Printable Crayon Theme Shape Matching Card Game
I love a fresh box of crayons! Perfectly clipped tips, brightly organized colors, and that fresh waxy smell! That’s why I also love a crayon theme for preschool! We all know those tips don’t stay pointed for long, and the colors inevitably end up mixed, but fear not, because there are plenty of art projects and other crayon activities that make use of those old broken crayons.
This Free Printable Crayon Shape Matching Game stays vibrant all year while your students learn all of the basic shapes. Crayons are an iconic part of a child’s life! In most cases, crayons are the first tool for writing and arts and crafts. This crayon-themed activity for preschoolers includes nine shapes: circle, square, triangle, rectangle, oval, pentagon, rhombus, trapezoid, and octagon.
Teaching Shapes in Preschool
PRESCHOOL MATCHING SHAPES ACTIVITIES
Learning the names of shapes helps form a healthy foundation in geometry. As children learn to name the shapes, they can begin to describe them using important math vocabulary.
Preschool learners need lots of opportunities to explore shapes in order to become comfortable recognizing and naming them. They should spend time making shape crafts for kids, identifying shapes around them, playing with blocks, and making patterns with shapes.
Children should be exposed to important math vocabulary while learning shape names and discussing shape properties:
- Side
- Corner/vertice
- Curved
- Straight
- Symmetry
Even if students do not use the vocabulary themselves, hearing adults talk about shapes using the correct vocabulary will help them as they mature.
Low-Prep
High-Engagement
Low-Prep
Expand your activity library with these amazing resources!
Crayon Shape Matching Cards Printable Game
Materials needed for the Free Printable Crayon Shape Matching Game:
Scrapbook paper or card stock | Laminating Pouches (for durability) | Laminator | Scissors |
Prepping the Match the Shapes Printable Activity
Print the match the shapes for preschool game on the white side of the scrapbook paper (or on card stock).
Cut the shapes apart.
I like to laminate matching games to extend their life, and to prevent them from bending and ripping. This is optional, though!
Playing The Shape Matching Game
There are different ways to play this back-to-school theme preschool game!
- Classic Memory Match: Turn over two cards at the same time. If they match, you get to keep them and turn over another set of crayons to try again. If they don’t match, you turn them back over in their original spot and play continues with the next player. Play continues until the crayon box cards have all been matched with a shape card.
- Shapes Sort: When students have mastered the names of all the shapes, you can use the cards to sort shapes by characteristics.
- Curved lines vs. straight lines
- Specific number of sides or corners
- Find blocks to match each shape card
- Matching: Some students aren’t ready to match by memory. However, you can provide the shapes cards face-up for students to match with a crayon box card.
More Crayon-Themed School Activities
You don’t have to stop at shapes! Consider incorporating a first-day-of-school theme into your lesson plans for the entire fall season! Here are some crayon crafts and activities to get you started.
Crayon Resist
Give children a specific shape(s) to color thoroughly, then explore the magic of watercolors as they resist the wax of the crayon.
Melted Crayon Art
Use old bits and pieces of crayons from yesteryear. Place them in muffin tins to melt into multicolored “crayon cookies.” Crayon shavings melt nicely between two pieces of waxed paper. You can place a cutout shape on top as a seasonal craft (leaves, Christmas stocking, candy cane, turkey, pumpkin, etc.)
Crayon Sorting and Counting
Crayon sorting and counting: Use those fresh crayons to sort by color, or to count into groups of numbers 1-10.
Our Favorite Crayon Theme Books:
We can’t live without these!
Once your child’s creativity is sparked with this fun activity, take it a step further with these engaging resources:
The Crayon Man: The True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons
Scribble StonesA Day With No CrayonsThe Day the Crayons QuitThe Day the Crayons Came HomeThe Crayons’ Book of ColorsThe Crayons’ Book of FeelingsHow the Crayons Saved the School (4)How the Crayons Saved the Unicorn (2)How the Crayons Saved the Rainbow
More Math Games You’ll Love
Find more shape matching games on our shape printables and activities page.
Year-Long Kindergarten Math Bundle
Where do you get the one side colored cardstock
It is actually scrapbooking paper. One side has a pattern and the other is white. It’s not thick like cardstock though.
Love the crayon box shapes. I just retired last year after teaching Math and Science for 25 years. My almost 2 1/2 year old grandson loves to color and I’m going to start homeschooling him in the next few weeks. So this will be perfect on shapes, with two at a time, and I can also start colors with them. The matching will have to wait for at least 6-9 months. Thanks for the free printable.