Directions: This game is a cumulative memory game, similar to “Grandmother’s Trunk.” The basic idea is that players assemble in a circle then each person adds a bit of information. All the accumulated information must be repeated at each player’s turn. The game can get challenging if there are lots of players and therefore much info to remember. To make it cooperative, the group quickly helps any player who gets stuck.

In Musical Memory Builder, each player makes a musical sound when it’s his turn. The game is over when everyone in the circle has had a chance to add a musical sound and the entire group repeats the string of musical sounds as a grand finale. All together, the slaps, whistles, claps, etc.  will make an improv musical phrase!

Suzanne’s notes: This game format is adaptable to just about any subject where students need to memorize material. For example, play “Solar System Memory Builder”; “Presidents Memory Builder”; River- in-Our-Watershed-Memory Builder”; “Exciting-Adjectives-Likely-to-Appear-on-the-SAT Memory Builder”; and so on-You get the idea!