This game makes an ideal outdoor activity, although it works equally as well indoors. Toddlers will learn to match a movement to a command. Choose one child to play the mother and stand on one end of the room or yard. The other children will stand on the opposite side of the room or yard lined up side by side. The mother will call each child by name and ask them to do something, such as take two skips forward. Stand with the mother and help her with her commands. Offer words such as jump, hop, march, crawl, tiny and giant. Before moving the child must ask, "Mother may I?" After mother says, "yes you may," the child can move. If the child forgets to ask the question, he must go back to the starting line. The first child to reach the mother wins.
Create bingo cards with pictures, letters, shapes or numbers. Make the cards with nine to 25 squares. See the Resource section for online customizable bingo cards that are quick to create and print. Also make a set of calling cards that match all the items you used for the bingo cards. Give every child a bingo card and something to mark a square, such as a penny. Show a picture to the children and give them time to find the match on their card. Play the game until the first child makes a line of matches to win.
Dominoes is a simple counting and matching game for toddlers. Pair up the kids and give each duo a set of dominoes. Each child takes seven dominoes for themselves. The person with a domino with the highest number goes first and lays his domino on the table. The second child finds a domino with the same number of dots to match up against that first domino. If a child cannot make a match, he must take dominoes from the pile until he finds one that will work. The child to make the most matches and run out of dominoes first wins the game.
The Memory game is one of the most common games for matching, but is still entertaining. It is a game that children can play with partners or alone. Create a set of cards with two of every picture. Lay them down on a table picture side down. With a partner, children take turns turning over two cards. If a child finds a match, she can have another turn. When all the cards are taken, the child with the most matches wins. Incorporate math or literacy skills to this game by using cards with shapes, numbers or letters for recognition practice.