How to Make Your Own Memory Game

My daughter Ally has a couple of the Memory Games and loves to play them. So at Christmas time I came up with the idea to make our own holiday-themed memory game with Ally’s help. First we cut some plain index cards in half to make two matching squares. Then Ally and I each took two squares and drew the same picture on each one. Ally drew two matching snowmen on her squares and I drew two Christmas trees. We continued cutting and decorating until we had about 8-10 pairs. Then we shuffled the cards and put them face down on the floor and played it just like a normal Memory Game.

Since we made the pictures ourselves, Ally thought it was lots of fun. And since she drew half of the pictures herself, it was extra special – particularly since often Ally was the only one who knew what her pictures were.

Since then Ally and I have made more Memory Games. Ally has written her name or letters on the cards for a word/alphabet memory game and recently we made a fairy princess-themed game, which had Ally drawing carriages and magic wands.

Since you’re making your own Memory Game, use it to practice whatever skill your child is ready to learn.

You could draw a picture of a cat, dog, car, etc. on one card and then write the word to match it on another card. Or, for example, draw two apples on one card to be matched with the number 2 on another card. Another idea would be put uppercase and lowercase letters on each card and then have your child match them up.

This is a game that’s easy and fun for families to make and can be adapted to any age or skill level.