Search & match activities for kids

Fun printable worksheets for ABCs, counting, and early learning skills!

The Aquarium is a great place to practice your "1–2–3s!" Some animals have 1 foot, some have 2 shells, some have 5 arms, some have 8 legs, and more. The goal of the game is to find an Aquarium animal with body parts for each number from  1 to 10. You can count fins, feet, gills, eyes, spots or anything. It's easy to play when you visit the Aquarium or at home by watching our live web cams.

How to play

At the Aquarium

Try to find an animal with body parts for each of the numbers from 1 to 10:  1 tail, head, mouth, spine... 2 eyes, flippers, ears, legs etc. Share the name of the animal and its body part, such as, "A leopard shark has 1 tail. A sea urchin has more than 10 spines."

At home

Print out a copy of the "1–2–3 search" activity sheet. Find an animal with body parts for each of the numbers from 1 to 10. Share the name of the animal and its body part, such as, "The sea otter has 1 nose."

Another way to play is to watch the Aquarium’s live web cams or visit our Animals A to Z pages. You can also look at pictures of animals in books and magazines, or have fun doing a nature number search at home, school or nearby park.

Stripes, spots, bright colors and drab hues can help an animal blend in with its surroundings or warn predators to stay away. See if you can find the animals or plants that have different coloration patterns.

How to play

At the Aquarium

1. Print out a copy of the "Pattern search" activity sheet.
2. Try to find an animal or plant that matches each pattern in or near our Splash Zone and Kelp Forest exhibits.
3. Decide: Does the coloration pattern help the animal blend in with its surroundings? Or does it warn predators to stay away?

How to play

At the Aquarium

Challenge your family to find animals or plants for each letter of the alphabet. Make up an imaginary animal or plant if you are stuck on hard letters like Q or X.

At home

1. Print out a copy of the "ABC search" activity sheet. See if you can match each letter of the alphabet with the right picture.
2. Explore Animals A to Z for each letter of the alphabet.