Mom & Baby Dominoes: 28 Tiles, 7 Farm Animal Families

Colorful mommy and baby dominoes with cow, calf, pig, piglet, hen, chick, horse and foal to print

Every baby wants its mom! In Mom & Baby Dominoes, you don't match dots – you match families: the calf goes next to the cow, the piglet next to the pig. A calm tile-laying game for 2–4 players ages 4 and up.

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What's in the PDF

The color PDF has 4 pages: instructions with a sample row and three pages with 28 domino tiles. Each tile shows a mom on the left (green) and a baby on the right (orange), both labeled. The families are cow & calf, pig & piglet, sheep & lamb, hen & chick, horse & foal, goat & kid, and duck & duckling. The coloring PDF has the same tiles in black and white.

At a Glance

Players
2–4 players
Age
ages 4+
Pages
4 × A4 + 4 × A4
Time
about 15–20 minutes

📄 What’s on the Pages

Page 1: How to play
The tiles, the matching rule, how a game works, an idea for little ones, fun facts, and a sample row.
Pages 2–3: Tiles 1–24
12 tiles per page with mom on the left and baby on the right, including the 7 “family tiles.”
Page 4: Tiles 25–28
The last 4 tiles, a cardboard tip, and all 7 animal families at a glance.

How to play

1
Print the pages at actual size and glue them onto cardboard if you can.
2
Cut out all 28 tiles and mix them face down.
3
Each player takes 5 tiles (7 with two players); the rest stay in the barnyard pile.
4
Place one tile face up in the middle, then take turns adding a matching tile.
5
If you can't play, draw from the pile – the first player with no tiles left wins.

The matching rule

1
Every tile has a mom on the left (green) and a baby on the right (orange).
2
To the right of a baby, you can only add a tile that shows its own mom.
3
To the left of a mom, you can only add a tile that shows her baby.
4
Tiles are added to either end of the line.
5
For little ones: lay all tiles face up and build one long animal train together – all 28 tiles even make a full circle.

💡 Tips

  • Glued onto cardboard or laminated, the tiles last for many games.
  • For beginners, start with the tiles from just one page.
  • On the coloring version, color the mom halves green and the baby halves orange so the color clue works again.
  • Have kids say each match out loud: “The lamb goes with the sheep!”

What kids learn

Kids learn seven animal families and their baby names, from kid to duckling. The matching rule takes real logical thinking: which mom belongs to this baby? Along the way they practice taking turns, following rules, and cutting skills.

🔄 Variations & Ideas

Circle challenge
Work together to lay all 28 tiles in one closed circle – it really works.
Find the families
First, pick out the 7 tiles where mom and baby are already together.
Sound round
Whoever plays a tile makes the sound of the mom and the baby.

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Why families love PureSketchy:

  • Completely free: Every template with no sign-up, no newsletter, no subscription.
  • Color and B/W: Ready in full color or as a coloring version to make it your own.
  • Print-ready: Clean PDF pages – print on US Letter or A4 and get started.
  • Made to go together: Games, crafts and 272 coloring pages all around the farm.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How do dominoes work without dots?
Instead of matching dots, you match a baby with its mom: next to the calf on the right end, you can only play a tile with a cow on its left side.

Which animal families are included?
Cow & calf, pig & piglet, sheep & lamb, hen & chick, horse & foal, goat & kid, and duck & duckling.

Can one child play alone?
Yes. Lay all the tiles face up and build the longest animal train possible – or try to close all 28 tiles into a circle.

Is the download free?
Yes, all templates on PureSketchy are 100% free for personal, preschool and classroom use – no sign-up needed.

Is there a German version?
Yes! You can find the German version here: Tier-Domino.