Some students have a difficult time with short-term memory skills. They struggle to remember things, but these games may help with that cognitive function. These 20 fun and engaging games are great for boosting brain power and memory retention. Some are pre-made and some can be made with household objects. Enjoy this collection of kids' memory games.
1. Ladybug Memory Game
This is a neat twist on the classic memory game. This memory exercise is good to lift the ladybugs up out of their spaces to see which picture is underneath. It can help boost memory recall and includes kid-friendly artwork.
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2. What is Missing?
This is a simple and easy memory game to play with kids. You can start out small with 3-4 objects and work up to 10-20 small items. Using common objects under a sheet or paper, let students take time to see what is there. Have them close their eyes and remove some objects. See if they can recall what is missing.
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3. Electronic Simon
Students can practice short-term memory skills and concentration skills with this game. Playing Simon will help students pay attention to sequence. They will recreate the sequence each time and add an additional color at each turn.
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4. Interactive Online Games
The internet is full of memory games to play online or through an app on your phone. If your child likes the digital world, you may want to try these games. This cookie sequence game shows cookies one at a time with different shapes. Students must remember the sequence as more cookies are added at each turn.
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5. Round Robin Story Telling
This is a fun game to let students play together in small groups. Their creative abilities will work together to each add their own part to a story. The twist is that they have to remember everything that the others added before them, so they are retelling as they add to the story. This is a great way to keep the mind sharp!
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6. Remember 10 with Explorer Ben
This book is a great way to turn memory skills into a game! As they read and journey with Ben, they will learn memory tricks to help them remember what Ben needs along the way. Similar to a grocery list, students will help Ben keep track of what he loses and help him find it along the way.
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7. Jigsaw Puzzles
Jigsaw puzzles give a break from board games and allow logical thinking to play a part in the challenging game of memory and figuring out which pieces go where. Puzzles are great mental games that can help keep the brain engaged.
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8. Chess
Chess is a challenging way to help brain health and memory. Students are actively engaged in a game of strategy and must remember which pieces have power and where they go to make the best moves.
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9. Find the Difference
Spotting the differences between two similar pictures requires concentration and memory. Students will need to pay attention to key details in each picture and think about where the differences can be found. These picture puzzles are fun and challenging.
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10. Card Recall
Some students enjoy working with numbers, so this may be a good option for them. Help them pay attention to the suit of the cards, along with the number. Then test them to see if they can recall the cards that were just in front of them.
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11. Personalized Memory Game
Personalizing a memory game may be a great way for students to connect well with the content because it ties to their own lives. Use photos from real life to create a memory game that students can play to match family members or other photos they will easily recognize.
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12. Kim's Game
Kim's Game is a wildly popular game to help with memory. Take a few household objects and put them on a tray or plate. Let students take the time to examine the items. Have students close their eyes and after taking away a few items, test them to see if they can remember what is missing.
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13. Su Do Ku Puzzles
Another good one for those who like numbers, Su Do Ku puzzles are great for helping to improve memory retention. Students must figure out how to use the numbers correctly in each line.
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14. The Money Game
The money game is great for kids! Kids love learning about money and this one focuses on denominations of coins. Help students by talking about the coins, then show them a mix and have them recall what they saw.
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15. Objects Memory
Another classic memory game with a twist, this one is made using a box with small squares to show small objects. Have students cover the boxes until they take a turn to try to make a match. This one is easily made at home.
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16. Drum Beats
A memory game that also works well with practicing listening skills, this drum beats game is a way to be totally hands-on. Students can hear a rhythm and then repeat that rhythm by tapping it out on a drum set, or a make-shift drum set of pots and pans!
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17. Suitcase Send-off Game
This memory game is a bit tougher. These small suitcases will need to be packed and students will need to remember what is packed in each suitcase. The colors will help students make connections and distinguish items.
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18. Blink Cards
These cards are fun to use to play sequences or memory games. Create sequences and patterns, using colors, shapes, and different numbers of items. Let students try to recreate the patterns.
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19. Magic Cup Game
This classic magic trick is also a great memory game. Students will need to remember where the ball starts out, and pay attention to the movements the cup makes so they will know where the ball ends up when the game is over.
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20. Retelling and Sequencing with Picture Cards
Take a break from the classic memory and matching games to practice short-term memory skills with another option. Retelling a story using picture cards. Remind students to pay attention when you tell the story and then let them have a turn to do the same!
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