This activity is basically similar to the last game I posted, but I wanted to give you a different variation of it. Through this activity, you have a perfect use for all of those plastic Easter eggs that you find at this time of the year. Plus, it helps children also identify with the theme of Easter.
When using the plastic eggs for a matching game, children will acquire and learn:
- Basic vocabulary
- Letter identification, number identification, or shape identification
- Matching skills
- Social skills such as turn taking and sharing
- Color recognition
To make your own egg matching game you will need:
- Plastic eggs of various colors
- Paper, marker, scissors, tape
First, cut the paper into small 1/2 inch pieces. Depending on what concept you want to teach, I chose letters, write the uppercase letter on once piece of paper and then the lowercase letter on a different piece of paper.
Then choose a plastic egg, top and bottom, of the same color and taped each letter onto it. Repeat this step for each letter or for as many letters as you would like to use. For younger children, keep each egg match, top and bottom, the same color to avoid confusion. You can also use less letters to be more developmentally appropriate. For older children, you can mix up the tops and bottoms to provide a little challenge and also provide them with more letters.
Here is a picture if you decided to do a shape recognition game:
This is a simple, yet educational game that you can do with your child. It doesn't take a lot of time or effort, but it can be really fun depending on how you play it!
Extension Idea:
As pictured above, I just set the eggs out for the child to pick up and and look into to decide if it is a match or not. If you want to change it up to make it more fun, hide the tops and bottoms around the house and go on an egg hunt. When children collect the different egg halves in their basket, have them match up the ones that belong together. :-)
