Concentration ~ Memory

WHY? visual skills, environmental print, letter matching, sets and numerals, etc.
WHAT? cardboard cut in 3” squares, stickers, markers, zip bag
HOW? Take 10 cardboard squares and put like stickers (or draw like pictures) on two of the squares. Place the cards face down on the floor or on a table. One at a time, children turn over two cards. If the stickers on the cards match, then they may keep the pair and have another turn. If the cards do not match, then the next person may have a turn. Children must use visual memory skills to try and remember where matching pairs are.

Hint! Start with 10 cards and increase the amount as children become more successful.
MORE? Use holiday and seasonal stickers to make concentration games.
Make games from food boxes. Cut the fronts and backs off the boxes. First, have children match up the fronts and backs from the boxes. Then place the boxes face down on the floor and use them to play a concentration game. (Trim the boxes so they are a similar size.)
Make concentration games where children match upper and lowercase letters, sets and numerals, rhyming pictures, objects that go together (shoe and sock, comb and brush), and so forth.
Use children’s photos to make memory games.
Old Maid cards and playing cards can also be used for concentration.

Letter Categories
WHY? initial sounds, categories
WHAT? 2 sheets of poster board of different colors, marker
HOW? Cut the poster board into 4” squares. You will need 23 squares of each color. On one color print alphabet letters. (Print “u & v” on the same card and “x, y, z” on another card.) On the other color print one of the categories below:

something in the yard	an animal
fruit or vegetable	movie star
something in the kitchen	body part
river, lake, or ocean	town or city
country or state	a machine
type of transportation	a food
something you wear	an action
something in the zoo	a plant
a toy	a book
a song	a boy
a famous person	a girl
something in the school	a game
a TV show	a feeling
a color	an occupation
restaurant or store	something that flies

Shuffle up each set of cards. Draw a card from the “letter pile” and a card from the “category pile.” Encourage the children to make the sound of the letter. Can they think of a word in the category that begins with that sound?

MORE? When introducing this game, simply play it as a large group activity and do not keep score. As children become more proficient, divide the class into teams and give points to the first team to come up with a word that fits the category. Children may also enjoy playing this game in small groups.
Adapt the categories to the age and ability of your students. For example, you could use adjectives, adverbs, nouns, verbs, prepositions, mammals, etc. for older students.
*Use these categories to practice rapid naming.

Poke and Peek

WHY? math facts, upper and lowercase letters, antonyms, etc.
WHAT? poster board, hole punch, markers, pencil
HOW? Cut a simple shape out of the poster board, such an apple, bus, tree, butterfly, etc. (The shape should be the approximate size of a dinner plate.) Punch 10 holes around the outside of the shape. Near each hole write a math fact. On the reverse side, write the answer to the math problem near the hole. Outline the shape with markers and decorate. Two children play this game. One child holds the card and takes a pencil or golf tee and pokes it in a hole. That child reads the math problem and says the answer. Another child sits opposite looking at the back of the card. The second child is the “checker” and says if the answer is right or wrong by looking at the numeral next to the pencil point.

*Children can also play this game independently with a straw. The child sticks the straw in a hole and says the answer; then turns the card over to verify.

*A pizza cardboard or paper plate can also be used to make a “poke and peek” game.