Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
Match The Senses Activity
- StageEarly Years
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Match The Senses Activity is a free printable worksheet about the five senses for young children. Your child matches each picture to the sense symbol it belongs with. It suits nursery, Reception and Year 1, and all they need is a pencil or crayon.
It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company. Print the sheet, talk about the senses together first, then let your child do the matching. Colour or black and white both work.
What is on the sheet
Children look at the pictures on the sheet and match each one to a sense symbol. To choose, they think about how they would notice that thing in real life. Would they see it, hear it, touch it, taste it or smell it? The task is short and visual, so it suits children who are not yet confident readers. It also gives you plenty to talk about.
Ways to get more from the sheet
Warm up with a sense walk
Before printing, walk round the house or garden and stop to notice things. Ask your child what they can see, hear or smell right now. This gets them thinking about senses as something they use all the time.
Say your reasons aloud
When your child matches a picture, ask, "How would you know about that?" Hearing the reason matters more than the line they draw. It also shows you how they are thinking.
Cover and recall
After finishing, turn the sheet over. Ask your child to name the five senses from memory. Then check together by looking back at the symbols.
Make it personal
Ask your child to pick a favourite sound, smell or texture and draw it on the back. Then they can explain which sense they used.
Why teach the five senses?
Our senses are how we collect information about the world. Each one sends messages to the brain, and the brain puts them together so we can make sense of what is around us. Young children learn mainly by looking, listening, touching, tasting and smelling, so naming the senses gives them useful words for what they already do.
In England, learning about the senses links to early years work on understanding the world. It also links to Year 1 science, where children name parts of the human body and say which part is linked with each sense. A simple matching sheet is a gentle first step. It builds vocabulary and careful observation, and it starts a habit of asking how we know things.
If you try tasting or smelling games, an adult must prepare everything. Check for allergies first. Only use safe, familiar foods and never let children sniff or taste cleaning products, plants or anything unknown. Keep loud sound games at a gentle volume.
Fun facts about senses
- Your brain receives messages from all your senses at the same time.
- Smell and taste work together, which is why food can seem bland when you have a cold.
- Sound is made by vibrations, which travel through the air to us.
- Many animals have senses sharper than ours. Dogs, for example, have a far better sense of smell than people.
- Some parts of the body are more sensitive to touch than others. Fingertips are very good at noticing small details.
Skills and curriculum link
- Matching pictures to symbols
- Naming the five senses
- Observation
- Vocabulary
- Pencil control
- Talking about reasons
Helpful ideas for grown ups
- Start with real thingsHold up an everyday object and ask how your child could find out about it. Let them suggest ideas before you give any.
- Use sense wordsPraise words such as loud, soft, rough, sweet, bright and strong. A bigger bank of describing words helps their talking and later writing.
- Accept more than one ideaSome things can be noticed in several ways. If your child gives a sensible reason, listen to it and ask which way seems strongest.
- Keep it lightTreat the sheet like a game of noticing. If attention drifts, stop and return later. Short, happy turns work best with young children.
Key words
- SenseA way our body collects information about the world around us.
- SymbolA simple picture that stands for an idea.
- MatchTo pair two things that belong together.
- ObserveTo look or notice carefully and think about what you find.
- DescribeTo use words to say what something is like.
- TextureHow something feels when you touch it, such as smooth or bumpy.
How to use it
- Print the sheet and gather a pencil or crayons. Find a quiet spot where your child can see the whole page.
- Talk about the senses first. Ask your child to tell you any senses they already know, and what they have noticed today.
- Read the instruction aloud. Point to the sense symbols so your child knows what each one looks like.
- Let your child match the pictures in any order they like. Encourage them to say why before they draw each line.
- Look over the sheet together. Ask about any choices that surprised you, and celebrate how carefully they looked.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Do the matching together for the first picture. Ask, "How would you notice this?" Let your child act it out if they like. Cover the other pictures so they can focus on one at a time. Say each symbol name aloud, and take breaks as needed.
To stretch confident children
Ask your child to think of three things around the home for each sense and say them aloud. Or they can draw their own picture and symbol pairs on a blank page. An older child could write a sentence for each one.
Make it a game
Play "I notice". One person says, "I notice something that makes a sound," and the others guess what it is. Then swap. Take turns using each of the five senses, and keep the clues short and clear.
Mistakes to watch for
Watch forA child matches by colour or by what looks neat on the page, not by thinking about the sense.
Try thisPause and ask, "How would you find out about this in real life?" Let them pretend to do it before choosing.
Watch forA child cannot remember what a symbol stands for.
Try thisLook at the symbols together before starting. Link each one to a quick action, then ask them to explain it back to you.
Watch forA child feels sure a picture belongs with more than one sense and gets stuck.
Try thisSay that is a good thought. Ask which sense they would use first, and let them choose and explain.
Talk about it
- What can you hear right now?
- Which sense do you think is the most useful, and why?
- What is your favourite smell, and what does it remind you of?
- How would you describe the feel of your jumper to someone who cannot touch it?
- What would be hard to do if you could not see for a day?
- Which sounds do you like, and which do you not like?
Take it off the page
Sound hunt
Sit quietly for one minute indoors or outdoors. Everyone listens, then shares every sound they noticed. Try again in a different place.
Mystery bag
An adult puts safe, familiar objects in a cloth bag. Your child feels one without looking, describes it and guesses what it is.
Smell and match
An adult prepares small pots of safe, familiar smells, such as a slice of orange or a pinch of herbs. Your child sniffs, describes and guesses. Check for allergies first.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit with your child for the first picture, then let them lead. Keep it relaxed and talk about each choice. Follow up with a sense walk or a mystery bag game.
Teachers
Use it as a starter or plenary in a topic on the senses or the human body. It suits nursery, Reception and Year 1, and works well alongside real objects to look at, listen to and touch.
Home educators
Use it as a short, calm activity within a wider topic on the body or the world around us. Pair it with a nature walk or a sensory play session, and keep a simple record of what your child noticed.
Where this fits in learning
Before this sheet, children learn to name their body parts and to notice things around them. They talk about what they can see, hear and touch in everyday play. Songs and stories about the body help them build that early vocabulary.
After it, children can look more closely at how each sense works. In Year 1 science they name parts of the body and say which part is linked with each sense. Later they can sort materials by how they look and feel, and describe their findings.
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is this worksheet for?
It is made for young children, typically in nursery, Reception and Year 1. The matching task is simple and picture based, so children who cannot yet read well can still take part, especially with a grown up reading the instruction aloud.
- Which senses does the sheet cover?
It covers the five senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell. Children match each picture to the symbol for the sense they would use to notice it. Talk about the senses together before starting.
- Do I need to print it in colour?
No, a colour printer is not essential. Black and white works if that is what you have. Colour may help young children tell the pictures apart, so use it if you can. Either way, have a pencil or crayons ready.
- Is the worksheet free to use?
Yes, it is free to print from the Mini Minds Hub. You can print it for your own family or for a classroom. Jaques of London shares it so that children can enjoy learning at home and at school.
- How can I help a child who finds matching hard?
Work on one picture at a time and cover the rest. Ask how they would notice the thing in real life, and let them act it out. Talking first, then drawing the line, often makes the choice clearer.
- Can I use it with a child who has sensory differences?
Yes, with care. Some people experience senses differently, and some do not use every sense in the same way. Use gentle language, focus on what your child can notice, and adapt the talk to suit them.
- How does this link to the National Curriculum?
It supports early understanding of the senses, which leads into Year 1 science on the human body, where children say which body part is linked with each sense. It also fits early years work on understanding the world.
Preview the full PDF
Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.