DIY Memory Board Game

Since the Mini has begun showing interest in identifying letters and has always loved puzzles, I thought I will the two together and make a little game for him. Using two cardboard sheets, bottle caps and some basic craft supply, I made this Memory Board game. 

The goal of this game is to find two matching letters hidden away under the little windows. To start with, you have to open one window and read the letter written inside and then open another window to look for its matching letter. If the two letters do not match, you shut the second window and then open another one to again check if it matches the letter from the first window. The key is to remember the letters that are behind each window as you play along and thereby get the matching right as you play further.

The outer panel is like an envelope letting me use multiple worksheets to keep the interest alive and matching options endless! Currently I have made worksheet only related to letters, but I do plan on making more options as his interest widens and once he has mastered these sheets.

This game helps those little minds improve concentration, focus and attention. Identifying letters and numbers becomes fun through this game. And most importantly, it keeps the little ones busy in a fun productive way! 

Things Needed:

Cardboard Sheets - 2

Bottle Caps - 12

Glue

Cello Tape

Hobby Knife

Wrapping Paper

White Paper

Marker Pen

Procedure:

• Take one cardboard sheet and place all the bottle caps evenly in 3 rows and 4 columns. Do not glue them on yet, just mark squares around them on the cardboard sheet and then remove the bottle caps
• Now, using a hobby knife, cut out each of these little squares carefully. You now have 12 little windows.

• Now, glue one bottle cap in the centre of each window cover so as to create a knob of sorts.

• Place the other cardboard sheet at the bottom of the cardboard sheet which has windows.
• Leaving open one side, tape all along the borders of the two cardboard sheets to hold them together.
• Now, to make it look pretty, take some pretty wrapping paper and glue it along the three taped borders and leave the fourth side open.

• Through the opening of the cardboard sheets sandwich, the side which is not taped, insert a white sheet of paper all the way through.
• Remove all the little windows thereby displaying the white sheet of paper through the window openings.
• Using a marker pen, write ABC (two of each letter) in random order inside each little window.

• Replace all the window covers and your little memory board game is ready!

• Make multiple worksheets in the same process. Since you have left one side open... you can easily remove the sheet and insert a fresh one to offer variety of matching options.

• Hand it over to the mini and demonstrate a few times on how it is played. Then sit back and allow their little minds to work through the game trying to solve the memory game! :)

My little man loves this so much that I actually have to hid it from him these day! :D He is done solving the sheets I have made for him and knows the placements of the letters by heart now. He does the matching in one go and asks for the next sheet within minutes!

To keep up with his fondness for this game, I have made a few more sheets using stickers. This kept him busy for a little while until he had memories their placements and was able to solve these too in one go! :D

Here is my little fellow in action. This was after he had memorised the placements of all the letters in the sheet that he was able to do it in one go!