Community helpers are people children may see at school, around their neighborhoods, at local businesses, or while out with their families. Learning about these workers helps children begin to understand the different jobs people do and how everyone contributes to a community.
I created this free community helpers matching game as a fun, hands-on way for preschool and kindergarten children to become familiar with 24 different community helpers.
Even better, these are the same community helpers featured throughout my larger Community Helpers Worksheets and Activity Packet, so the matching game is an easy way to introduce the characters and vocabulary before moving on to additional activities.
Children can look at the illustrations, name each worker, read or listen to the occupation names, and search for matching pairs while practicing memory and concentration.
What Is Included in the Community Helpers Matching Game?
This free printable includes 24 different community helpers, giving children the opportunity to learn about both familiar occupations and a few they may not encounter as often.
The community helpers included are:
- Astronaut
- Baker
- Builder
- Coach
- Crossing Guard
- Dentist
- Detective
- Doctor
- Farmer
- Firefighter
- Gardener
- Janitor
- Librarian
- Lifeguard
- Mail Carrier
- Service Member
- Nurse
- Painter
- Plumber
- Police Officer
- Reporter
- Teacher
- Trash Collector
- Veterinarian
Each card includes a colorful community helper illustration along with the occupation name underneath.
The printable also includes coordinating patterned card backs, so once the cards are prepared, they can be turned face down and used as a traditional memory game.
With 24 community helpers to match, you can use the entire set for a bigger challenge or choose a smaller number of pairs when working with younger children.
Skills Children Can Practice With This Community Helpers Matching Game
Although children may think they are simply playing a game, this printable gives them opportunities to work on several preschool and kindergarten skills at once.
Learning Community Helper Names
With 24 different occupations represented, children can become familiar with a much wider variety of community workers.
Some, such as teachers, doctors, firefighters, and police officers, may already be familiar. Others, such as detectives, reporters, plumbers, crossing guards, gardeners, and service members, can introduce new vocabulary and encourage conversations about the many different ways people contribute to a community.
Memory and Concentration
Playing the traditional matching game requires children to remember where they have previously seen each community helper.
Start with fewer pairs for younger children and gradually increase the number as their confidence grows.
Older preschoolers and kindergarten students can work toward playing with the entire 24-helper set for an extra memory challenge.
Community Helper Vocabulary
Because each card includes the name of the occupation, children can begin connecting the illustration with its corresponding printed word.
You can reinforce the vocabulary by having children say the community helper’s name whenever they turn over a card.
Visual Discrimination
Finding two identical community helper cards requires children to carefully examine and compare the illustrations.
This gives them additional practice noticing visual details and identifying similarities and differences.
Turn-Taking and Social Skills
When children play with a partner or small group, they can also practice taking turns, following game rules, waiting patiently, and interacting with other players.
How to Prepare Your Free Community Helpers Matching Game
Preparing the game is easy, and once the cards are ready, you can keep them to use again throughout your community helpers unit.
Print two sets of the community helper cards and patterned card backs onto letter-size paper.
For a sturdier set, I recommend using cardstock. You can also laminate the finished cards if you plan to use them frequently in a classroom or learning center.
Attach or print the patterned backs so children cannot see the community helper pictures when the cards are placed face down.
Cut apart the individual cards, and your game is ready to play.
A small zipper bag, photo box, or classroom storage container can help keep all of the cards together between activities.
How to Play the Community Helpers Matching Game
Shuffle the cards and arrange them face down in rows.
Have the first child turn over two cards.
If the two community helpers match, the child keeps the pair. If they do not match, turn both cards face down again and move to the next player.
Continue until all of the matching pairs have been found.
For preschool children who are just learning how memory games work, use four to six community helper pairs rather than the entire set. A smaller game board makes the activity less overwhelming while children learn the rules.
Kindergarten children may be ready to use all 12 community helpers at once.
Adjust the Community Helpers Matching Game for Different Ages
One of the advantages of having 24 community helper pairs is that you do not have to use every card at once.
For younger preschoolers, choose four or five community helpers and play with only those pairs.
Once children understand how the game works, add a few more community helpers.
Kindergarten children who are ready for a challenge can play with a larger selection or even tackle the complete set.
You can also choose the cards that coordinate with the community helpers you are currently studying. If your lesson focuses on firefighters, police officers, doctors, nurses, and crossing guards, pull those cards first and introduce additional workers as your unit progresses.
More Ways to Use the 24 Community Helper Cards
These cards don’t have to stay face down!
Place all 24 community helper cards face up and turn them into a community helper identification activity. Give children clues and have them locate the correct worker.
For example, ask:
“Who helps people cross the street safely?”
“Who takes care of sick animals?”
“Who delivers our mail?”
“Who fixes pipes?”
“Who reports the news?”
You can also sort the cards in different ways, use them for vocabulary practice, place them in a community helpers learning center, or ask children to choose a worker and tell something they know about that person’s job.
Using the Community Helpers Matching Game in the Classroom
This printable can easily be added to a community helpers preschool or kindergarten unit.
Teachers can place the cards in a literacy or social studies center for children to play independently or with a partner. The game can also work well for morning tubs, early finishers, indoor recess, or small-group instruction.
You could introduce only the community helpers you have already discussed and gradually add new cards throughout your unit.
By the end of the theme, children can play with the complete set of 12 helpers.
Using the Matching Game at Home
Homeschool families can use the cards as a quick activity after reading about community helpers.
Because the activity requires very little setup once the cards have been prepared, it can also become an easy educational game to pull out during quiet time.
Parents can extend the lesson by talking about community helpers their children have encountered in real life.
After finding the mail carrier card, for example, children might talk about how mail gets to their house. After finding the dentist, they can discuss why people visit the dentist and how dentists help keep teeth healthy.
These real-world connections can make community helper vocabulary much more meaningful.
Picture Books to Pair With a Community Helpers Matching Game
Books are an easy way to help children learn more about the jobs pictured on their matching cards. Rather than trying to cover every occupation in one sitting, you can choose a few books throughout your community helpers unit.
Some useful book topics to look for include firefighters, doctors, dentists, teachers, farmers, veterinarians, construction workers, mail carriers, bakers, police officers, and librarians.
I especially like books that show what a community helper actually does during the day. After reading, children can look through the matching cards and find the worker featured in the story.
You can also add nonfiction community helper books to a classroom or homeschool book basket so children can explore different careers independently.
Here are a couple of my favorite:
Whose Hands Are These? A Community Helper Guessing Book by Miranda Paul
This guessing book gives children clues about different occupations and asks them to figure out which community helper is being described.
It would pair especially well with the Who Am I? worksheets because both encourage children to use clues to think about different careers.
Clothesline Clues to Jobs People Do by Kathryn Heling and Deborah Hembrook
Children use clothing and other clues to figure out which job belongs to each person.
Make a Paper Plate Community Helper Craft
A simple paper plate craft can add an art activity to your community helpers theme.
One option that pairs especially well with this printable is a paper plate firefighter craft.
Children can paint or color a paper plate, then add a firefighter helmet, ears, facial features, and other details to create their own firefighter.
This works nicely after children learn about firefighters and discuss the equipment they use to help keep people safe.
The finished firefighter crafts can even become part of a community helpers bulletin board or classroom display.
More Free Community Helpers Printables
If you are building a complete community helpers unit, this matching game can be paired with several different types of printable activities.
You can continue the theme with my free community helper worksheets, which give preschool and kindergarten children additional opportunities to recognize community workers while practicing early learning skills.
My community helpers scavenger hunt is another hands-on option when you want to get children moving while they learn.
Pair the Matching Game With My Community Helpers Worksheets
The 24 community helpers in this matching game are the same helpers featured throughout my Community Helpers Worksheets and Activity Packet.
That makes the free matching game a great introduction to the larger resource.
Children can first become familiar with the workers and their names through play, then continue learning about them with literacy, math, vocabulary, sorting, writing, and other community helper activities from the complete packet.
Using the same set of helpers throughout the unit also gives children repeated exposure to the vocabulary rather than introducing a completely different group of occupations with every activity.
Visit my TPT shop to check out my full set.
Pin This Free Community Helpers Matching Game for Later
Planning your community helpers unit for later in the school year?
Save this free printable community helpers matching game to your preschool, kindergarten, homeschool, or community helpers Pinterest board so you can easily find it when you are ready.
It is an easy activity to keep on hand when you need something educational that children can play more than once.
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Print the cards, cut them apart, and your community helpers game is ready for your next preschool, kindergarten, classroom, or homeschool lesson.
Learning About Community Helpers Through Play
Learning about community helpers gives young children an opportunity to discover how many different people work together every day to help their communities.
I created this free community helpers matching game to give children a hands-on way to recognize 12 familiar workers while practicing memory, vocabulary, concentration, and turn-taking.
Use it on its own for a quick educational game or pair it with community helper books, worksheets, crafts, and other activities to create a complete theme that keeps children learning through play.
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