Printable Preschool Letter Matching Memory Game

As each of my kids gets older, I learn more about what is expected of them at school. My oldest son goes into second grade this year, and he’s had some challenges over the last couple of years due to a lack of school prep in his younger years. My second son starts Kindergarten in the fall, and he’s already reading at the same level that his older brother was reading six months ago! My three year old is going into preschool this year, so we are attempting to work with him on learning his letters so that he can make a good start on reading, as well. To that end, I’ve created this simple printable letter matching game that makes it fun for him to recognize letters and match them to one another. It’s a great way to help your young kids with letter recognition.

I have found that kids have trouble recognizing letters if they aren’t specifically done in block letters. My oldest has trouble reading handwritten notes and much prefers to read typewritten ones. So this game is specifically done in crazy fonts and colors to help kids recognize letters that aren’t perfectly Times New Roman.

To get yours, just download the free pdf and then print it off. I recommend using cardstock to print on, as it will help keep the letters from getting torn or wrinkled. You could also choose to laminate each card if you really want to make them last. But I find it’s not really that necessary.

Once you’ve printed the sheets out, simply cut around them. You can do it very precisely, or just cut around them more generally so that each letter is separate. I don’t have a ton of time, so I chose the latter option, trying to ensure that each card was the same height and width. Once you have them ready, call in the kids and lay the cards all face down in a grid. Of course, you can also go wild and scatter them around, but I find a grid pattern easier for kids to remember where cards are.

Then, simply have them take turns turning over two cards at a time until they get a match.

Once they’ve matched up two cards, they get to keep them. At the end of the game, once all the cards have been matched, the winner is the kid with the most cards in his pile! Easy! As you can imagine, this game has many benefits for the preschool mind, including letter recognition, memory retention, and social skills. It can also be played alone if your child is the type who prefers solitary games.

Check out my other educational activities below.

Katie Reed

Katie Reed is a passionate writer and mother of four vivacious boys from Salt Lake City, Utah. Drawing from her own journey through TTC, pregnancy, and the joys of raising children, she offers a wealth of insight into the world of motherhood. Beyond her heartfelt tales, Katie delights her readers with family-friendly recipes, engaging crafts, and a curated library of printables for both kids and adults. When she’s not penning her experiences, you’ll find her crafting memories with her husband and sons—Dexter, Daniel, Chester, and Wilder.