Memory Games with a Kick

Memory Games with a Kick

It’s no secret that memory is our favourite game mechanic when it comes to introducing very young kids to board games. It is easy to grasp and challenges the cognitive abilities of young minds, making it ideal for children as early as 3 years of age.

A child’s brain is constantly developing and their memory is quite powerful, giving them a slight edge when it comes to memory based games. They just love it that they can go toe to toe with mom and dad in a game. However, the one downside of memory games is longevity. A child can quickly outgrow a game within 2 years as it becomes easier and easier for them. When that happens it’s time to up the ante.

Here we will look at a few games that take memory to another level, enough to even challenge the most boastful adult.

 

Animal Upon Animal Memory Stacking

Designer: Christoph Behre & Klaus Miltenberger // Publisher: HABA // Ages: 5+

This game by Haba takes their most popular dexterity game, Animal Upon Animal, and introduces a memory aspect.

Gameplay:

The game contains several identical discs with a picture of an animal. As you draw these discs out of a bag you proceed to stack them, face down so you can’t see what animals have already been stacked. There is reference card that lists the animals in order of size and you have to place your disc into the stack in the correct position so the stack is always ordered from biggest at the bottom to smallest at the top. If you are to draw a crocodile disc (which doesn’t enter the stack), you must then remove a disc and place it back into the bag without looking at it. The game ends when all the animals are out and stacked up. You lose if the order is incorrect at the end or if the stack falls over.

Thoughts:

The memory aspect is the lightest on our list, providing just a small increase of difficulty for kids who have grown tired of other popular Haba memory games, such as Little Orchard. Not only do you have to remember what animals have gone out, you also have to keep track of their position in the stack stack, all while the stack is constantly changing as discs are added and removed. The dexterity aspect seems tacked on, but it actually serves as a distraction from the memory aspect making it more difficult to recall what you have been trying to keep in memory. In addition, the chunky components and cute animal artwork keep the kids interested in the theme as we make comments such as “oh no, the crocodile is scaring away the monkey! Oh wait, is that disc the monkey or the pig?!”

 

Sardines

Publisher: Djeco // Ages: 5+

Gameplay:

Sardines is one of the many small package games by Djeco. In this game there is a stack of “sardine can” cards face down in the middle of the table. Each player has a hand of 5 “individual sardine” cards also face down in front of them. We then flip up one sardine can card that has 7 sardines pictured wearing different outfits. All players are given a few seconds to stare at the card and memorize the 7 sardines and their outfits. Then the card is turned face down again. Now players can turn over their 5 sardine cards and try to identify any of those cards that match a sardine from the can that they were memorizing. You get a point for each card that you can correctly identify.

Thoughts:

We love the simplicity of the game, quick gameplay, and small package that is easy to take on the go. While the rules are so simple, the gameplay is challenging. Memorizing the sardines with only a few seconds makes it difficult. You have to create mnemonic devices to store the most info you can and we have found that it provides great practice for children to develop this memory technique. It’s a great small box quick game to take to a restaurant or on an airplane.

 

Memoarrr!

Designer: Carlo Bortolini // Publisher: Stronghold // Ages: 8+

Memoarrr! is a memory game like no other and it may be our favourite game on this list to play with only adults.

Gameplay:

In this game you have a 5×5 grid of cards. The cards contain images of an animal (1 of 5 animal) and a background colour/location (1 of 5 colours). Each player takes turns predicting either the animal or background type and flipping over one card of their choice that matches that prediction. If they are wrong they are out for the round. The next player must predict and flip a card that matches either the animal or background of the previously flipped card. The next player does the same. They keep going, taking turns, until everyone gets one wrong and only one player remains. He then takes a treasure card (accumulating points). For the next round, all the cards are flipped back over and they play again.

Thoughts:

Since the card positions never change you will gain more and more info (more cards to memorize) as each round passes. The first round will end quickly because each player only knows 3 of the 25 cards to start the game. As players flip cards, whether they are right or wrong, everyone starts to see more cards and have more info to memorize. Each subsequent round goes longer and longer as everyone gains more and more info. We love how the card locations never change, adding a spatial memory aspect to the game. What we love the most is the feeling of getting better and better each round. Everyone feels like they are improving, getting better and better. The game mechanics are built to provide a constant sense of accomplishment. It’s a wonderful game of memory for both kids and adults, where often the child can win.

 

Nut Job

Designer: Blaise Muller // Publisher: Eagle Gryphon Games // Ages: 5+

Gameplay:

Nuts is another game with a grid of cards that don’t change positions. However, this game is just a 3 by 3 grid and each card is double sided. Each side has a shape (1 of 3 possible shapes) in a certain colour (1 of 3 possible colours). Each player starts their player piece (a squirrel) along the outer edge next to a row or column. Their goal is to cross along the row or column to the other side and collect the nuts (points at the end of the game). In order to cross the player must correctly identify the colour of the picture on the face down side of the card next to them. Doing so for all three cards in their row/column in order to cross. First to a certain number of nuts collected wins.

Thoughts:

If they successfully cross a row/column, they get the nuts on the other side. They then move over to the next row or column and have to cross again to get the nuts at the other end of that row/column. However, this time they are not naming the colour under each card, they are now naming the shape under each card. Each time they successfully cross their guessing condition changes from colour to shape, and back to colour again, etc. Even though the game only has a grid of nine cards, switching back and forth from memorizing shapes and colours can make your brain explode. It honestly feels like you are using two completely different parts of your brain to play this game. Add on to it that the other players are flipping some of your cards because they are trying to cross a column that intersects your row. Honestly, the game design is great, but it was just too difficult for me! My head was hurting trying to remember such little info. We think it’s an incredible challenge of a game and for those who like memory games they would find this a fitting challenge. It’s wonderfully a designed game, but definitely a challenging one.

 

OVERVIEW

We love the challenge memory games provide our kids. Chicken Cha Cha and Little Orchard are still some of our favourite games to introduce them to gaming at a young age. However we always felt some were a little too easy for adults and some quickly became too easy for the kids. Animal Upon Animal Memory Stacking and Sardines provided that small bump in difficulty for my kids up to 7 years old to stay engaged. Memoarrr and Nuts took it too another level, providing a legitimate challenge for any age. We strongly encourage you to give them a shot …. if you think you can handle it.

 

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Sardines was generously donated by Ilo307, Nut Job from Eagle Gryphon Games and Animal Upon Animal Memory Stacking from Haba.