Remember the Tray

Look closely, cover it up, and remember what was there.

⏱ 5–8 minutes 👀 Visual memory 👥 1 adult + 1 child

What you'll need

Lay out 5 cards face-up in a row. Say each object's name together, out loud.
Give your child a slow, unhurried look — about 10–15 seconds.
Cover all the cards with the cloth or paper.
Ask: "Can you name everything that was on the tray?"
Uncover and check together. Celebrate what they got — memory games should feel good, not like a test!
Repeat with a fresh set of cards, slowly building up to 6, 7, then 8 cards as it gets easier.

Lay out 4–6 cards. Cover them, secretly remove 1 card, then uncover. Child says which one is gone. Once confident, remove 2 or 3 at once.

Lay out 6 cards. Roll a dice and ask your child to name that many objects from the tray, from memory, without looking.

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Make it easier: start with just 3 cards, leave them uncovered for longer, or let your child say the names out loud twice before covering.

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Make it harder: increase the number of cards, shorten the looking time, or ask for the objects back in the order they were laid out.