Looking to nurture your child's memory and trying to think of creative ways to accomplish it? You've come to the right place. Parenting is not always easy, but with the right set of tools, anyone can do it. Children respond well to games, and by using games, you can help improve your child's brain and start them off on a good path. In this article, we are going to look at the 10 best memory games for kids and see how they compare. Memory games for kids are crucial to their mental development, so let's take a look at what games you should provide for your child!
Table of Comparison
Product FAQ
Image Via Pixabay
1. What Are Memory Games for Kids?
Simply put, memory games for kids are games that, while being fun, will help your child's mental development. Because the games are fun, they encourage kids to invest mental energy in remembering patterns, shapes, numbers, and other things. As children do this, their brains are stretched and developed.
2. Do I Need a Memory Games for Kids?
Do you have kids? Do you want to help develop their memorization skills? If you answered "yes," then our answer is a big–YES! Every child can benefit from these brain-enhancing games.
How We Reviewed
We took this very seriously, because we understand that children are the future of our society. We looked at the best memory games for kids we could find, researched them, and determined whether they are worthy of praise or not. In the end, we rated them based on their effectiveness and quality. Effectiveness was the most important factor to us, because we did not want to advocate a product that won't actually be helpful to your child's brain.
Overall Price Range
The games we reviewed range from $10-$60. Simpler games were usually lower-priced with fewer game pieces while the more expensive games ended up being more complicated with more pieces and variations.
What We Reviewed
- 1Peppa Pig Muddy Puddles Memory Board Game
- 2Enchanted Tower
- 3eeBoo Pre-School Lotto Game
- 4Lucky Ducks -- The Memory and Matching Game That Moves
- 5I Never Forget a Face
- 6Peterson Backyard Bird Memory Tiles
- 7Pengoloo
- 8Simon Electronic Memory Game
- 9I SPY Memory Game
- 10Little Tikes 3D Farm Memory Match Up
The Best Memory Games For Kids
Peppa Pig Muddy Puddles Memory Board Game
Description
The first game we want to talk about is called Muddy Puddles. This game, created by the Peppa Pig franchise, is a matching game that all kids can enjoy; however, it is mainly designed for very young children. But even adults who are young at heart can join in too!
The game starts out with 9 cards showing pictures of cartoon animals being placed face down in front of the players. Players take turns rolling a jumbo die that has images of these same animals on each side. If the die lands on a picture of a pig, for example, the player who rolled must pick a card to flip over and see if it shows a pig as well. If it does, the player takes the card. If it doesn't, they flip the card back over and it becomes the next player's turn. The game continues like this until all the cards have been collected. Whoever has the most cards at the end of the game is the winner.
Up to 4 players can play at once.
Appropriate Age
Muddy Puddles is appropriate for ages 3 and up.
Where to Buy
Enchanted Tower
Description
Another one of the best memory games for kids is called Enchanted Tower. Enchanted Tower sounds magical and friendly; but don't be fooled. One player plays the role of an evil sorcerer who has captured a princess. At the start, the sorcerer hides a key under one of many locations on the board.
The other players must roll a die to move around the board and attempt to find the key. The player who finds it can attempt to free the princess by trying it on one of 6 different locks. If the wrong lock is chosen, the sorcerer hides the key once again. Players continue taking turns rolling the die, searching for the key, and trying them on the locks in order to find the right lock and finally set the princess free. Whoever saves her wins.
This game is meant to be played with 2-4 players.
Appropriate Age
This game is recommended for ages 8 and up.
Where to Buy
eeBoo Pre-School Lotto Game
Description
A lot of memory games for kids harken back to classics that have been around for years, and eeBoo's Pre-School Lotto Game happens to be one of them. Have you ever played bingo? If so, then this game will seem familiar. This game is essentially a children's version of bingo combined with a matching game.
During the game, each player has their own unique board with pictures of animals located in different places. Players take turns flipping over tiles to try and find the animals on their board. If they find a matching animal, they can place it on their board bingo style. If they don't, they put the tile back and it is the next player's turn. This continues until one player finds the right animals to create bingo on their board.
This game is meant to be played by up to 6 players.
Appropriate Age
Children as young as 3 years old can play this.
Where to Buy
Lucky Ducks -- The Memory and Matching Game That Moves
Description
Lucky Ducks has been around for ages, and it has always been one of the best memory games for kids. The electronic game board is exciting for kids to play on, and the game itself is about ducks. Who doesn't like ducks?
The game board has a mechanical platform that moves around in a circle. On the board are many toy ducks that have 1 of 4 colored stickers/shapes located beneath them. Throughout the game, the ducks move around the board while players try to remember what each duck has underneath it. The game begins with each player taking station at the board and being assigned a color/shape. They take turns picking ducks off the platform, trying to find the ones they have been assigned. The first player to find 3 matching ducks wins!
This memory game can be played by 2-4 people.
Appropriate Age
The appropriate age for Lucky Ducks player is 3 and up.
Where to Buy
I Never Forget a Face
Description
We already took an in-depth look at eeBoo's Pre-School Lotto Game, and here is another in their lineup: I Never Forget A Face. This game is designed to help develop children's general memory and facial recognition.
Like the Lotto Game, I Never Forget A Face is a riff off of the classic game Match. The game begins with many cards being placed face down. There are 2 of every card, and players take turns flipping over 2 cards at a time to find a match. Whoever has found the most matches at the end is the winner. The spin that eeBoo put on this version of the game is that players have to try and match faces.
This game works best with 2-4 players but can be played with more.
Appropriate Age
This game is recommended for ages 5 and up.
Where to Buy
Peterson Backyard Bird Memory Tiles
Description
Match is one of the best memory games for kids, and there seem to be an infinite number of variations to what needs to be matched. If you guessed that Peterson's Backyard Bird Memory Tiles game is about matching different cats, I'm sorry to say that you are mistaken. It's about birds.
This rendition of Match has 12 different birds that need to be matched during the game. It is played the same way as similar versions, with players taking turns trying to collect matches of tiles. In the end, the player with the most matches wins. This version of the game does deserve a special shout out, though, because the tiles are gorgeous. They are made of hardwood plywood with lacquer covering the images. The addition of the names of the birds on each tile will also help children with reading and learning the names of the birds.
You'll find that 2-4 people is the best number of players for this game.
Appropriate Age
This game is perfect for children ages 3 and up.
Where to Buy
Pengoloo
Description
Pengoloo is one of the greatest memory games for kids, because it is so charming. And, isn't that what one of the greatest memory games for kids needs to be?
This game features a playing board with many penguins on it. Like Lucky Ducks, these penguins have colors beneath them. Players take turns rolling a die that has different colors on each side. Whatever color the player rolls is the color of penguin they need to find. Similar to Match, the players flip over two penguins hoping to find two of the same color. If their penguins match, they keep them. If they don't, they put them back. Whoever collects 3 matching penguins first wins.
2-4 players are recommended for this game.
Appropriate Age
The manufacturer says this game is suitable for players ages 4 and up.
Where to Buy
Simon Electronic Memory Game
Description
Oh, boy. If you have never heard of Simon, we are at a loss for words. This game has been one of the best memory games for kids since the 80's, and it doesn't look like there is any end in sight. Its relevance will continue to live on.
Simon is so simple but very effective. It is an electronic game that features a handheld circular game device with 4 different colors. The game starts with the machine's internal robot, Simon, telling you to press a color. After you press this color, he will then tell you to press this same color followed by another color. The game builds and builds with Simon telling you to repeat your previous actions while continually adding new ones. It is so easy; and addicting.
This is a 1-player game, but 2 people can easily compete by comparing scores.
Appropriate Age
Simon works best for players age 7 and up.
Where to Buy
I SPY Memory Game
Description
I SPY Memory Game is difficult to describe, and there is a good reason for this. There are 8 ways to play the game which grow more complex with each new variant, and they all help to target memory skills.
Again, you can play this game several different ways, but the most basic way to play it is by playing it as Match. As an extension of Match, I SPY Memory Game offers you other ways to play the beloved Match while targeting different memory skills.
You can play this with up to 6 players!
Appropriate Age
Briarpatch recommends this game for children 4 years an above.
Where to Buy
Little Tikes 3D Farm Memory Match Up
Description
Match never gets old. Little Tikes 3D Farm Memory Match Up gives us the same game with an interesting twist.
This game requires you to make matches in a similar fashion to the classic Match game; however, you don't just match. You find 2 pieces of an animal and put them back together. This is actually more challenging for kids, because sometimes it isn't easy picking the 2 parts that go together. Players don't match 2 similar images. They match 2 different pieces that go together.
Because there are not that many pieces, it is best for 2 players.
Appropriate Age
This game can be played with children as young as 1 year old.
Where to Buy
The Verdict
Image Via Amazon
In the end, we were able to select a clear winner. The I SPY Memory Game stood a head above the rest since it can be played very simply and made more challenging as your child ages. It deserves a 5/5 due to the fact that it can be played in 8 ways. The many variations in one game is a real treat, and we felt that you will get your money's worth with this one.