Unicorn matching cards: six pairs, one complete sheet

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12 picture cards forming six exact pairs. All sheets have a matching A4 and Letter PDF. No account or email needed.

12 picture cards forming six exact pairs

A4 PDF ↓Letter PDF ↓SVG ↓

12 identical optional backs

A4 PDF ↓Letter PDF ↓SVG ↓

Print the matching paper size at 100%. Adults can adapt the activity and help with cutting. Use permissions.

Know what is in the set

There are two each of six original pictures: a four-legged unicorn, a moon, a star, a leaf, a cloud and a shell. Matching means the same picture, not the same color; the black-and-white designs work without color printing. One picture sheet contains all six pairs. Do not print it twice unless you want two separate sets.

You need the printed sheet, suitable card or opaque backing if the pictures show through, and adult help with scissors. If you want the optional backs, print that second sheet once too. It contains 12 identical star-pattern backs.

Cut a set that stays fair

1. Print at a consistent scale. Use the same paper size and settings for fronts and backs. See the print check if your rectangles look different sizes.
2. Color before cutting, if you color at all. Keep each pair’s picture colors alike. Different marks on the backs can reveal a match before a card is turned over.
3. Cut the rectangle edges. Have an adult help. Keep the cards the same size and remove obvious ragged corners that make one card recognizable.
4. Check opacity. Hold a card face down in the light where you will play. If you can identify its picture, use opaque card or glue an identical optional back to every card.
5. Let glue dry flat. This set does not require duplex printing. Cut-and-glue backs avoid front/back printer alignment problems.

Start with all the pictures showing

Lay the 12 cards face up. Choose one picture and find its partner. Move a pair to a shared pile until all six pairs are found. For a smaller start, set out only three complete pairs: six cards. Keep both copies of each selected picture.

An adult can ask “Which two are exactly alike?” or point to a detail such as the leaf’s diagonal vein. There is no need to race or keep a score.

Try the face-down version

Mix the cards and arrange them in three rows of four. On a turn, flip any two cards so everyone can see. If they match, place them together in the found-pairs pile. If they differ, return them to the same positions face down after everyone has looked. Continue until the group has found all six pairs.

For this cooperative version, turns move around the table whether a pair is found or not. It avoids one person taking many turns in a row. If your group prefers a competitive rule, agree before starting how matching affects turns and scoring.

Check the set before putting it away

Sort the pictures into six pairs. If a card is missing, remove its partner too until you replace it from a fresh sheet. A set with an unmatched card cannot finish cleanly. Keep each set in a separate envelope so multiple printed copies do not become mixed.

For a next activity using the same visual language, try the garden maze or make a short scene with the story cards. Matching is a game here, not a tested therapy or a promise to improve memory.