Have Fun with these Memory Games for Toddlers!

If you are asking yourself what is gained through toddler play, now is your chance to learn. Toddlers are the perfect age to begin having “strategized play.” They are naturally inquisitive and will engage in just about anything “play.” Use this special time to your advantage. Offer games that are focused on memory acquisition to you, but are just simple fun to your toddler. Logically, the more you engage in memory games for toddlers the more you offer your little one the chance to enhance memory connections. In addition to the bonding time you are spending with your toddler, you may be setting the foundation to later skill development.

Picture This! : Start off by collecting pictures of your family and friends around your house. Put them in an area that is easily accessible to your toddler. Go through the pictures with them naming the individuals in the photo. This game may take time, so start with only a few photos. After you have shown your toddler who-was-who, start off by asking them who Mommy is, Daddy, Grandma, etc. See if they can point to the correct pictures over time. In this game frequency is the key. The initial step of you naming the individuals should be done as much as possible. Once your child can easily point to the correct person, start asking them to verbalize the name of the person. When your little one becomes skilled at remembering the names of the people in the pictures you could add new ones to the old or change them all together. When your toddler has the correct answer they won! Make a big deal about them getting an answer right such as dancing or routing them on. This encouragement acts as positive reinforcement and motivates them to continue the game.

Where Does It Go? : Warning: one must be goofy to play this game! This game can be done anywhere. Simply have a caregiver take a common clothing item and wrongly place it elsewhere on their body. For example, take a shoe and put it on a hand or take a hat and place it on a shoulder. Pretend that this is normal, and watch your little one laugh at the oddity. If they seem to understand the game, ask them what the item is and where it should go. Your imagination could go wild with thinking of things to misplace. It does not have to stop with clothing items. You could use anything that has a “correct place” that a toddler is familiar with and “mix it up.” If your toddler is having difficulties “helping you,” work with another adult and try to “figure it out” in front of the child. In time they should come to understand the game. In all cases, celebrate the right answer.

These memory games for toddlers are sure to keep your little one’s interest. However, as the case with any toddler activity, when the child does lose interest, stop. Their attention span has changed focus, so any extra effort on your part to educate them after this point could be futile.

In addition to having a good time with these memory games for toddlers, you may be enhancing your child’s developmental processes. Expand both of your horizons and let these ideas launch the practice of “thinking outside of the box” for more toddler learning games.