Make a Family Matching Game

Yesterday I finished up this family matching game for my nephew. He’ll be turning two in July and is simply adorable. Sadly, I only see him about once or twice a year. This gift is a way for him to stay connected to the rest of the family when we’re not there. His mom and dad can talk about each of our family members as they search for matches and our faces will, hopefully, stay fresh in his memory between Skype sessions.

While I was busy working on this project, my son was busily working on his own matching game. He really hit on something! It’d definitely be a great rainy day activity this summer. Instead of photos and laminators, have your kiddos draw or stamp pairs of animals, plants, buildings, instruments, vehicles, or whatever they’re interested in on cardstock. They can cut them up and start playing right away. Making the game and then playing it should keep them occupied for quite awhile!

 To make your own matching game:

• Choose several photos of family members. Crop and re-size each photo to 2.5 X 2.5 inches (big enough for little hands).
• Add them to a Powerpoint document. This was the easiest way for me to print them out. If you have a more efficient way, go for it!
• Print two copies on cardstock, cut them out.
• Decorate the opposite side of the photos. I used bicycle w tape, but your kids could decorate them with stickers, stamps or anything else fairly uniform.
• Send the decorated cards through a laminator and trim the extra plastic.
• Decorate a box or container to hold the new matching game. I used a fun wood box (I found for $1.00 at Michael’s) and more washi tape.

That’s all there is to it! How do you keep up family connections when you don’t live in the same, city, state or country? I’d love to hear your ideas!