memory® has been part of our collection of games for more than 50 years.

This game of matching pairs is so easy to play and lots of fun for children of all ages. If you don’t have a game at home, why not try making your own personalised version?
It is fun, easy and quick to do and you can get your whole family involved.

Whether you draw, paint or use printed photos or your favourite people or objects, this is a great way to spend a little time getting creative and have fun at the same time.

Step 1
Start with an A4 piece of card if you have some. If not, start with a plain piece of paper.

Step 2
Using a ruler, mark out a grid of 12 equally sized sections. If you would like to make a harder game, use two sheets to make 24 cards
TIP: It’s best to make sure the sections are all the same size to make sure you can’t work out which picture it is from recognising the shape of the card.

Step 3
Decide on the theme for your game. Our suggestions include animals, foods, fruits, vegetables or family members but we’re sure you’ll have more great ideas!

Step 4
Decorate the squares marked out on your page with pictures based on your theme – don’t forget you need two of each picture to be able to make pairs.
TIP: Decorating is part of the fun, but, if you’re in a hurry, you could always use photos of the family printed out if you have a printer at home, or even stickers if you have plenty of these to hand.

Step 5
Carefully cut out the decorated squares.
If you’re working on paper, it is handy, though not essential, if you can stick the paper to pieces of card to make them a bit sturdier. Try using a cereal box or similar.

Step 6
Now you’re ready to go!
Place all the cards face down and take it turns to flip two cards over to see if they match. If they do, you keep the pair. If not, turn them back over and try to remember where those pictures are for your next turn.

Continue taking turns turning over cards in this way, until all the cards have been collected. The player with the most card pairs is the winner.

Need some inspiration?

Perhaps you would like to make your own memory game, but maybe you prefer not to draw the pictures yourself?
Then you are in the right place. We have a great selection of pictures you can simply print out at home, colour in and then cut out to make your game. Remember to print two of each page you choose, because you will need pairs to match and collect when you play the game.
Once you have printed, coloured and cut your pictures, you can still follow Step 5 as described above, to give your cards a little extra support.

memory® has been part of our collection of games for more than 50 years.

Need some inspiration?

If you like making things, why not have a go at making your own puzzle?