Match It

Time 30 minutes

Age 7 & up

Group Size Less than 10

Tags Communication, Communications, Found Objects, more...

Instructions Minimal Materials Teamwork

Build with your ears!

Giving clear, concise instructions to others is a critical skill for children to learn. In this game, students will be asked to identify objects using descriptive vocabulary, to differentiate between the characteristics of different objects, to listen, estimate, communicate, problem solve and observe.

Preparation

Any group of objects can be used for this activity, but you will need to organize them in matching sets. For example, if one player has a yellow wooden block, a paper clip, a pencil, a plastic bottle and a blue mitten for the right hand, that student’s partner must have the same color and size block, the same color mitten, etc. You can encourage teams to collect their own objects from around the room, remembering that they will need two of everything. Start out with 2 sets of 5 objects per team and add more objects as students get better at the game. If you have them, building blocks, Tinker Toys, Lego pieces and other building toys can work well.

Suggested Materials

Sets of objects (see Preparation)
Materials for barriers (see “Make it Happen”)

Make it Matter

Opening Discussion

Ask your students if they have ever had to ask anyone for directions somewhere, or instructions on how to do something. Is it always easy to follow these instructions, or is it sometimes hard? What kinds of things can make the instructions people give hard to follow?

The Challenge

Can you give clear instructions to your partner so that they can match your creation?

Make it Happen

Doing the Activity

Have your students work in teams of 2 for this activity. Teammates can either sit back to back, each with a desk or table in front of them, or they can sit at a table facing each other with a tall barrier between them. A pile of books, a cloth held up by one teammate, a piece of cardboard, a tall file folder, etc. can serve as barriers. Whatever you use as a barrier, it should be tall enough so that each teammate can only see the set of objects in front of them, and not their teammate’s objects.
Student #1 should arrange his/her objects in some creative way on the table or desk in front of him/her. Once student #1 has an arrangement, he/she should describe it to student #2, who will try to create the exact same arrangement just by hearing student #1’s description. When teams think they have the exact same arrangements, they can remove the barrier between them or turn around and look at each other’s objects.

Make it Click

Let’s Talk About It

When your students have played once, bring them together to talk about what they experienced. Was it easy or hard to create the exact same arrangement as their partner? Was it easy or hard to describe the arrangements? Does anyone have any tips for giving good, clear instructions?

Make it Better

Build On What They Talked About

Play the game again, with teammates switching roles. Have teams play a few more times, and add more objects to the mix for a greater challenge.

Suggestions

Try playing “Match It” as a timed game. Can teams achieve the same results in only 2 minutes? 1 minute? Even less time?
Try the How to Make a Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich activity from this curriculum before students play “Match It”.