Testing Your Memory with George!

Posted by Sep 11, 2017 Book Based Activities, Books, Family Fun, Toddlerhood

How’s your memory? Not going to lie, I have a pretty terrible memory about some things. I still know all the words to random TV shows from the 90s (get out of my head Fresh Prince!), but other things just fly right out of my head. Then I became a mom, and let me tell you Mom Brain is real! So today’s book speaks to me because it is not only a very cute book, but is about a little boy who is great at remembering — except when he forgets.

Standard Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a commission from purchases you make through the links in this post. I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. 

What George Forgot was written by Kathy Wolff and illustrated by Richard Byrne. This brightly colored book follows a little boy named George as he gets ready for school. He walks readers through his morning, checking things off of his to do list. George finally figures out what he thinks he has forgotten, but could there be something he missed? Kids will enjoy laughing at the silly things that George does while he prepares for his day, and they will get a kick out of the funny ending as well. The illustrations are large and vivid, and take readers right into George’s home as he races around.

There are lots of fun ways that you can use this story to help kids practice their morning routine, as well as strengthen their memory skills.

Stretch Your Memory Skills

Memory Game – Do you remember playing Memory as a kid? Create your own version of the game using elements from the story. Print out the game cards and cut them into squares. Spread all of the squares out on a table, facing down. Have kids take turns flipping two cards over and trying to make a pair. Keep playing until all of the cards are used. The person with the most pairs wins!

Test Your Memory – When we were younger, we used to play this memory game at Girl Scout camp and birthday parties. It’s very easy and uses the items you already have in your home. Fill a tray with small random items. Give kids 30 seconds to a minute to look over the tray and try to memorize every detail that they can. Take the tray to another room and remove 1 or 2 items. Bring the tray back and see who can find which items are missing. You can also do this on a larger scale by moving one item in a room and letting them figure out which item was moved.

 

Using Your Memory to Tell Stories

The Alphabet Game – This infamous road trip game can not only help kids with their memory skills, but also can help with language and creativity. Plus, it can be lots of fun and doesn’t require anything to play! Someone starts the game with a story starter such as “I’m going shopping and I need to pick up an…”. The first person picks something that fits into the blank and starts with the letter A. The next person repeats the story starter and the first person’s answer and adds their own starting with the letter B. You continue adding to the story until you reach the end of the alphabet.

You could change the story starter up to create all sorts of lists.

  • I’m going camping and I need to pack…
  • In my class, the students are named….
  • When we got home from school, the dog had eaten…
  • All I want for Christmas is….

Start the Day Right!

Morning Routine – Routines are so important for kids, and starting the day on the right foot can really affect your day. Take this opportunity to talk to kids about their morning routines. Check out some of these awesome printable routines from some great bloggers and create one for your family. Hang it somewhere they can see it and be reminded what comes next.

 

1. Sunny Day Family offers these colorful printable checklists which cover an entire week. They remind kids of the steps to their morning routine and also includes a section of things to remember for the week!

2. The Search for Imperfection created these fun printables and shares a tutorial on how to make them into dry erase checklists.

3. Fun With Mama makes the morning routine into a fun sequencing activity. Have kids move the pieces as they complete the tasks.

Getting ready for your day can be a bit overwhelming sometimes, and it can be easy to forget things. Help kids start the day on the right foot and improve their memories with this fun read aloud!

 

 

61 comments on “Testing Your Memory with George!”

  3. Great activities 🙂 We are loving a memory game by eeBoo called “I Never Forget a Face.” Check it out! It’s great at teaching diversity as well 🙂

  7. I think the memory game with the special game cards is such a fun game and memory building activity that goes along with the story. Thanks for sharing these resources.

  17. This sounds like a cute book. My son is always a little absentminded. My kids have also played I went on a picnic and take turns picking alphabetical items when we are taking long trips.

  20. I love memory games and I still play them myself! I can’t wait until my little one is a bit older so that we can start doing things like this!

  22. My little boys LOVE matching/memory games. We have’t played the “what’s missing” game in a long time, but my 5 year old used to love that one, too. We’ll have to resurrect it. 🙂

    • That Mary Poppins quote comes to mind: “In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun!”. It’s so true!

    • I love playing my favorite childhood games with my daughter! It’s so much fun to jump back into childhood together!

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