Free Printable - Woodland Animals Match Up

As the leaves turn vibrant oranges, deep reds, and golden yellows, autumn invites children to explore the wonders of nature. This time of year is particularly enchanting, as it provides exciting opportunities for hands-on learning and imaginative play. One engaging resource you can use to create engaging activities is our free downloadable Woodland Animals poster with matching watercolor cards. This resource not only highlights the beauty of woodland creatures but also promotes creative and critical thinking through various autumn-themed activities.

Download Your Woodland Animals Resource

Before we delve into the activities, we’re excited to invite you to download our free Woodland Animals poster. This poster features watercolor illustrations of ten essential woodland creatures: deer, foxes, owls, squirrels, rabbits, bears, hedgehogs, mushrooms, pine cones, and fallen leaves. With these beautiful images, you can set the stage for a magical autumn experience suitable for preschool and kindergarten children.

Engaging Activities with Woodland Animal Cards

Sensory Box Exploration

A sensory box can be an excellent tool for young learners. By using the woodland animal cards, you can create a nature-inspired sensory box. Here’s how to do it:

Materials Needed:

A large bin or box

Natural materials such as pine needles, small stones, leaves, and acorns

The Woodland Animal cards

Instructions: Fill the bin with the collected natural materials.Print out the Woodland Animal cards, laminate, and place them around the sensory box.Invite the children to explore the box, identifying the materials and their corresponding animal cards.Encourage them to describe the texture, smell, and look of the items in the box.This activity promotes sensory awareness, language skills, and cognitive development as children engage with different textures and materials while relating them to the animals they represent.

Nature Table Addition

Nature tables are wonderful features in any classroom, providing a space to explore the beauty and diversity of nature. With the Woodland Animals cards, you can enhance your Nature Table with an autumn theme:

Setup:

Select a small area or table for your Nature Table.

Use the Woodland Animal cards as an introduction to the theme.

Collect additional materials like real leaves, branches, acorns, and any other natural items you find during walks or outdoor explorations.

Fall-themed Diorama

Creating a diorama is a fantastic way for children to express their creativity and apply their understanding of the natural world:

Materials Needed:

A shoebox or small cardboard box

Natural materials (leaves, twigs, stones, etc.)

Art supplies (colored paper, glue, scissors)

Woodland Animal cards

Instructions:

Drawing Animals from Observation

Observation is a key aspect of art and learning. In an outdoor setting, invite children to sit quietly as they observe woodland animals in their natural environment (or use their imagination to visualize the animals represented in the cards):

Materials Needed:

Sketchbooks or sheets of paper

Colored pencils, crayons, or watercolor paints

The Woodland Animal cards as references

Instructions:

Story Time with Woodland Animals

Storytelling is a powerful tool for language development and imagination. Use the Woodland Animals cards during story time to create engaging narratives:

Materials Needed:

The Woodland Animal cards

A cozy reading nook

Storybooks featuring woodland themes

Instructions:

Autumn is a wonderful time for exploration and discovery, and the Woodland Animals poster and matching watercolor cards serve as a valuable resource for teachers and parents alike. By incorporating these activities—sensory boxes, nature tables, dioramas, observational drawing, and storytelling—you can create an enriching environment that nurtures curiosity and creativity in young learners.

As you prepare for your autumn curriculum, remember that learning can happen anywhere—inside the classroom or outside in nature. Encourage your children to embrace the beauty of the deciduous biome and observe the life that flourishes around them. Our free Woodland Animals resource will help you inspire a love of nature and support hands-on learning experiences that connect children with the world beyond the classroom.

HERE IS what’s included:

2 x woodland poster
1 x sorting mat – background
1 x page with woodland elements for matching

There are many uses of the printable. One of them is introducing children to new vocabulary and making glue-and-paste activities.

Younger children can be encouraged to match colored pictures to the black and white version.
Cut cards, laminate, and attach hook and loop dots to add an extra challenge for little fingers.
If you would like to enlarge the background, here is how you can do it. Hit Print. Make sure your Advanced Settings ‘Print As Image’ has been deselected. Then hit ‘Poster’ and set your ‘Tile Scale’ according to how large you would like your poster to be. It will print on two sheets if you set it at 100%. Trim sheets as needed and connect your poster pieces using scotch tape.