Variously themed cards are available for children of all age groups.

Phonic Pairs Memory Game

Concentration, also known as Memory, Pelmanism or simply Pairs, is a card game in which all of the cards are laid face down on a surface and two cards are flipped face up over each turn. A card game is any Game using Playing cards either traditional or game-specific A playing card is a piece of specially prepared heavy paper thin card or thin plastic figured with distinguishing motifs and used as one of a set for playing Card games The object of the game is to turn over pairs of matching cards. A game is a structured activity, usually undertaken for Enjoyment and sometimes also used as an Educational tool Concentration can be played with any number of players or as solitaire, and is an especially good game for young children, though adults may find it challenging and stimulating as well. Solitaire, also called patience, is any of a family of single-player Card games of a generally similar character but varying greatly in detail The scheme is often used in quiz shows and can be employed as an educational game. Educational games are Games that have been specifically designed to teach people about a certain subject expand concepts reinforce development understand an historical event

Rules

Concentration is traditionally played on the floor, though any table large enough to display all the cards will do. A floor is the walking surface of a room or vehicle Floors vary from simple dirt in a cave to many-layered surfaces using modern technology A table is a form of Furniture composed of a surface supported by a base usually four legs Any deck of playing cards may be used. A playing card is a piece of specially prepared heavy paper thin card or thin plastic figured with distinguishing motifs and used as one of a set for playing Card games The rules given here are for a standard deck of 52 cards, which are normally laid face down in 4 rows of 13 cards each. The two jokers may be included for a tableau of 6 rows of 9 cards each. The Joker is a special card found in most modern decks of Playing cards or a Mahjong tile in some Mahjong game sets

In turn each player chooses two cards and turns them face up. If they are of the same rank and color (e. g. 6♥ and 6♦, Q♣ and Q♠, or both jokers, if used) then that player wins the pair and plays again. The Joker is a special card found in most modern decks of Playing cards or a Mahjong tile in some Mahjong game sets If they are not of the same rank and color, they are turned face down again and play passes to the player on the left. The game ends when the last pair has been picked up. The winner is the person with the most pairs, and more than one person may tie for first place.

Solitaire

Concentration may be played solo either as a leisurely exercise, or with the following scoring method: Play as normal, but keep track of the number of non-matching pairs turned over (this may be done using poker chips, pennies or by making marks on a sheet of paper). Casino tokens (also known as chips, checks or cheques) are small discs used in lieu of Currency in Casinos Colored metal or compression A penny (pl pence or pennies) is a Coin or a unit of Currency used in several English -speaking countries The object is to clear the tableau in the fewest number of turns, or to get the lowest possible score.

Strategy

Over the course of the game, it becomes known where certain cards are located, and so upon turning up one card players with good memory will be able to remember where they have already seen its pair.

Young children have a tendency to think they know where pairs are and to turn over the one they are sure of first, then be stumped finding its mate. A better strategy is to turn over a less certain card first, so that if wrong, one knows not to bother turning a more certain card over.

An ideal strategy can be developed if you assume players have perfect memory. For the One Flip variation below, this strategy is fairly simple. Before any turn in the game, there are t cards still in play, and n cards still in play, but of known value. On your turn, you should flip over an unknown card. If this card matches one of the known cards, you should obviously flip up its match. Less obviously, if the card does not match any known card, you should still flip up one of the n known cards. The mathematics follow:

If you randomly flip one of the remaining unknown cards, you have a 1/(t-1-n) chance of getting a match, but you also have a n/(t-1-n) chance of providing your opponent with the information needed to make a match.

There are some exceptions to this rule that apply on the fringe cases, where n = 0 or 1 or towards the end of the game.

Variations

Many of these may be played in combination with one another:

• Any Color: A version especially good for young children where matching pairs need only be of the same rank, not the same color. When playing with jokers, these count double because they are more difficult to match.
• One Flip: Players who make a successful pair win these cards but do not go again until their next turn.
• Zebra: In an interesting twist, pairs may only be formed by cards of the same rank, but opposite in color (so 7♦ would match with 7♣ or 7♠, but not 7♥!)
• Two Decks: For a much longer game, shuffle together two 52-card decks and lay them out in 8 rows of 13 cards (9 rows of 12 cards if using jokers). Pairs must be identical (same rank and same suit, as in 10♣ with 10♣).
• Double Decker Checkerboard: For a slightly easier version of the two-pack game, use decks with different backs and shuffle them separately. Deal them out in a checkerboard pattern (red, blue, red, blue, etc. A checkerboard (or chequerboard) is a board on which American checkers is played ) The different backs help identify the position in the grid and significantly reduce the possibility of which cards will match.
• Fancy: The cards need not be laid out in a strict rectangular grid and many players have their own special layouts that include circular, triangular, or diamond-shaped formations. Dealers may select any layout they wish.
• Spaghetti: Same rules as standard concentration, only the cards are not laid out in neat rows. They are strewn randomly about on the floor. Randomness is a lack of order Purpose, cause, or predictability Spaghetti is a good alternative to 52 Pickup. 52 Pickup (or 52-Card Pickup) is a Practical joke and an exercise routine using a deck of playing cards

External links

• Memory game on-line
• Easy MEMOry - THE Concentration Game, more than 94 free concentration games available
• Photographic Memory Game