Ocean Fish Matching Game

Twenty-four ocean fish, two of each, and a very simple job: find the pairs. The kind of game that works on a rainy afternoon, at a restaurant table, at an under the sea party, or in a classroom corner.

THREE LEVELS IN ONE GAME ★

Most memory games are solved by colour alone, and a child never really looks at the picture. Not this one.

✓ Twelve fish are easy - each one a different colour and a different shape.

✓ Then four pairs that share a colour: two sharks, two rays, two long-nosed fish and two puffed-up balls. Only the shape tells them apart - a pointed nose or a hammer head, head fins or a whip tail, a small fin or a tall sail, spots or spikes.

✓ Then two pairs that are almost twins. Same colour, same body, same pose. One clownfish has three white bands and the other just one; one damselfish has three dark stripes and the other four. Your child has to count.

A spot-the-difference page shows every look-alike pair side by side, so you always know which is which.

Deal only the easy twelve for a small child, and add the harder ones as they grow. One file, years of use.

MORE WAYS TO PLAY ★

The same cards also play Go Fish, Snap, a sorting game (stripes, spots or plain? long nose, flat body or round?) and Fish Detective, where one player describes a card and the others guess its name. The rules are in the file.

Perfect for quiet time, homeschool, preschool prep, classroom centres, travel, under the sea birthday parties, rainy days and screen-free afternoons.

WHAT YOU GET ★

✓ 2 PDF files - one for US Letter paper and one for A4 - so the cards print at the right size on either

✓ 11 printable pages in each file

✓ 300 DPI print quality - drawn at print resolution, not scaled up

✓ Instant digital download - nothing is posted to you

WHAT IS INSIDE ►

► 48 cards, 24 matching pairs - Seahorse, Angelfish, Lionfish, Anglerfish, Boxfish, Moray Eel, Parrotfish, Flying Fish, Ocean Sunfish, Salmon, Flounder, Grouper, Shark, Hammerhead Shark, Manta Ray, Stingray, Swordfish, Sailfish, Pufferfish, Porcupinefish, Clownfish, Tomato Clownfish, Three Stripe Damsel and Four Stripe Damsel. Every one of them is a real fish - yes, sharks, rays, eels and seahorses are fish too.

► TWO card sizes in the same file - big cards for little hands, small cards for a longer game

► Matching card backs, so nothing shows through the paper

► Every fish is named on its card, with its real name, so the game teaches words while you play

► A spot-the-difference page for the six look-alike pairs

► Rules for five games: memory, Go Fish, Snap, sorting and Fish Detective

HOW TO PLAY ★

Print, cut along the dashed lines, turn everything face down and mix it up.

Turn over two cards. A pair? Keep them and go again.

For younger children, start with six pairs face up and simply find the matches together.

MAKE IT LAST ★

Print on thin card, or glue the sheets onto card before cutting. Laminate them and they survive a whole classroom.

PRINTING ★

Print at 100 percent, not "fit to page", so everything stays the size it was drawn.

Use the US Letter file on US Letter paper and the A4 file on A4 paper. The cards are the same size in both, and the artwork sits well clear of the edges.

COMMON QUESTIONS ★

When do I get it? Straight after your payment clears. Etsy emails you a download link and the files also sit under Purchases in your Etsy account.

Is anything posted to me? No. This is a digital download - nothing is shipped.

Do I need special software? No. It is an ordinary PDF. Any phone, tablet or computer opens it, and any home printer prints it.

How many times can I print it? As many as you like, forever, for your own family or classroom.

Can I use it at school? Yes - use it with your own class freely. Please do not resell it or pass the files on to other teachers; send them here instead.

Something went wrong? Message me and I will fix it the same day.

For personal and classroom use. Please do not resell or redistribute the files.

Look for our little blue butterfly on the back of every card.