What This And That Worksheets Actually Do
These worksheets are basic categorization and language tools for kindergarteners. The child sees pairs of images or objects and marks which one is "this" and which is "that," or sorts items into two columns based on simple criteria. It sounds trivial, but it builds foundational skills in following directions, recognizing visual distinctions, and connecting print to spoken language. I used to think these worksheets were just busywork until I watched a kid who couldn't sit still actually engage with one because the pictures were relatable and the instructions took thirty seconds instead of three minutes. The format works when it's tight. It falls apart when the page is cluttered.
Where to Find This And That Worksheets For Kindergarten
The most reliable free sources are TeachersPayTeachers freebies section, K5 Learning, and Scholastic's teacher resources. For paid options, Scholastic Teachables and Education.com offer structured sets that are professionally vetted. I avoid the generic Pinterest dumps because the quality control is nonexistent — I've seen worksheets where the "this" image was smaller than the "that" image, which completely breaks the exercise. If you're printing at home, stick to standard letter size. Laminating a single copy and letting the child mark it with a dry-erase marker cuts your paper cost down to nearly zero and lets you reuse the same worksheet five or six times before it gets ragged.
How to Use Them Without Losing Your Mind
Sit with the child. Not behind them. Not hovering. Just nearby, doing your own thing, available if they get stuck. The worksheet should take between two and four minutes depending on the child's reading level and fine motor speed. If it takes longer than that, the worksheet is too hard or too poorly designed. One thing I learned the hard way: don't give the child a pencil on the first attempt. Use a pointer — a pencil held loosely, a crayon, even just a finger. The motor demand of gripping and writing while also processing the concept creates unnecessary friction. Once they understand the pattern, then switch to marking with a pencil or crayon. That transition usually happens within two or three worksheets. I had a kid once who kept circling both options on a this-and-that sorting sheet. Not because he didn't understand the difference between a cat and a dog. Because the instructions said "Circle the this" and he'd been taught to circle the answer, so he circled both. The fix was changing the language to "Put a check next to the this" and walking through one example together first. That detail — the verb choice in the instruction — matters more than parents and teachers usually give it credit for.
Get the Full Details
What Beginners Miss
The biggest mistake I see is assuming the worksheet teaches the word "this" and "that." It doesn't. It teaches the child to follow a two-item instruction on paper while making a visual discrimination. The actual language acquisition happens in the conversation around it. When the child points to the image, say the word out loud. "This is a ball. That is a car." The worksheet is the scaffolding, not the lesson itself. A second counter-intuitive point: mixing up the order helps more than repeating the same layout. If every worksheet has "this" on the left and "that" on the right, the child learns to just mark the left side without processing anything. Rotate the positions. Sometimes "this" is on the right. Sometimes the columns switch. It adds about thirty seconds per worksheet but reinforces actual comprehension instead of pattern-matching.
When These Worksheets Don't Work
They don't work well for children with significant fine motor delays — the marking itself becomes the barrier, not the concept. In those cases, switch to a matching activity where the child physically moves cut-out pieces onto the page instead of drawing. It takes more prep time upfront but removes the motor component entirely. They also fall apart for kids who are already reading independently and find the pictures infantalizing. I've seen seven-year-olds in special education settings shut down completely over worksheets designed for K. The content is appropriate but the visual presentation signals "baby" to a child who's sensitive to that. Pair these worksheets with something slightly more mature-looking — a simple chart or a two-column sort with minimal decoration — and engagement improves noticeably. Another limitation: these worksheets assume the child has basic print awareness. If the child doesn't yet understand that text carries meaning or that pages are read left to right, a this-and-that worksheet will feel like random pictures with confusing markings. In that case, spend a week or two on directional tracing and picture-labeling activities before introducing the worksheet format.
The skill transfer from these worksheets to real-world language use is moderate at best. A child who can complete ten sheets in a row might still struggle to use "this" and "that" correctly in spontaneous conversation. Don't treat worksheet completion as proof of mastery. It's one data point among many.
