Turn over two cards and look for an ocean pair. This free printable memory game has eight different sea creatures and two identical copies of each: sixteen cards altogether. The artwork is already colored, with soft painted dolphins, seals, seahorses, swordfish, jellyfish, starfish, sea turtles and octopuses. Start with four cards or use the whole set.
Choose Your Download
The complete pack contains 2 pages. Both paper sizes have the same content. Choose the version matching your paper; 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 |
Prepare Sixteen Cards
Print the card sheet once. Both copies of every creature are already included, so printing the fronts twice would make an extra set. All sixteen cards share a four-column, four-row cutting block. At actual size each card measures 42 by 60 mm.
Use opaque card stock suitable for your printer. If you use ordinary paper, glue the whole uncut sheet to plain card, let it dry flat, then cut around the outside block and along the straight grid. No separate decorative backs or aligned double-sided printing are required.
Check a card face down in the room where you will play. If you can identify the animal through the paper, add an opaque backing and check again. Keep all reverse sides alike, with no different colors or marks that reveal a card.
Begin with Two Complete Pairs
Choose both copies of two animals, giving four cards. Mix them and lay them face down in a two-by-two square. The guide shows a dolphin pair revealed to illustrate a match; during play all four cards start face down.
Take turns turning over two cards. If the pictures match, keep the pair and take another turn. If they do not, let everyone see them, turn them face down in their original places, then pass the turn. Keep the positions unchanged so remembering a location remains useful.
Play the Full Ocean Game
For the larger version, shuffle all sixteen cards and arrange four rows of four. Use the same matching rule until every pair is found. Players can keep their own pairs and count them at the end, or work together with one shared collection. There is no timer.
Use any number of complete pairs between the four-card and sixteen-card versions. Start by naming the pictures face up if the creatures are unfamiliar, then shuffle before playing. The activity matches pictures; children do not need to read animal names or remember a scientific classification.
Put the Cards Away Together
Check for two of each of the eight creatures before packing the game away. Keep cards flat in an envelope or small box. The guide can stay on a screen, so only one front sheet needs to be printed to make the game.
Choose A4 or US Letter to match the paper in the tray and print in portrait orientation. Actual size or 100% gives the stated card dimensions. Check that all four rows and the outside grid border fit in your printer preview. If fitting to printable area is necessary, the cards can be smaller; print the whole sheet with one consistent setting so every card remains the same size.
The cards contain color artwork. A grayscale print can also work because each pair is identical, but check that the different silhouettes remain easy to recognize on your first sheet.
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