This isn’t your typical memory game. At first glance, the pictures on the cards seem to have disappeared. But with a flashlight and a little patience, the children manage to find the hidden animal. Each card becomes a little surprise. The children marvel, compare, and delight in every pair of animals they find.
Before we, as professionals, plan and facilitate such an activity, it is very important that we observe the children. We pay close attention to which toys they play with regularly and which themes spark their interest. Based on these observations, we then use them to identify the children’s potential interests. For example, we have noticed that some children often look at picture books filled with animals or play with farm toys. We therefore incorporated this interest in animals into the activity and created an animal memory game. Unlike a regular memory game, the children needed a flashlight for this. Using the flashlight, they could shine light through the cards from behind to identify the animal depicted. This activity promoted their concentration, visual perception, and language development as they named the animals. To also support gross motor skill development, we spread the memory cards on the floor so the children could move freely around the room and enjoy being active. This demonstrated that children learn best when they pursue their interests. At the same time, searching together provided lots of fun and exciting “aha” moments.