Memory Games for Pre-Schoolers

Match Game

• Pick up to 14 cards with seven matches. Put them face down on a flat surface and have the child reveal a card one at a time in an attempt to remember where the match is located. The backs of the card need to be the same, but the image on the face can be anything so long as there are two of them. An emotion theme could have cards with angry, frustrated, happy, surprised and confused expressions. If there's no time to draw cards, use a regular pack of playing cards and match the numbers and face cards.

What's Missing?

• Chose a few toys in front of the preschooler. The child gets 30 seconds to look at the objects. Take away an object and have them say which object is missing. Raise the difficulty by adding more objects or remove more than one object during a round.

Visualization Game

• Place different small objects, like stamps, ink pens and erasers, on a tray. Let the preschooler look at the objects for no more than one minute then cover the items with a cloth. Have the child name as many objects as she can remember.

Picture Game

• Look at the images in a color picture book with the pre-schooler. Close it and ask the preschooler to identify the color of certain objects, like a bird or a ball. Play several rounds with the same picture until he gets most of the questions right.

Numbers

• Cut out pictures from magazines to represent different quantities. A picture with two women will represent "two." A picture showing five candy bars will represent "five." Count the items in each picture with the preschooler. Remove the pictures. Call out an item and see if she remembers how many are in the picture.