The Best Memory Games for Children

Playing memory games with children engages their minds, increases levels of concentration and attention to detail and are easy to implement around the home. Whether you’re looking for a fun Sunday activity or want to give your child a new game to play with their friends in Nursery or Primary School, memory games are a great option.

Below, we have listed some of the best memory games for children aged 4 to 10. With these, you’ll be able to improve your child’s memory and concentration, helping them in later life.

Let’s get started.

Round Robin 

Round Robin is a simple game you can play at home or with your child’s friends. It involves building up a story and trying to carry it along without forgetting any elements. If a child forgets a part of the story, the game restarts.

How to Play:

-       Have your child sit down with yourself or a group of their peers. Then, choose one child to start the story with one sentence of information.

-       The next child then repeats this sentence and carries on the story, adding another sentence.

-       The story then grows and grows until one child can’t remember a sentence in the story.

-       Once the story is broken, the children will have to start again.

To make it more interesting, you can encourage your child to add obscure details and characters.

Picture Bingo 

This is another easy game that you can play at home or in a school environment. The game involves matching cards like bingo.

You will require picture cards to do this, however, they can be bought in most children’s toy shops or supermarkets

How to Play:

-       Take one of each picture card and distribute them to each player equally, facing up. This could be between two children or you and your child.

-       Place the rest of the cards face down in the middle - give them a shuffle.

-       Once everything has been laid out, each player takes turns revealing a card in the middle. If they get a match with one of their cards, they can keep it facing up.

-       The game continues until one player matches all their cards with the cards in the middle.

Number String 

This game is similar to Round Robin, but it uses numbers instead of stories. As this game uses abstract figures, it becomes more challenging.

How to Play:

-       Have the children sit in a circle and choose one of them to start.

-       The child who starts will say a number. The number can be anything they want.

-       The child next to them must then repeat this number and say a new number.

-       The game continues until someone misses a number in the sequence.

Magic Cup

This is a classic game that has been played for many years. It’s an old school carnival game that you can do to help improve your child’s memory and concentration. It’s incredibly simple and only requires a few items around the house.

How to Play:

-       Take 3 cups and a small object (coin, ball, etc.)

-       Place the object under one of the cups in front of your child.

-       Shuffle the cups.

-       Ask your child which cup the object is under.

-       If they get it right, you can give them a turn at shuffling.

I Went Shopping

This is another common memory game played in schools. It is, again, like the numbers and story-based games, however, this one involves real-life objects, making it practical and relevant to everyday life.

How to Play:

-       Have the children sit down, ideally in a circle.

-       Choose a child to start off the game by saying “I went shopping and bought a [insert item]"

-       The next child then says “I went shopping and bought a [previous item] and a [new item].

-       This continues around the circle until a child forgets an item from the shop.

You can also ask the children to think of uncommon fruits and vegetables to make the game more challenging.

What’s on the Tray? 

Another simple game you can play using a baking tray and random items around the house is “what’s on the tray?”. There are quite a few variations of this game, so you can mix it up depending on how you want to improve your child’s memory.

How to Play:

-       Grab a baking tray and some random items around the house (it can be anything!).

-       Place them on the tray and show them to the children.

-       Give them a minute to process everything on the tray, then remove it from sight.

-       Ask them to write down as many objects as they can remember. The child that gets the most objects right, wins.

As mentioned, there are a few ways you can vary the game. One way is by removing an object randomly after showing the tray to the child. You can see if the child can remember what was taken away.

Sound Chain

Similar to the other games for memory improvement on this list, this involves stringing together chains of information. However, unlike the others, this includes sound!

How to Play:

-       Have the children sit in a circle and choose one to start the game.

-       The starter makes a noise- it can be anything from a clap to a whistle.

-       The next child must repeat the noise and then make a new one.

-       The process repeats around the circle until someone forgets the correct sound.

This is a fun variation on the games above and the children can make up their own noises and have fun with it.

Conclusion

In the list above, we have discussed some of the best memory games for children. These can be played with minimal equipment and can be performed at home or school. By taking part in these games, you’ll be able to improve your child’s memory whilst maintaining a fun and playful environment.

For any further tips or if you’re interested in seeing how The High School of Glasgow Junior School can help facilitate your child’s memory and learning, get in touch today.