Shadow Matching with Post Office

This Kindergarten shadow matching worksheet asks a child to pair each post picture with its shadow. On one side are full-color pictures — a letter, a stamp and a parcel and more — and on the other are dark silhouettes; the child draws a line from each picture to the matching outline. Looking past color and detail to match an object to its shape is visual-discrimination practice, a key readiness skill, with nothing to read or count.

Recognizing shapes by their silhouette trains a child to notice outline and form — the visual-discrimination skill underneath so much early learning. A shadow shows only the shape, so the child must compare carefully to find the match. With post pictures, that careful looking stays concrete and approachable, with nothing to read along the way.

Children enjoy the click of finding which shadow fits, and a completed matching sheet feels satisfying. When this is easy, match the shadows in shadow matching with reptiles and amphibians, or try shadow matching with summer. You can also browse every shadow matching worksheet or the whole kindergarten collection — each sheet prints cleanly or plays online for free, and the more shadows a child matches, the sharper their eye for shape and outline grows, one careful shape-and-shadow match at a time.