The Math Behind the Childhood Game “Spot It” and Why It Works

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As a speech-language pathologist, I like games that are portable, serve a lot of purposes, appeal to a variety of age ranges, and are in sturdy packaging, because, while my therapy bag may seem bottomless as a pull out board books and hand sanitizer space is at a premium.

Spot It! fits all of that criteria nicely. It’s a rapid-fire matching game where players try to quickly find the match between their card and other cards.

The game does not involve reading and it actually is based on mathematical principles.

Using these round cards for Memory can really test someone’s memory since each card has eight different pictures on it. To play this variation, set the cards face-down in a 3 x 3 or a 4 x 4 grid and start looking for matches.

You can also play Go Fish with this game since the other person will always have a match. You don’t need to spill those beans, but a player will hone their visual scanning skills as they look for a match in their hand.

Playing this game in a Go Fish variation can help a child with the structures of questions and answers. They might ask, “Do you have XYZ?” and you can respond in complete sentences with either, “Yes, I have XYZ” or “No, I don’t have XYZ,” giving the child the opportunity to hear models of how to create complete answers.

Whether you’re looking for a new game to try during International Games Week, a quick gift for recipients of all ages, or something for a stocking stuffer, give it a go, and Spot It!

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