Here is the progression for matching: Color recognition Between 6 and 8 months, they can usually look around to find a person who has been named (“where’s Grandma?”), and a few months later they start to recognize people beyond the immediate family. At 5-6 months, they can distinguish between different vocal tones and start to recognize familiar objects, sounds, and people. At around 4 months, your baby learns that specific objects make specific sounds. The foundation for matching develops early, as babies start to recognize distinct features, characteristics, and properties. Matching also helps with focus: it’s no accident that the classic game of memory, played with pairs of cards arranged face-down, is sometimes called “concentration.” Matching is an essential skill, helping to improve a number of cognitive abilities like visual memory, short term memory, and pattern recognition. You can use this preschool worksheet as a nice compliment to your lesson plans, or simply as a stand-alone.Matching one object to another is a complex task, and gets especially tricky when you’re matching something more abstract, like a picture, a color, or a sound. You can find the URL for the site in the Resources section below.ĭownload a mother and baby animal matching worksheet which the children can use to demonstrate mastery of the concepts introduced in the lessons. The Enchanted Learning website offers a very comprehensive list of the names of mother and baby animals. Here are some examples of pairs you may want to cover:

Providing name labels will help to reinforce what the children have learned. In conjunction with reading stories, you can continue the lesson by having pictures of animals and their babies posted around the room. You Don’t Look Like Your Mother**, by Aileen Lucia Fisher**Īccording to Amazon, this story “Recounts in verse a robin’s introduction to a number of animal infants who don’t look like their mothers, including her own.“1 Continue the Lesson The famed author of the Curious George books uses short verses to match animal mothers with their babies in this fold out book. All of the animals featured have one thing in common - mothers that love them! Young children will be fascinated by the illustrator’s use of photography.Ī Zoo Keeper Looks at Mother and Baby Animals, by Gary RichmondĮvery mother and baby animal is special and unique.ĭoes a Kangaroo Have a Mother Too?****, by Eric Carleĭedicated to Fred Rogers, author Eric Carle covers baby animals from joeys to calves. In this story, author Caroline Arnold describes how zoo animals feed and care for their young. Mother and Baby Zoo Animals, by Caroline Arnold Spend time reading together and discussing what the preschoolers have learned. Each of the stories suggested below describe various mother animals and their babies. Read aloud time presents the perfect opportunity to introduce the different names for adult animals and their offspring. It is at this point that you can help the children make the connection to animals - that animals have different names depending on whether they are male or female, and that adults and babies (or offspring) often have different names as well. The answer would be “child.” You can take this opportunity to point out that the same name is used for young females. The answer, of course, is “women.” Now ask them if they can think of the name for a young male. Grown-up males are called “men.” Ask them if they can guess the name for grown-up females. Explain that there are two types of people - males and females. This is best illustrated by using what the preschoolers are most familiar with - themselves. Beginning the Lessonīefore you begin the preschool worksheet, mother and baby animals lessons or read alouds, you must first introduce the idea that animals have different names depending on whether they are male or female, and adult or offspring. Mother and baby animals are the focus, and the best introduction is to spend time reading about them. Preschool children have a natural fascination with animals - especially baby animals! Help your little ones learn the names of different animals and their offspring with these lesson ideas and coordinating preschool worksheet.

Animals baby picture match