My granddaughter, CiCi (3) loves to play matching games. She is getting better and better at it each time. When she was 1-1/2 , I would keep them right side up and she would just pick the ones that were a match. At two, she could do maybe 3 sets and now she can do about 6 to 7 sets. Young children love to look at photos of themselves and family members. I want to give Cici a game that would remind her of those of us that are not around all of the time and keep us close to her heart. Here is a tutorial combining the two, a personalized photo matching for ages 1-1/2 to 5. Using pictures of my granddaughter and her closest family members made each one different enough that she could match them without difficulty.
The benefits of matching games are:
- Develop the child’s brain;
- Improve thinking skill;
- Logical and Visual Skills;
- Responsiveness;
Supplies:
- Heavy poster board, (this is what I had on hand.) You can use any type of durable material, such as cardboard, or a deck of cards. Anything that is easily cut and no rough edges. It must be large enough to apply enough decorative paper and the required photos;
- Liquitex Gloss Super Heavy Gel ( which is what I chose for this project) but you can use Mod Podge and a top coat;
- paint brush or sponge;
- Squeegee or rolling-pin;
- Colorful scrapbook or decorative paper;
- Matching set of photos for each set of matching cards ( this is most effective if done on card stock, printer paper can be too thin and you save ink if you don’t do it on photo paper);
- Scissors to cut edges as precisely as possible;
- Contact or velum paper (optional)
Step 1: Apply Gel thinly to poster board and attach scrapbook paper on the poster board and let dry thoroughly. Squeegee well to remove any excess gel ;
Step 2: In Word, Picasa or other formatting program set up a format to create a template of pictures. Print out 2 exact sets in the shape and size you want.
Step 3: Turn over poster board and apply thin coat of gel and apply pictures on the reverse side of scrapbook paper. Squeegee well. Let dry.
Step 4: Optional: apply a thin coat of gel on top of scrapbook paper and pictures to make sure the paper stays adhered. Squeegee well to remove any excess gel. Let dry completely.
Step 5: Cut pictures out carefully so that they are exactly the same with scissors;
Optional: Apply contact paper or velum on both side to make cards more durable and water-resistant. Trim carefully. Squeegee those as well to remove bubbles.
Now we have a personalized game for Cici who did enjoy these a great deal! When I visited her, we played with these for a good long while. I only wish I had made more sets or used the playing card option so we had more to choose from. Let the learning and play begin!
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