Memory Games
There are so many fun games you can play with your child to improve his or her memory! Here are a few:
- Put five objects on a try, such as a pencil, pen, small toy, shell or ornament. Ask your child to study them for a couple of minutes. Put a cover over the tray. How many objects can your child remember? A variation of this game is to remove one of the objects while the tray is covered and ask your child to spot which one is missing.
- Take a standard pack of playing cards and remove the numbers 6-10 from the pack. Place the remaining cards face down on the table in eight rows of four. Each player tries to find a matching pair by turning up two cards. If it is not a matching pair, the cards are placed fade down again in the same position. If they do match, the player keeps this pair of cards and has another turn. When all the pairs have been found, the player with the most pairs wins.
- Tell your child to imagine going on a holiday. Start off by saying, “I packed my suitcase an put in my… hairbrush”. The next person repeats the phrase but adds on an extra item, e.g. “I packed my suitcase and put in my hairbrush and t-shirt.” And so on.
- Get three plastic cups and a small item such as a coin. Place the item under a cup, making sure your child knows which one it’s under. Move the cups around and ask your child which cup the item is under.
- Ask your child to study you, paying attention to what you are wearing. Leave the room and change one thing. For example, you could take of an earring, tie your hair back or change your shirt. Come back in and ask your child to spot what you have changed. You can also play this game on a white board. Draw a person or scene and rub one thing out when your child is not looking.
