Picture Memory Game for Seniors, 5

How many can you remember?

Supply List:

  • Printed memory game pages
  • Pen

Directions for Caregivers:

This is an excellent social activity. If you get stuck, you can give each other clues about the items you missed.

Vary the picture memory game by placing some physical items on the table, spending some time looking at them, and then covering them with a towel before trying to recall what is on the table.

Use a whiteboard to record the items remembered for all to see.

If one or more people in the group cannot remember very well, ask them to remember just one or two items, and then ask them first when it is time to write down or talk about the answers. If they can remember, that’s fine, but it’s equally OK if they can’t. Just smile, reassure them that it’s OK, and move on to another person. By not putting too much pressure on a person to remember, they are more likely to participate actively the next time. Once they know it’s OK to be wrong or not remember, the activity is more fun.

If you get stuck, give more clues as to what each missed item looks like.

Early and early mid-stage dementia

Do this memory game for seniors together. If you don’t get all the items, you can either turn the page over and spend more time looking at it before adding more items to your sheet or try to identify which items you missed the first time by comparing what you see to what you have written down.

A more tactile variation would be placing some items on the table, looking at them, and then covering them with a towel.

Click here to Print

About this Activity

How to Do the Picture Memory Game

Print the picture memory page and study the picture page for 30 seconds to a minute. Then, turn the page upside down and write down as many items as you can remember.

If you don’t get them all, you can either turn the page over and spend more time looking at it before adding more items to your sheet or try to identify which items you missed the first time by comparing what you see to what you have written down.

Did you know?

Smells are powerful memory triggers.

The part of your brain that processes smells is closely linked to the part that handles emotions and memories, which is why a scent can suddenly take you back decades in an instant.

Memory improves with use—like a muscle!

Doing puzzles, learning new things, or even telling old stories helps keep your memory sharp. It’s true: “use it or lose it” applies to your brain, too!

Your brain starts forming memories before you’re even born.

Babies in the womb can recognize their mother's voice and music they hear repeatedly, which means that memory starts developing as early as 20 weeks into pregnancy!

Some people have super autobiographical memory.

A rare few individuals can remember nearly every day of their lives in detail. This condition is called hyperthymesia, and scientists are still trying to figure out exactly how it works.

If you want more mental exercise activities, visit our word games category page or find another memory game for dementia here.