Memory Game

Children love playing this and often beat any adults when doing so. Typically it is played using special packs of matched pairs of cards which you can buy or if you have the time you can makeup yourself, or you can play this with a normal pack of playing cards.

When playing with younger children it is better to play using a smaller number of cards and to use simpler images rather than complex ones.

Playing the game…

Version 1:  [normal mode of play] Mix the cards up face down on the table so that back off all cards are visible. Each player then takes it, in turn, to turn over any two cards allowing other players to see the image on the other side. Cards are then turned face down again. If a player finds a pair they keep the pair of cards and are allowed another go. Player collecting the most pairs at the end of the game wins.

Version 2:  [easier] Mix the cards up face down on the table so that the back of all cards are visible. Players, in turn, turn over any two cards so that everybody can see them, but they only turn back over one card. Next player also turns over any two cards and again only turns one back over. Regardless of whose turn it is any two cards that are identical can be claimed by the player that places a hand on each card in the pair. Player collecting the most pairs at the end of the game wins.

Playing using a 52 playing card deck.
Because playing card decks don’t have identical cards. A matching pair is regarded as any two cards of the same value AND colour (eg 9 of Hearts would pair with the 9 of Diamonds (both are red).

Making your own cards:-
Making your own cards is simple as all the game needs is a number of pairs of cards which have matching images… but also cards that are indistinguishable from the back 🙂  To make it more interesting/difficult you can make the images slightly different to each other, so long as the two images are recognisably linked, eg same person, same number different font, etc…

What about a geometric and/or mathematical set of memory game cards? Create pairs of cards using two different but similar shapes (eg one pair with two right-angled triangles another pair with isosceles triangles, etc…) Or mathematical pairs using a sum on one card and the answer on another.

Mounting the pairs of pictures you have onto cards and/or laminating them will help preserve the cards for future use.

HINT:-Try playing this for special occasions, I’ve seen it being used for a 60th birthday celebration where all the family members and guests were invited to send in advance copies of two photos of themselves (identical or different) which they didn’t mind being cut up. The photos were mounted on card and then used as in memory game…