What’s Missing? This was actually one of my mom’s favorite birthday party games to organize when I was a little girl as it was so easy to setup and kept my friends and me engaged and entertained for ages. To play, put a collection of items on a small tray and spend time reviewing the items with your child. Recite them, touch them, talk about them, etc. Next, take the tray into another room and remove one or more items from the tray before returning to your child. Finally, ask him or her to review the new collection and determine which items(s) are missing. You will obviously want to start small with a few items on the tray and only removing one item, but over time you can make this more and more complex.
Remember 10 With Explorer Ben. This is a really fun working memory activity book that helps kids learn how to remember things through various memory games. Each spread of the book has 10 things that Ben must remember, as well as a tip to help the child remember the items for Ben. The following spread will test the child’s memory as 1-6 items will be missing. This book is a fun independent activity to help kids improve their working memory at home, in the classroom, or while on the go.
Card Games. If your child likes to play cards, there are tons of great working memory games you can try, like Crazy Eights, Go Fish, and Old Maid. Not only do kids have to remember which cards they are holding while playing these working memory games, but they also have to remember what cards their opponent is holding, too. Hoyle Kid’s Fun Pack is a great purchase to consider as it offers 6 fun games for a reasonable price.
[Electronic] Simon Says. If your child likes playing electronic games and you’re looking for tablet-free working memory games for kids, this is a great one to consider. To beat Simon in this game, players have to remember a pattern of colors and repeat it back to Simon in the correct order by pressing the colored buttons on the playset. The longer the child plays, the more complicated the patterns become!
LEGO Building Challenge. I actually played this during a corporate retreat when I was in my 20s, lol, but it definitely belongs on a list of working memory games for kids! The idea is pretty simple, but the activity itself is surprisingly challenging. You’ll need at least 3 players, and this works well as a family or classroom game. To play, create a simple(ish) structure using LEGO pieces and provide each set of 2 players with a bag filled with each of the LEGO pieces used to create the structure. The structure is placed somewhere out of sight (i.e. in another room), and one person on the team (the person who struggles with working memory) is tasked with walking out to view the structure and reporting back to his or her partner with verbal instructions on how to replicate it. He or she cannot use his or her hands at any time. This game is all about memory and communication and can be both fun and frustrating!
