Analogies Worksheet: Match the Pictures!
Identifying the relationship between two pictures and then finding a third picture that completes the same relationship teaches children ages 4-6 an early form of analogical reasoning, a skill that underlies much of later logical and mathematical thinking. Because children must first figure out an abstract relationship, like cause and effect or part to whole, before applying it to a new pair, this worksheet is more advanced than simple picture matching. Drawing a line to connect the completed analogy gives a clear, hands-on way to show their reasoning.
Curriculum
How to use this worksheet
Look at the first two pictures in a row together and ask your child what connects them, encouraging them to describe the relationship in their own words. Look at the picture on the right side of the row and ask your child to find the one that completes the same kind of relationship as the first pair. Have them draw a line connecting the matching picture to complete the analogy. Continue through each row, discussing the relationship type before your child commits to an answer.
Materials needed
- Pencil
- Eraser
Extension activities
- •Create your own simple picture analogies using photos or drawings of familiar objects.
- •Play an oral analogy game, saying 'a bird is to a nest as a bee is to a ___' and having your child fill in the blank.
- •Sort objects around the house into pairs that share a relationship, like a key and a lock.
- •Talk through different types of relationships, like part to whole or cause and effect, using simple examples.
- •Draw a comic strip showing a cause and its effect, then explain the connection out loud.
Tips for parents and teachers
If your child struggles to identify the relationship, model your own thinking out loud first, saying something like 'a shoe goes on a foot, so I'm looking for something that goes with this next picture.' Analogical reasoning is a genuinely advanced skill for this age, so expect it to take practice and don't worry if some rows need extra guidance. Praise the reasoning process, asking your child to explain why they chose an answer, since that explanation matters more than speed.
Written by
Hemsweta Jain · Teacher Cheena
MBA and Early Childhood Educator, teaching since 2014 · Founder of RaisoActive, Mumbai
Every RaisoActive worksheet is designed and checked by the founder before publishing.
Published · Last reviewed
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