Tutorial: Jar-Lid Matching Game

Well, this is hardly a tutorial, but rather another variation on a theme.  Matching games come in just about every form, and this is just the way I made mine.  Laminated cards would never have lasted as long as these things have, which is around nine years.  They are passing into the sixth pair of little hands now, with no signs of wear.

First, you save a mess of matching jar lids.  We used the same brand of coffee creamer for years.  The metal lids  from orange juice concentrate would work well, too.

I drew the pictures for the game, but one could easily find images online.  There are so many free graphics available now, but I was not computer savvy when I made this game; in fact, I think I may have made it before we ever got our first computer.  Another idea I love is to use photos of the people in your family.  Make two sheets of color copies of your images.  This way you may save the images for future use (you may make another set as a gift for someone when your lid collection is overflowing once again).  Now you have two of each image.

It is easiest to laminate the entire sheet and then cut out the images rather than cut them out and then laminate.  I found that hot glue, used thinly and quickly, held the pictures in the lids best.  And that is all there is to it.  I made my own set so that the youngest players can match the images thus:

But slightly older children can use one half of the set and match things that go together:  flower and watering can, mug and teapot, sun and moon, etc.