We all love the old classic game Concentration. If some of you forgot the game or maybe even called it something it. A game that is a series of 20 cards. There are 10 pairs of exact matching cards. You start the game by shuffling the cards (face down) and arranging them into rows and columns. Players then take turns turning over 2 cards at a time. If the cards they turn over are a match they get a point and get an extra turn. This game requires you not only to pay attention to your play, but they play of your opponent. While some people think of this classic game as just a fun way to pass time, it is a great activity for improving our concentration and memory skills. You will also find that given enough repetition, like anything else, we get better at it. Being able to clearly match objects is the first progression we need students to make before they can move on to sorting and classifying objects. This also leads them to compare and contrast events, characters, and situations in a written environment. Mastering matching skills lays the foundation for a great deal of learning and this activity will definitely help you and your students along with it.

Is that a gorilla or an orangutan? What is paired with a megaphone? What's the opposite of sad? Your students will be able to tell you after playing these matching games. Twenty-three pages with five different types of matches to make! Pair the animal pictures with the correct name, match pairs of associated objects, find the right sized shapes, place opposite words together, and put silly faces back together. We recommend laminating each card. Idea: Once students have mastered the matching, have them use the cards to make up stories. "The raccoon is happy because he got square glasses."