Getting the Most Out of MEMORY GAME (and your students)


Hi there,


Today I would like to share some ideas with you on how to get the most out of Memory Game (aka "Concentration") in the English classroom....  


For those who don't know this this game, here's a link to Memory Game.


How can you use Memory Game effectively in an EFL / ESL classroom? 


Well, think about it for a moment ....  Each player flips over at least  two cards per turn, which lends itself to lots of possibilities:



Here are some samples taken from the Q&A pdf.  Download the PDF here


✔ = a match   ✗ = not a match.


Card1: "I  like to read books."               

Card2 ✔:"I  like read books."

Card2 ✘: "I don't like to do homework."  


Card1: "Can you play the piano?"       

Card2 ✔: "Yes, I can."

Card2 ✘: "No, I can't."


Card1: "Are you watching TV?"       

Card2 ✔: "Yes, I am."

Card2 ✘: "No, I 'm not."


Card1: "Do you want to do homework?"       

Card2 ✔: "Yes, I do."

Card2 ✘: "No, I don't."


More Advanced Students: Game play is the exactly the same, but the students can add extra information, making the game more interesting and challenging. This is also a good chance to see if your students know their grammar.....


Card1: "Did you play volleyball yesterday?"

Card2 ✔: "Yes, I did. I played volleyball yesterday. I play volleyball twice a week."

Card2 ✘: "No, I didn't. I played volleyball last week. I played soccer yesterday."


Card1: "Did you watch TV yesterday?"  

Card2 ✔: "Yes, I did.  I watch TV every day. My favorite show is (name of show)." 

Card2 ✘2: "No, I didn't. I don't like watching TV. I never watch TV. I like playing video games." 


Altogether, Memory Game is a fun game to play and by gradually  increasing the difficulty, Memory Game will never become boring...


A PICTURE TELLS A THOUSAND WORDS  And so does a video...

In the video below the Blue cards =Tom as the subject and the Pink cards = Mary.   The students are practicing the Past Tense using "Yesterday".


Thanks and till next time!


Jay