Free printable worksheets · United Kingdom
Year 1 Matching Worksheets (Ages 5–6)
Year 1 matching worksheets are practice sheets for children aged 5–6 in Year 1 in the UK. Matching is finding and pairing items that are identical, related or belong to the same category, from among several printed options. The sheets on this page cover identifying identical pairs, matching an object to its category, matching uppercase letters to lowercase and matching a numeral to a quantity.
Year 1 opens the National Curriculum proper: daily phonics moves through Phases 3 to 5, written number sentences replace counted objects, and the phonics screening check in June asks each child to read forty words, some of them invented, to confirm they can decode reliably. Five-year-olds read the items they match. Sheets pair a three-letter word with its picture, an addition sum with its answer, a number with the ten frame that shows it, a picture with its ending sound, and opposites such as hot and cold. The line-drawing is now easy, so the value lies entirely in the content, which lets the child practice reading and sums without much writing. Eight to twelve shuffled pairs is a fair length.
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Year 1 Matching Worksheets to print
Browse all worksheets for ages 5–6
Pizza Pattern Matching Worksheet for Preschoolers
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
This worksheet helps children practice visual discrimination and pattern recognition by matching pizza slices to complete the whole pizza.
Picture Analogies Worksheet: Match What Goes Together
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
This worksheet helps children practice logical reasoning and visual discrimination by identifying relationships between pictures and completing analogies.
Logic Clue Puzzles Worksheet: Find Me
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
This worksheet helps children practice logical reasoning by matching descriptions to images.
Secret Words Worksheet: Crack the Shape Code
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
This worksheet helps children practice letter recognition and matching skills by associating letters with shapes and identifying the corresponding pictures.
CVCC Words Read, Colour and Match Worksheet
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
Children read tent, desk, milk, belt, lamp and hand with sound buttons, match each word to its outline picture and colour it.
CCVC Words with cl and sl Blends Read and Match Worksheet
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
Children read ten CCVC words with sound buttons (clap, clip, club, clan, clog, slab, slim, slug, slap, slip) and draw a line from each word to its picture.
Easter Egg Pattern Matching Worksheet for Preschoolers
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
This worksheet helps children practice pattern recognition and matching skills by connecting patterns to the corresponding Easter eggs.
CCVC Words with fl, fr, dr, pl and tr Blends Read and Match Worksheet
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
Children read twelve CCVC words (flip, flat, flag, frog, drum, drag, plan, plot, plus, trim, trap, drip) and match each one to its picture.
I Spy Letter and Number Matching Worksheet for Preschoolers
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
This worksheet helps children practice matching letters to numbers and improve their early literacy and numeracy skills.
Digraph Words ch, sh and th Read and Match Worksheet
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
Children learn that a digraph is two letters making one sound (ch in chip, sh in ship, th in this) and match chop, chin, shop, shut, that and thin to their pictures.
CCVC Words with st, cr and sp Blends Read, Colour and Match Worksheet
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
Children read stag, step, crab, crib, spin and spot, match each word to its outline picture and colour the pictures in.
CCVC Words Match the Same Starting Blend Worksheet
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
Children read twelve CCVC words with pictures and join the pairs that start with the same blend: skip and skin, blot and blob, snip and snap, brag and brim, pram and prop, twig and twin.
CVCC Ending Blends ft, st, nd and mp Read and Match Worksheet
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
Children read eight CVCC words grouped by their ending blend (gift, lift, nest, vest, lend, hand, lamp, jump) and match each word to its picture.
Kite Color Matching Worksheet for Preschoolers
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7
This worksheet helps children practice color recognition and visual discrimination by matching kites to children based on the colors.
How Do They Feel? Circle the Feeling, Finish the Faces and Match the Weather
Ages 4-6 · Pre-K–KindergartenAges 4-6 · Reception–Year 1Ages 4-6 · LKG–UKGAges 4-6
Children look closely at pictures to read how a child feels, draw eyebrows and mouths to build five faces, and match each face to its feelings weather.
Long Vowel e Spellings Match Worksheet: e, e_e, ea, ee, ey, ie
Ages 5-7 · Kindergarten–Grade 1Ages 5-7 · Year 1–Year 2Ages 5-7 · UKG–Class 1Ages 5-7
Children link each picture to its word and then to its long e spelling (Egypt: e; athlete: e_e; jeans: ea; cheese: ee; honey: ey; thief: ie).
Numeracy Match: Counting and Number Recognition Worksheet
Ages 4-6 · Pre-K–KindergartenAges 4-6 · Reception–Year 1Ages 4-6 · LKG–UKGAges 4-6
Children ages 4-6 strengthen number recognition by matching written numerals to their corresponding word names or quantities, reinforcing that numbers can be represented in more than one way. This kind of numeral-to-word matching deepens number sense beyond simple counting, helping children see the relationship between symbol, word, and quantity. Coloring in their birth date personalizes the practice and connects it to something meaningful in their own life.
Abbreviations Worksheet: Matching and Writing Practice
Ages 4-6 · Pre-K–KindergartenAges 4-6 · Reception–Year 1Ages 4-6 · LKG–UKGAges 4-6
This worksheet introduces children ages 4-6 to common abbreviations — like Mr., Dr., or St. — by having them match each shortened form to the correct sentence context and then write it in correctly. Understanding that some words have a shortened written form is an important early literacy concept, since abbreviations appear constantly in books, signs, and everyday writing. Practicing both matching and writing reinforces the connection between recognizing an abbreviation and producing it correctly from memory.
Phonics Fun: Connect the Letters S-X with Starting Sounds Worksheet
Ages 4-6 · Pre-K–KindergartenAges 4-6 · Reception–Year 1Ages 4-6 · LKG–UKGAges 4-6
Connecting pictures to their correct beginning letter across the range S through X helps children ages 4-6 extend their phonics practice beyond the most common early letters, building broader letter-sound matching skills. This wider range also introduces children to less frequently practiced sounds, rounding out their overall phonemic awareness.
Action Verbs Worksheet: Match and Color!
Ages 4-6 · Pre-K–KindergartenAges 4-6 · Reception–Year 1Ages 4-6 · LKG–UKGAges 4-6
This worksheet has 4-6 year olds read a short sentence, pick out the action word inside it, and match that sentence to the picture showing the action happening — a skill that bridges early reading with grammar. Identifying the verb specifically (rather than just understanding the sentence generally) is a more advanced task than simple picture-word matching, since children have to isolate one word's job within a whole sentence. Coloring the matched picture afterward gives an easy, low-pressure way to confirm the match was correct.
Long Vowel u Spellings Match Worksheet: u, u_e, ew, ue, eu
Ages 5-7 · Kindergarten–Grade 1Ages 5-7 · Year 1–Year 2Ages 5-7 · UKG–Class 1Ages 5-7
Children link each picture to its word and then to its long u spelling (eucalyptus: eu; mule: u_e; cucumber: u; statue: ue; news: ew; tissue: ue). One spelling, ue, is used twice.
3D Shapes Worksheet: Circle and Name the Shapes!
Ages 4-6 · Pre-K–KindergartenAges 4-6 · Reception–Year 1Ages 4-6 · LKG–UKGAges 4-6
This worksheet helps children ages 4-6 identify common 3D shapes like spheres, cubes, and cylinders by matching them to real objects, then connects each 3D shape to its related 2D shape, such as a cube's square face or a sphere's circular outline. Understanding that 3D shapes are built from 2D shapes is an important early geometry concept that supports later spatial reasoning and measurement skills.
Possessive Noun Matching Worksheet for Kids
Ages 4-6 · Pre-K–KindergartenAges 4-6 · Reception–Year 1Ages 4-6 · LKG–UKGAges 4-6
Children ages 4-6 learn to identify possessive nouns, like 'the dog's bone' or 'Mia's book', which show ownership using an apostrophe and 's'. Matching possessive phrases to their meaning builds early grammar awareness that will later support correct sentence writing and reading comprehension. The cherry-connecting activity adds a playful visual-tracking layer to reinforce the matching skill.
Abbreviations Worksheet: Matching Words and Abbreviations!
Ages 4-6 · Pre-K–KindergartenAges 4-6 · Reception–Year 1Ages 4-6 · LKG–UKGAges 4-6
This worksheet teaches children common abbreviations, like 'Dr.' for Doctor or 'St.' for Street, by having them match each full word to its shortened form. For four- to six-year-olds who are building early reading and writing fluency, recognizing abbreviations is a practical real-world skill, since these shortened forms appear regularly in addresses, titles, and everyday writing.
What Year 1 matching worksheets cover
Five-year-olds read the items they match. Sheets pair a three-letter word with its picture, an addition sum with its answer, a number with the ten frame that shows it, a picture with its ending sound, and opposites such as hot and cold. The line-drawing is now easy, so the value lies entirely in the content, which lets the child practice reading and sums without much writing. Eight to twelve shuffled pairs is a fair length.
- Match a three-letter word such as dog to its picture
- Draw lines from addition sums to their answers within 10
- Pair opposites such as hot and cold, up and down
- Match a numeral to the ten frame showing that many
- Connect a picture to the letter it ends with
How to use these worksheets at home or in class
A decodable passage or word list most days, plus a short number bonds sheet, keeps pace with a Year 1 classroom. Fifteen minutes is a reasonable ceiling, and reading the passage twice in one sitting builds the fluency the screening check rewards.
Start with the sheet that matches what your child can already do, then move one step up. Keep finished sheets in a folder: Year 1 teachers often ask for evidence of practice, and children like seeing their own progress.
Is your child ready for Year 1 matching work?
Entering this stage, a child should blend most Phase 3 sounds into words, write a few letters correctly formed, count reliably to twenty, and sit through a short table task without needing constant redirection.
Frequently asked questions
Are matching worksheets too easy for a five-year-old?
The format is easy, and that is the point: it lets a child practice reading words or checking sums without the effort of writing them out. What changes at five is the content. If a sheet is finished in a minute without a single error, keep the format but move the content on, for example from word-to-picture pairs to sum-to-answer pairs, or shuffle the columns and add more pairs.
What should a Year 1 child be able to do in matching?
Five-year-olds read the items they match. Sheets pair a three-letter word with its picture, an addition sum with its answer, a number with the ten frame that shows it, a picture with its ending sound, and opposites such as hot and cold. The line-drawing is now easy, so the value lies entirely in the content, which lets the child practice reading and sums without much writing. Eight to twelve shuffled pairs is a fair length. Entering this stage, a child should blend most Phase 3 sounds into words, write a few letters correctly formed, count reliably to twenty, and sit through a short table task without needing constant redirection.
Do these worksheets follow the Year 1 curriculum?
The sheets cover identifying identical pairs, matching an object to its category, matching uppercase letters to lowercase and matching a numeral to a quantity, which sit inside the National Curriculum KS1 (Year 1); Letters and Sounds Phase 3–5 outcomes for Year 1. Kindergarten / 1st Grade (US), UKG (India) use the same skills at this age, so the sheets also fit families following those programmes.
Are these Year 1 matching worksheets free?
Yes. Each worksheet downloads free as a watermarked PDF once you create an account, with a limit of five a day. An annual membership ($20) removes the watermark and the limit for the whole library of over 1,000 worksheets and every printable pack.
Written by
Hemsweta Jain · Teacher Cheena
MBA and Early Childhood Educator, teaching since 2014 · Founder of RaisoActive, Mumbai
Written and reviewed by Hemsweta Jain (Teacher Cheena), who designs every RaisoActive worksheet.
Last reviewed
Printable packs for ages 5–6
Summer Activity Pack: Math, Literacy, Puzzles & More for Preschool & Kindergarten
Ages 3-7 · Preschool–Grade 1Ages 3-7 · Nursery–Year 2Ages 3-7 · Nursery–Class 1Ages 3-7 · 26 pages
Logical Reasoning Activity Book for Preschool & Kindergarten | Patterns, Sudoku, Mazes & Coding
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7 · 34 pages
Lifecycles Activity Book & Flashcards for Preschool & Early Elementary
Ages 3-8 · Preschool–Grade 2Ages 3-8 · Nursery–Year 3Ages 3-8 · Nursery–Class 2Ages 3-8 · 46 pages
Phonics Level 3 Long Vowels Activity Book for Kindergarten & 1st Grade
Ages 5-7 · Kindergarten–Grade 1Ages 5-7 · Year 1–Year 2Ages 5-7 · UKG–Class 1Ages 5-7 · 52 pages
Phonics Level 2 Worksheets: CVC, CCVC, CVCC Word Families & Blends for Early Readers (Ages 4-7)
Ages 4-7 · Pre-K–Grade 1Ages 4-7 · Reception–Year 2Ages 4-7 · LKG–Class 1Ages 4-7 · 52 pages
Phonics Level 1 Activity Book: Letter Sounds, Blending & CVC Words for Preschool & Kindergarten
Ages 3-6 · Preschool–KindergartenAges 3-6 · Nursery–Year 1Ages 3-6 · Nursery–UKGAges 3-6 · 62 pages
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