Handmade Memory Games Crafted from Sustainable Supplies

Kids love to play Memory! Memory is also a game with infinite possibilities–it can be made from a variety of materials, both recycled and natural, and with any theme, whether it’s colors, zoo animals, hand-drawn images, or photos of family members.

Here are a ton of handmade memory games that you can craft using sustainable supplies:

wool felt and cotton fabric: I really love this memory game that I made using the wool felt and cotton fabric memory game tutorial from Purl Bee. Because I raided my own scrap bin to make the game, mine has not just cotton fabric prints, but silks, some vintage polyesters, and upholstery fabric remnants. Matching a fabric pattern rather than a main graphic is do-able even for kids, but lends an interesting mental challenge to the game and makes it fresh. And, of course, spying a scrap from their pajamas, their favorite bean bags, the curtain, or their latest dress makes playing even more fun for my kiddos.

wood scraps: Using stamps, colored pencils, and decoupage materials, Creating Really Awesome Free Things crafted a memory game upon scraps of leftover balsa wood. You could apply this method to any sort of identical scrap materials that you have lying around after a project–ceramic tiles, scrapbooking chipboard, etc. Wood is also sturdy enough to hold a material that has some structure, as in this wood and wool felt matching game from Dandee. No interfacing needed!

cereal boxes: Cardboard food packaging is always so vivid and distinctive that this cereal box matching game from Blissfully Domestic takes just seconds to make. For a more challenging game, spray paint the backs of all of the pieces so that different types of cardboard don’t tip off the players of the game.

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