Craft Clinic: Memory Games

A new program that we are trying out is a Craft Clinic for Parents. And so far we are really enjoying giving parents the opportunity to DIY some activities for their kids.

First, some details on the event itself:

We all know the importance of play time. It can build early literacy skills, strengthen motor skills development and is just wonderful for imaginations. But we also notice how easy it is for parents to view this as a completely hands-off time. We wanted an opportunity to get parents really invested in their child's playtime but having them be the ones to create it. Enter Craft Clinic for Parents.

My library offers this once a month and it is just for adults (caregivers, grandparents, etc. are welcome too). We also do allow anybody to bring their small child too (as a nursing mom myself I would never want to limit that for a mother), but we do not allow other children because then we don't have to worry about big-kid scissors, glue guns and other not-safe-for-kids crafting supplies. We have not had any complaints about this restriction and most parents actually seem to quite enjoy this grown-up time and it really gives your parents a chance to chat and share stories with one another.

Now onto the first craft I want to share with you.

Memory Games are super easy to create and I will share other template options with you later down the road (I know I will offer this multiple times because it is just so easy to do and there are so many styles to work with).

Supplies:

Scrapbook Paper
Memory Card Templates (2 copies of each--you know for the matching part...)
Glue Stick
Scissors

For my first session I offered two templates of cards. Attached is JPEGs of the Farm Animals and Zoo Animals. And here is a PDF just in case.

Step 1

Glue both sheets of cards down to your scrapbook paper.

Note for your parents: If your paper has an "up" design it is a good idea to make sure you care about it or not at this point. If you forget, this will drive you bonkers every time your child plays with it.

Step 2

Cut your cards apart.

Step 3

Done and ready to play.

FYI: This size fits really well stored in snack-sized baggies.