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Work on focus and concentration with a memory matching game for kids from Erin that's perfect for quiet time play!
This memory matching game for kids requires just two egg cartons and pairs of small objects like pom poms, beads, or even scraps of paper. Which means that I already have everything I need at home!
Don’t get me wrong: I love a trip to Target. But I don’t love a trip to Target just because I need some random supply for an activity I want to do.
No trip to Target required!
Easy DIY Memory Matching Game for Kids to Focus
To make your own egg carton DIY memory matching game for kids, you will need:
- two egg cartons
- pairs of small objects that will fit in an egg carton (buttons, pom poms, scraps of paper or ribbon, beads, etc.)
- scissors
First, you will need to cut apart your egg cartons. You will only need the bottom halves of each, so cut off and discard the tops.
Cut one row off of one carton bottom, being careful to leave enough behind to completely conceal what’s inside when it is nested on top of the other carton.
Next, collect pairs of small objects that fit inside the egg carton. Pom poms, beads, buttons are all great choices.
This polar bear craft for preschoolers also uses an egg carton!
If you don’t have any of those objects, don’t rush to the store! You can easily cut up felt, ribbon, or pipe cleaners to use in your memory matching game for kids, or you could even use stickers.
And if you don’t have any of that, get creative! Coins, Barbie shoes, LEGOs, Skittles, earrings you haven’t worn since high school…the pair possibilities are endless.
(I’m trying really hard to save you that trip to the store, aren’t I?)
Time to Concentrate and Play!
Next, it’s time to play! Arrange the objects in a sequence of your choice.
My six-year-old did well with all six slots filled; my newly four-year-old did better with four slots filled. See what works best for you!
Have your child study the sequence for a period of time. Give more or less time to make it appropriately challenging depending on your child’s age.
This is an opportunity to teach your kids some memorization strategies. You know, like the ones you tried desperately to use when studying five minutes before your chemistry test in high school.
I encouraged my kids to say the colors aloud or in their head and to try to set it to a rhythm by clapping. They were excited to find that this truly helped them remember the sequence!
Make this egg carton train!
After they have studied the sequence, cover it up.
Now your child needs to remember what they saw and try to correctly recreate the sequence.
Did they get it right? If not, have them cover it back up and adjust their objects until they correctly recreate the sequence!
Other Ways to Use Your Memory Matching Game for Kids
- Practice spelling by using letters instead of objects, similar to the game Boggle Junior. Scrabble tiles would work perfectly for this!
- Parents can play too! My kids thought it was hilarious to give me exactly one second to study the sequence before covering it up.
- Remove the hidden “memory matching” component and just use the bottom carton for kids to match objects, letters, or numbers, working on 1:1 correspondence.
- Keep it nearby when you don’t have free hands or the ability to play a more involved game. I am currently nursing a baby and this memory matching game for kids is perfect for tending to baby without ignoring the older kids!
Keep working on concentration and focus with a fun matching game for kids!
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