Why play memory games?
Remembering what you've just seen or heard is something children do all day: following instructions, copying from the board, reading a sentence to the end. Memory games practise it in a way that feels like play, and they're easy to make harder as children improve.
Kim's game
Put 6 to 10 small objects on a tray. Let your child look for a minute, cover the tray, and take one object away. Uncover it: what's missing? For a harder version, ask them to name everything on the tray from memory.
Memory Moon's What's Missing? game works the same way, adding a picture every two rounds.
Pairs (matching cards)
Lay a set of matching cards face down. Take turns flipping two at a time; keep them if they match. It's a classic for a reason, and great for playing together because younger children are often surprisingly good at it.
Memory Moon's Pairs game gives a quick peek at all the cards first, with 12, 16 or 20 cards depending on the level.
Copy the sequence
Clap a short rhythm, or say a sequence of colours or animals, and ask your child to copy it. Add one more each round until someone gets it wrong.
Memory Moon's Sequence game lights up pads with notes to repeat, adding a step every round.
I went to the market
Take turns adding to a list: "I went to the market and bought an apple." "I went to the market and bought an apple and a banana…" Each person repeats the whole list and adds one. Perfect for car journeys.
Where were they?
Show a few objects on a grid, like a muffin tin or a drawn grid, then cover them and ask where each one was. Memory Moon's Light Grid is the screen version: squares light up, then you tap where they were.
Attention helps memory
You can only remember what you noticed in the first place. Games that train focus, like Eagle Eyes, where children tap only the target picture or spot the odd one out, are a great partner to memory games.
