Memory Games For Kids

Memory was always one of my favorite games as a kid, and you’ll be shocked to know that I made my own versions too many times to count! I’ve made a memory game for kids out of balsa wood, foam board, but my favorite matching game material is a colored pocket folder. Pocket folders are inexpensive, come in solid colors, and are easy to cut with scissors.

You don’t need fancy supplies to make your own games with kids. If you don’t have a pocket folder laying around use a cardboard box, file folder or whatever else you have on hand. One of the things I love about making memory games is that making it is only half the fun. Then you get to beg your parents to play with you over and over again, and they have to say yes!

Let’s get this free memory game making party started!

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Materials

• 1 Pocket folder (These are perfect!)
• Ruler
• Scissors
• Coloring supplies

Like I said above, don’t let the colored pocket folder hold you back from making a memory games with the kids. If you don’t have one on hand, consider gluing a peice of construction paper to a flattened cereal box to make a memory game! Or ripping the covers off of a few spiral notebooks. I promise you have memory game making materials hiding in your house right now! I challenge you to make a matching game without buying anything from the store.

How To Make Matching Games For Kids

I recently made a memory game with my 4 year old son, and I did most of the cutting. He loves to use scissors, but it’s important that the squares all look the same if you’re really trying to play the game. He did love decorating the game pieces though!

Step 1 – Cut the pockets

Use scissors to cut the pockets out of folder. But don’t toss the pockets, you can get a fee game pieces from the pockets too.

Step 2 – Measure

Open the folder and measure 2 inch intervals across the folder.

Step 3 – Cut the squares

Cut the foder in to 2 inch strips and then cut each strip in 2 inch segments to make squares. These are your game pieces!

Step 4 – Decorate

Decorating is obviously the best part! The only rule is that there needs to be 2 similar pictures on 2 separate cards. Paint, markers, crayons, stamps, and map pencils are all fair game for making your matching game. I recently made a matching game with my 4 year old son, and we did upper case and a lower case letters. Shapes and colors work well for the preschoolers too. Another fun option is to cut pictures out of magazines and glue the images to the cards. Body parts (eyes, hands, ears, hair, feet) would work well for a magazine matching game or even letters or words.

If you’re looking for a memory game that will hold up for years to come, consider making a matching game out of balsa wood! In this case, an adult will likely need to cut all of the squares, but kids can decorate the pieces just the same!