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  2. Benefits of Memory and Matching Games

Benefits of Memory and Matching Games

Benefits of Playing Matching Games/Activities

  Rachel Ong

Benefits:

  • Learning matching skills in pre-school will support children to match letters and sounds.

  • Being able to match items and explain why they go together is important for cognitive skills and ability.

  • By matching objects to pictures children are practising visual discrimination, becoming familiar with one dimensional print and learning to connect real objects to print. All of which are important pre-reading skills.

  • Matching games improve language, concentration and memory. Research has shown a link between dyslexia and working memory. To learn new words we have to remember each sound segment, put them together and remember what they look like for future use. To be able to do this, you need a good working memory.

  • Matching skills are involved in visual discrimination. Children use matching skills to tell whether two words or letters are the same or different. Learning to match shapes and patterns helps children as they learn to recognise letters and then words.

 

The Importance of Playing Memory Games

By Emma Wynne on August 22nd, 2019

  • Playing memory games can improve other brain functions, such as attention, concentration, and focus. Memory games give space to critical thinking and that helps children nurture their attention to detail. 

  • Memory games can improve visual recognition. With many memory games based on spotting differences, or linking two related images, children improve their visual discrimination. This will lead to an acceleration in distinguishing images from one and another. 

  • Short-term memory is key to playing memory games and playing them often will improve function in this area. A good short-term memory can improve a person's long-term memory too. Both are linked and being able to move things from your short-term memory into long-term will improve learning in other areas. 

  • Though memory games are a short-term boost, players have to plan their moves as they go. From revealing a card to plotting their next move, children can learn the importance of thinking ahead and plotting their next choice.