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A Sound Matching Game
Long-lasting

This game consists of a collection of rattles made from film cartons. They are encased in bright wool crochet covers, and the object is to shake them in turn and try to find two (or a set - three or more) that sound the same. The more pairs or sets you have the patience to make, the more successful and challenging the game will be.

You Need

  • A quantity of film cartons. Say 12. More if possible.
  • A large ball of wool. All the covers must be the same or the child will sort them by colour instead of by sound.
  • A small crochet hook to make a tight double crochet stitch.
  • A selection of easily distinguishable noisemakers. For four sets of three I use bells, fish grit and sand, and I leave the fourth set EMPTY.

Now

  1. Arrange the film cartons in pairs or groups.
  2. Insert the noisemakers, and put on the lids. Hint - a few holes punched in the sides of the cartons will help to increase the sound.
  3. Crochet a circle to cover the base of the carton.
  4. Work straight to cover the sides.
  5. Crochet another circle to cover the lid.
  6. Sew this securely to the rest of the cover.

To Play the Game

  1. The cartons are grouped on the table.
  2. A child playing alone takes two cartons, shakes them and listens. If the sound is the same, he puts them on one side and tries another pair. If the sounds they make are different, he holds onto one and puts one back. He then tries all the others until he finds the one to match the carton in his hand.
  3. Played as a group game, the first player takes two cartons and listens to the sounds they make. If they match, he keeps them. If they are different, he puts them back in their original places on the table. (Observant children will notice their positions.)
  4. The second player tries his luck, and so the game progresses. It gets easier as the number of cartons diminishes, and the children soon learn to remember the positions of certain sounds. The game ends when all the cartons have been matched. If you need a winner it is the child with the most pairs.
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