Expanding Memory

K. is still at the age when she likes to play Memory. We have a very old game that my mother picked up at the second hand store years ago. It has 108 cards. When we first started playing it I divided it up into 6 groups, so it was easier for a 3 year old to handle. Now we have combined sets so we have 3 groups. Yesterday, after we played, K. said I'm going to tell you a story about one of my cards. When she finished, she said, "Now it's your turn." I said, "I'm going to tell you a story using all my cards." It was a very silly story about a king who lived on a boat. When I finished my story. She told me another story, then said, "Tell my the story again." Anyway, I had to tell the story about the king 3 or 4 times. However, when we were through I got to thinking that this was really a good way to help her learn to tell stories. Because the pictures of what goes in the story are already set, it gives the story direction instead of her just going off in any direction and on many different tangents.