Farm Animals Shadow Matching Worksheet

Six farm animals and six shadows. Draw a line from each animal to its shadow. Free to print, at home or in class.

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Farm Animals Shadow Matching

Draw a line from each animal to its shadow.

Name:Date:

  1. cow
  2. pig
  3. sheep
  4. horse
  5. duck
  6. rooster
  1. a black shadow
  2. a black shadow
  3. a black shadow
  4. a black shadow
  5. a black shadow
  6. a black shadow

Free worksheet from maggiegames.com

About this sheet

The cow and the horse are the pair children mix up most on this sheet: both are large, four-legged and side-on. Point at the horns and the tail before they start, and the sheet stops being a guess.

How to use it

  • Name each animal first. Go down the left column together and say them out loud before a single line is drawn. Matching is easier once the words are in the room.
  • Talk about the outline, not the answer. "This one has a very long neck" teaches the strategy. Pointing at the right shadow teaches nothing.
  • A finger is fine. If holding a pencil is hard work, let the child trace the line with a finger, or cut the sheet into cards and place them side by side.
  • Stop while it is still going well. Half a sheet finished happily beats a whole one finished in tears.

What it practises

Visual discrimination, the ability to notice how two shapes differ from one another. It is the skill underneath telling a b from a d later on. Drawing the connecting line adds a little fine-motor and left-to-right tracking practice on top.

If the pencil work is the hard part rather than the matching, the online version of this game uses the same animal photographs and needs only a tap.

Questions

Is this worksheet really free?

Yes. Print it as many times as you like, at home or in a classroom. No account and no sign-up.

How do I get the PDF?

Use the download button above for the ready-made PDF, or press Print and choose Save as PDF.

What age is it for?

Roughly three to seven. Younger children usually do better with the four-pair Pets sheet.