School Sparks - Kindergarten Readiness

An ability to compare and contrast requires strong visual discrimination skills

Many objects, items, or people may, at first glance, appear very similar. For example, nearly all trees are tall with rough, brown bark and soft, green leaves. However, some trees may have smooth, grayish bark and other trees many have long, pointy pine needles in lieu of leaves. Because of this, an ability to observe these distinguishing characteristics and be able to tell the difference between the many different trees is important.

Honing visual discrimination skills with compare and contrast worksheets

Since visual discrimination requires strong visual skills, visual discrimination worksheets are the perfect tool for your child to use in honing this important skill set.

Tips for using the “Different Sizes” compare and contrast worksheets

Before you introduce the different sizes worksheets to your child, review the terms big, small, medium, biggest and smallest. You might take three very different sized cans or boxes out of your cupboard and ask your child to point to the big one, small one, medium one, etc. Or simply cut a piece of paper into three distinct sizes and question your child to make sure that he understands the vocabulary for this worksheet.

Then, before reading the actual direction, ask your child to point to the small and large picture. (For the intermediate and advanced worksheets, also ask your child to point to the medium sized picture.) If he correctly identifies the sizes and pictures, give your child a pencil and read the directions to him.

If multiple pictures on the page seems distracting for your child, simply fold the page to reveal one set of pictures at a time.

Tips for using the “Identical Pictures” compare and contrast worksheets

To help your child focus on one line at a time, either fold the page or cover part of the page with a plain sheet of paper. This will help his eyes track across the page from left to right.

Before using a pencil, direct your child to use his finger to point to the the matching picture in each row. As he points to the matching picture, ask him to tell you some of the characteristics of the picture in the box. For example, he might say that the butterfly has blue wings and a brown body or the king has a crown and a beard. After your child correctly identifies the matching picture and highlights some details in it, let him mark his answer with his pencil.

Extra activities to supplement the compare and contrast worksheets

• While dining out, have your child look at the table then close his eyes while you remove one or two items from the table. Then have him open his eyes and see if he notices what is different. This activity will help your child notice small differences, as you add and remove minor items from the table, which requires strong visual discrimination skills.
• For an easy visual discrimination game, cut many small squares off a single sheet of paper and ask your child to arrange the pieces from smallest to largest. Or, as you put away groceries, give your child 3 or 4 different containers and ask him to put them in order from smallest to largest. Sorting items from smallest to largest requires keen visual discrimination skills as many of the pieces or containers may be very similar in size. You can also give your child a stack of measuring cups and ask him to put them in order on the counter from smallest to biggest.
• At dinnertime, fill two glasses with different amounts of water and ask him to pick the one that contains more water. Or, fill two different shaped cups with the same amount of a snack and ask your child which he wants. Then show him how they looked different but actually had the same amount. This is an advanced visual discrimination activity that requires your child to compare not only the height of the item in each container, but also the shape of the different containers.
• Have your child give you three different books and then pick the one he wants to read with you by asking for it according to its size. For example, “Let’s read the smallest book.” Together with your child, compare and contrast the different books to determine which is the smallest, for example.
• Take pictures of your child’s block creations before they are torn down. Later, challenge your child to recreate the structure using the picture to guide him. To create an identical block structure, he will need to observe each distinguishing characteristic in his first creation and copy it exactly. He will also need to compare and contrast his new creation with the original creation in the picture to ensure he replicates it correctly.
• Stand next to another adult and ask your child to identify 3 similarities and 3 differences between you. Who is taller? Who has longer hair? Do you have the same color hair or eyes? Or, as you walk outside, challenge your child to find two leaves that are the same size or color. Then ask him to find two trees that are the same height. Your child will need to compare and contrast the trees that he sees to find two that are the same height or color or to notice the subtle differences between hair colors.