I Packed My Suitcase
memory game for kids 5+
Each turn repeats the whole list and adds one more item.
In short
I Packed My Suitcase is a classic memory game that many parents remember from their own childhood. Each turn repeats the whole list and adds one more item. You don't need any materials. The game suits kindergartners and older siblings alike. It practices verbal memory, waiting until it is your turn and listening closely.
What you need
- Nothingjust the two of you
How to play
- Take turns: “I packed my suitcase with a ball.”
The full instructions are in the printable pack
3 more steps and 3 ideas to make it harder in the printable pack
All further steps and the ideas to make it harder are in the printable pack, together with all sheets to print.
See the printable packWhen it fits
- On long car trips to your vacation spot, when everyone in the car can play along.
- At the dinner table, when you are still sitting together after the meal and nobody wants to get up yet.
- While packing real suitcases before a trip, as a game alongside the actual work.
What your child practices
- Verbal memory
- Waiting your turn
- Listening
Remembering a series of words is something your child needs for a shopping list kept in their head, for poems and later for learning vocabulary. Just as important is waiting until it is your turn, whether at circle time or when raising a hand in class. And anyone who listens well to the others has an easier time on their own turn.
Works well before or after
Before, Clap Echo gets everyone listening. Afterward, Instruction Chain turns remembering into real tasks.