15 minNothing at all
Twenty Questions
One of you thinks of something. The other has twenty yes-or-no questions.
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The Memory Tray
Ten objects on a tray, thirty seconds to look, then one disappears.
A classic for a reason. Needs only what is already on your shelves and works for a huge age range.
What you need
- a tray
- ten small household objects
- a tea towel
How to do it
- Put ten unrelated objects on a tray.
- Let them study it for thirty seconds.
- Cover the tray and remove one object.
- Uncover it and ask what has gone.
- Swap roles and let them set the tray for you.
Why this is good for them
Holding ten items in mind and noticing an absence is genuinely demanding working memory practice. Children who struggle with it usually improve quickly once they start grouping objects rather than memorising them one by one, and that strategy is worth pointing out.
Adapting by age
4 to 5 yearsFive objects, and remove one very obviously different.
10 to 12 yearsFifteen objects, and rearrange rather than remove.
Keep it safe
No small objects if there are under-threes nearby.
Cleanup tip
Objects go back where they came from as the last round.
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