Set out a small farm memory game with a cow, pig, sheep, goat, pony, donkey, hen and duck. The printable card sheet contains two identical copies of each animal, so one print gives you all eight pairs. The full-colour paper-collage pictures are for matching and playing; this is not a coloring sheet. Begin with just two pairs or use all sixteen cards.
Choose Your Download
The complete pack contains 2 pages. Both paper sizes include the same content. Downloads open directly without an email sign-up.
| File | A4 | US Letter |
|---|---|---|
| Complete pack (2 pages) | A4 PDF | Letter PDF |
| Cut-out cards (1 page) | A4 PDF | Letter PDF |
| Illustrated guide (1 page) | A4 PDF | Letter PDF |
Eight Animals, Sixteen Cards
The first printable page holds a four-by-four block of cards. Every animal appears twice, and each pair uses the same picture. A woolly sheep and bearded goat have different outlines, while the pony and long-eared donkey form another pair of animals to look at carefully. The hen has a short pointed beak; the white duck has a broad orange bill.
There are no instructions, titles or decorative footers on the cutting sheet. The thin grid is the cutting guide, with a single shared line between neighbouring cards. Each finished card measures 42 by 60 mm when printed at actual size.
Print and Cut One Sheet
Choose the A4 or US Letter card file for the paper in your printer. Use portrait orientation and actual size, or 100%, to keep the stated dimensions. The two formats have the same pictures and card sizes; their outside margins differ. Print the separate guide only if you want a paper copy of the rules.
Colour printing preserves the coloured illustrations. A black-and-white printer will reproduce the same shapes in grey tones; these filled pictures are not outlined designs intended for coloring. Check one sheet for complete animal ears, tails and feet before making extra copies.
Make Every Back Look the Same
For a face-down game, the pictures must stay hidden. Use opaque card stock that your printer accepts, or glue the whole uncut printed sheet to plain card and let it dry flat. Hold the sheet toward a light before cutting: if a picture is recognisable from behind, add an opaque backing.
Trim the outside of the card block, cut it into strips along the shared grid, then separate the cards. An adult can prepare the set for children who are not ready for cutting. There is no separate patterned back to align, and no double-sided printing is needed.
Start with Two Complete Pairs
Pick two animals and take both copies of each. Shuffle those four cards and place them face down in a square. Leave the other twelve cards aside. Turn over two cards, keeping them in their original places. A matching animal pair is kept by that player, who takes another turn.
If the pictures differ, let everyone see them, then turn both back over in those same positions. Pass the turn to the next player. The illustration in the printable guide shows a cow pair revealed; it is an example during play, not the starting arrangement.
Build Up to the Full Farm
Add another complete pair when the small game feels comfortable. Always add both copies of an animal; a single unmatched card cannot be collected. For all eight pairs, shuffle the sixteen cards and arrange them in a four-by-four layout with a little space between them.
Keep the card positions stable after an unsuccessful turn. Continue until every pair is collected. You can work together to find all eight pairs, or count each player's pairs at the end. Equal totals are a tie. To restart, gather the cards, shuffle and deal a fresh face-down layout.
Choose Matching or Naming Play
For an open-picture activity, lay one copy of each animal face up and offer the second copies for matching. This version does not use the hidden-card turn rules. A child can place the two cows together, then find another matching picture without needing to remember a covered position.
Keep the pairs in a small envelope after play. Count two copies of each of the eight animals before putting the set away, so an incomplete pair does not make the next game impossible. The guide and card sheet are separate downloads, allowing you to replace only the page you need.
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