More shells put to good use: we turned these ones into a memory game.
All that was needed were two packages of sea life-inspired stickers from the scrapbooking section of the craft store.
Jack pressed a sticker inside each shell, which was a good fine motor activity in and of itself.
And that's it! A cool and beachy memory game that has found it's home on our back deck.
I had to include a picture of this critter. Isn't he the cutest? We have a thing for crabs around here, so we consider ourselves lucky when we turn the shells over and find a matching pair of these.
We have actually made many memory games around here because they are so super-easy to create. Sometimes I'll whip them up using clip art from the computer or some digital pictures. All you have to do is print a double set of anything, cut it out, and start playing! Or use stickers, like we did here, on the back of a bunch of similar objects like bottle caps, yogurt lids, wood pieces -- you name it!
I like the game of memory for a couple of reasons. First of all, it's just where Jack is at right now developmentally. It's a game he really gets and is successful at. Second of all, it's one of the few games where adults and kids are somewhat evenly matched. I mean, unless you have X-ray vision, your guess is as good as theirs when you are playing memory. So you can honestly win some and loose some, which is what playing games is all about.
What are some of your favorite games at the moment?
I LOVE this! Thank you for sharing such a wonderful idea! I love making memory games, too :)
Posted by: Melissa | 28 July 2008 at 10:14 PM
Great idea! What age is Jack? My son just turned 4 & has never really enjoyed or been good at Memory. I am amazed the other things he can remember, but just not good at the game. Maybe I should try with fewer sets to match.
Posted by: onemotherslove | 28 July 2008 at 10:57 PM
Jack just turned 4. We started memory a few months ago and we ususally only use about 6-8 sets at a time. That keeps the game short and sweet and not too difficult. We might play a few times in a row, but we usually don't add any more cards (or shells!) than that.
Posted by: Jennifer | 29 July 2008 at 07:23 AM
That's a great idea! My kids love memory games and I'm sure they'd love them even more if they'd made them.
Posted by: Alexis | 29 July 2008 at 04:34 PM
What a great idea! Our family loves games...we have been playing a lot reading games:
http://www.playfulearning.com/Playful_Learning/Blog/Entries/2008/7/26_Reading_Games.html
Posted by: Mariah@Playful Learning | 30 July 2008 at 07:15 AM
This is adorable, and we're fresh back from the beach with shells, imagine that ;-) Blessings and thank you!
Posted by: Meredith | 13 August 2008 at 12:40 PM
Memory is my favorite kid game too. I love this idea! We are hitting the beach in a month so now I know what to do with the shells when we get back home. :-)
Posted by: The Wooden Porch | 20 August 2008 at 09:26 AM
I love it. Our house is done in seashore decor, so that would be a great thing to put out in a bowl on our living room table for kids to dabble in whenever.
Posted by: Deb | 20 August 2008 at 07:18 PM
I LOVE this idea! I'm headed to the beach next week and I can't wait to get a bunch of shells to do this with!
Posted by: Jenna | 21 August 2008 at 04:59 PM
Such a beautiful and tactile game to play! Thanks for the idea!
Posted by: Patricia | 22 August 2008 at 09:16 PM
What a fantastic idea!!! We have buckets full of shells here and this would be fantastic for my big kids to set this up for the baby and play with her. Fabulous!
I also love the previous idea you posted (I just found you and was peeking back in your previous posts) where you wrote names and numbers on the shells. I'm so excited for that one that I'm tempted to go do it now while the kids are sleeping; but it'll be better if I'm patient and let the kids do the writing tomorrow after school.
How fun! I'm so glad to have found you!
Posted by: pumpkin petunia | 15 September 2008 at 09:43 PM
very nice, congratulations on your achievement. We, too, but we made a simpler, created with simple designs made by us. Hello
Posted by: Serena | 01 July 2010 at 04:25 PM
Parabens! Achei essa idéia maravilhosa. Trabalho com crianças e vou recomendar.
Profª Patricia
Posted by: Patricia Midoes de Matos | 29 October 2010 at 08:10 AM
Love this-will have to make one this summer.
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A definite great read…
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