
Step 2:
Cut the cards out.
Step 3:
Mix up the cards and place them upside down one by one.
Step 4:
Have your child turn over two cards. If there is a match, leave them both face up. If they do not match, flip them back over. Once all of the matches are found, the child wins!
⬆️ For preschoolers: This is still a game of skill they can perfect. Have them use a timer to see how fast they can match. An added twist can be to name the type of train before matching them.
⬇️ For younger toddlers: Have a smaller set of cards placed out. You can also leave them all face up if the memory portion is too advanced for their age.
Playful Questions
What type of train is that?
What does a train do?
Where do trains go?
What do trains carry?
What sound does a train make?
