Using this Size Activity, students play Categories to practice identifying the sizes tall, short, big and small.
Using Characters, Settings, and Big Events Worksheet, students draw pictures and write a sentence for each to tell about the story elements in a book.
Using Same or Different Activity, students usethe picture cards to practice visually discriminating things that are the same and/or different.
This farm or zoo matching activity has PreK-1st Grade children sort 12 animal picture cards onto a farm and zoo mat, with a practice worksheet and answer key included for easy checking.
This making connections between stories activity gives PreK-1st grade students spinner-picked question cards for text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world talk after any read-aloud.
Using thisStocking Sort Classifying Activity, studentscomplete the Stocking Sort activity to practice classifying and grouping objects.
Same? Different? Let's look!
For preschoolers, compare and contrast starts with two magic words: same and different. Kids look at two things, like a cat and a dog, and notice what matches (both have fur and four legs) and what doesn't (one barks, one meows). They sort by size, color and where things belong, and they start comparing characters in stories. The click moment is when a child says, "This one is big, but that one is little!" all on their own.
Little ones compare things all day long. These moves give that natural curiosity some words.
Hold up two objects, like a crayon and a marker. Ask "How are they the same? How are they different?" and model the sentence: "They are both for coloring, but the marker is wet." Then let kids try it with partners and new pairs.
Why it works: in a well-known study, a few short sessions of a simple number board game measurably boosted young children's number skills (Ramani and Siegler, 2008).
Try it withSame or Different ActivityActivitiesOpen it →Kids line up pictures or toys from smallest to biggest, then compare two neighbors: "The bear is bigger than the mouse." Ordering by size gives them a simple, visible way to compare.
Why it works: the U.S. Department of Education's guide for teaching elementary math recommends moving from hands-on objects to drawings to numbers.
Try it withSize ActivityActivitiesOpen it →Sort animal pictures into a farm group and a zoo group. Then pick one from each and ask what they share. A cow and a giraffe both have spots! Sorting first makes comparing easier.
Why it works: children learn more from words and pictures together than from words alone (Mayer, 2009).
Try it withFarm or Zoo Matching ActivityActivitiesOpen it →Sorting and noticing are basically preschool superpowers.
ActivitiesFill holiday stockings by sorting little pictures that go together. Then explain why you grouped them.
Open Stocking Sort Classifying Activity →
ActivitiesRead two stories and ask "How are these books alike?" Kids connect characters, places and feelings.
Open Making Connections Between Stories Activity →
WorksheetsAfter the read-aloud, compare the boy when he was little and when he grew up. What changed?
Open Characters The Giving Tree Worksheet →Teacher favorites right now: Size Activity, Characters The Giving Tree Worksheet and Same or Different Activity.
Yes! Preschoolers compare all the time when they notice big and small or same and different. Giving them simple words and sentence frames turns that noticing into a real thinking skill.
Start with two things that are almost the same, like two red blocks, and one that's different. Ask "Which one doesn't match?" Keep it hands on and quick.
Compare two fruits at snack time: color, shape, taste, peel or no peel. Compare two family members' shoes. Everyday objects make the best practice.
Most kids start Venn diagrams in kindergarten or first grade. Preschoolers do better with two hula hoops on the floor and real objects to sort inside them.
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