How to play the memory game
- Pick a set of pictures and a size. The cards are shuffled face down.
- Turn over two cards. If they match, they stay face up. If not, they turn back over: remember where they were.
- Keep going until every pair is found. The fewer moves you need, the better.
A move is one pair of cards turned over. The best possible game, with no wrong guesses at all, takes exactly as many moves as there are pairs. Your best result for each size is kept on this device.
Sizes
| Size | Pairs | Cards | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy | 6 | 12 | Young children, a quick game |
| Medium | 8 | 16 | Most players |
| Hard | 12 | 24 | A proper challenge |
| Expert | 18 | 36 | Serious memory work |
Two players
Choose 2 players to take turns on one screen, as with a real deck of cards. Find a pair and you score a point and go again; miss, and it is the other player’s turn. Whoever has more pairs at the end wins. It is a good way to play with a child: the cards are the same for both of you, so the one who remembers best wins.
Tips for remembering where the cards are
- Say it out loud. “Cat, top left” is easier to remember than a picture alone.
- Work in order. Turn cards over row by row at the start, so you know which parts of the board you have seen.
- Use a known card first. When you turn over a card you have seen the partner of, go straight to that partner.
- Do not guess the second card too early. If the first card is new, turning over an unknown second card at least shows you one more picture.
A memory game for kids, adults and seniors
Easy with the Shapes or Animals pictures suits young children, who also learn names and colours as they play. Adults can move up to Hard and Expert and chase a lower number of moves. For older players, the large cards, clear pictures and no time pressure make it a relaxed game to play at their own pace. It is a game, not a medical test or treatment.
More memory games
- Simon game: repeat a sequence of colours that grows by one each round.
- Number memory test: how long a number can you remember?
For word puzzles, try the word search or hangman, and for logic, Sudoku.