Your child makes the connection when she realizes that “this sunflower object is the same as that sunflower in the picture.”
She has an “aha” moment with this exploration of abstraction, which is why this matching activity helps prepare her for writing and reading.
Matching objects to pictures could be challenging, especially if the image is slightly different from the object, like the color, size, or shape.
When pulling together an object-to-picture matching lesson, try to find themes and topics that your child is familiar with or has had some in-person interaction with first.
For instance, Annie got the chance to plant real daffodils in the garden, so we moved on to matching small flower objects to pictures.
Young children should explore the real thing first, then 3-D objects and figures, and then pictures.
Since it is gardening season, I can make use of these activity by matching pictures of vegetables and plants with what we already planted. Great idea!
Charina, making picture matching cards for vegetables and plants is a wonderful idea for a gardening theme!
This is a great activity. I love doing matching activities with my kids.
Thank you for sharing this post. I’ve never heard of TOOBS toys, they’re brilliant!
Love how creative this activity is.
What a fun activity! I love adding nature elements into play.
every time i read these posts on your blog, i am amazed at the level of detail and the amount of information presented that is sure to help many.. kudos once again on a great post
Creating this activity out of something she is interested in right now is brilliant! I can see another use for this in bringing the pictures out with you while you hunt for the flowers in nature. So fun!
Katie, I love your idea to bring the pictures out with you while you hunt for flowers in nature! That would be an awesome hands-on Montessori real object to picture matching!
I love this. Thanks for sharing.
This is a great idea!
Love this!! I actually learned so much by reading this. Will definitely try out some form of object and picture matching with my 2.5 year old
I loved your explanations for the benefit of matching objects. This is such a simple but effective way to teach kids to compare different things. I can Imagine the concentration they will have from noticing the details of each flower. Can’t wait to try
I loved your explanations for the benefit of matching objects. This is such a simple but effective way to teach kids to compare different things. I can Imagine the concentration they will have from noticing the details of each flower. Can’t wait to try
I always love finding ways to incorporate Montessori-style activities into our day. This one would be so much fun for my son who is starting to recognize patterns and similarities and differences!
My toddler just started using the word “same” to describe two similar objects! Made me so happy when he started making these connections on his own! 🙂
Such a detailed post with great information.
The activities that you have suggested are so great. I remember you talked about matching animals last week (or a few weeks ago), and now you use flowers. My daughters love nature, so this will definitely be a fun activity for them. I guess I have to figure out where to get the flowers now to create this activity for them. Thanks for sharing this great idea!
What a sweet little fun activity! Thank you for sharing.