I think that cacti are the only plants that I am capable of keeping alive for more than a month. Right now I’m giving succulents a try because they don’t need much attention, but give me a cute little cactus over anything that needs watering more than once a month… This fun desert theme free printable shape matching game is perfect no matter if you have a black thumb like me or not. Perfect for a desert theme, learning about plants or just because, this a great way to practice shape recognition in a small group or math center. It’s the perfect addition to our printable shape games and activities!
Kids get to work on 2D shape identification and learn the shape words.
You can change the difficulty of the game by adjusting how many pairs you are working with. Start with 3 pairs and then increase as attention span and shape knowledge increases.
For lower level students, you can also use this as a simple matching activity with all the cards facing up. This allows them to focus on learning the shapes without getting distracted by the need to remember where the cards are.
Materials needed for the Free Printable Desert Shape Matching Game:
To prep: Print the cactus shapes matching game on the white side of the scrapbook paper (or on card stock), laminate and cut apart the cards.
To play: In case you haven’t played Memory before, you turn over two cards at the same time. If they match, you get to keep them and turn over another set of cacti to try again.
If they don’t match you turn them back over and it becomes the next person’s turn. Play continues until the cards have all been matched.
This is a great way to work on 2D shapes with a partner or in a small group.
Some of our Favorite Shape Books for Kids:
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:
My First SHAPES Padded Board BookRound Is a Tortilla: A Book of Shapes (A Latino Book of Concepts)
Tangled: A Story About Shapes
Mouse Shapes
Shapes
Shape by Shape
Captain Invincible and the Space Shapes (MathStart 2)
Circle, Square, Moose
This Is a Book of Shapes
Perfect Square
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