Shadow matching worksheets.

Two sheets, twelve pictures, and the same twelve as outlines in the other order. Your child draws a line from each photograph to its shadow. Real photographs, not clip art, because an outline is only worth reading if the thing it came from is worth recognising.

Why preschools use it

Ages 3 to 5 · Two A4 sheets · No sign-up, no email

Animals.

Draw a line from each picture to its shadow

  • Elephant photograph to match with its shadow
  • Rabbit photograph to match with its shadow
  • Horse photograph to match with its shadow
  • Monkey photograph to match with its shadow
  • Duck photograph to match with its shadow
  • Pig photograph to match with its shadow
  • Shadow of the monkey
  • Shadow of the pig
  • Shadow of the elephant
  • Shadow of the duck
  • Shadow of the rabbit
  • Shadow of the horse

Answers, in the order the shadows are printed: Monkey, Pig, Elephant, Duck, Rabbit, Horse.

Bugs and sea creatures.

Draw a line from each picture to its shadow

  • Butterfly photograph to match with its shadow
  • Snail photograph to match with its shadow
  • Octopus photograph to match with its shadow
  • Seahorse photograph to match with its shadow
  • Starfish photograph to match with its shadow
  • Dragonfly photograph to match with its shadow
  • Shadow of the octopus
  • Shadow of the starfish
  • Shadow of the snail
  • Shadow of the dragonfly
  • Shadow of the butterfly
  • Shadow of the seahorse

Answers, in the order the shadows are printed: Octopus, Starfish, Snail, Dragonfly, Butterfly, Seahorse.

How to use them.

Print one sheet at a time. A three year old who cannot yet hold a pencil well can point instead, or you can cut the shadow column into six pieces and let them lay each one beside its picture. Say the name as they place it: the outline is the puzzle, the word is the reward.

If your child matches every one straight away, hide the photographs and ask them to name the animals from the shadows alone. That is the harder version of the same skill, and it is the one the app steps up to on its own.

Common questions.

What age are shadow matching worksheets for?
Three to five. Most three year olds can match a simple outline with a pointed finger; drawing the joining line is a pencil skill that usually arrives nearer four. A two year old can do it as a pointing game with you rather than with a pencil.
Do I need to sign up or give an email?
No. Press print, or save as PDF from the print dialog. There is no sign-up, no email and no watermark.
What skill does shadow matching build?
Visual discrimination: telling shapes apart by outline alone, once colour and detail are taken away. It is the same comparison a child uses later to tell b from d, which is why preschools use it before letters.

The same game, endlessly.

A sheet runs out after twelve. Wibbo's Shadows deals a new outline every round from 1,205 pictures, says the name aloud when your child gets it, and moves the difficulty on its own. No ads, no tracking, nothing collected from your child.

Get Wibbo, free → More free printables