Arabic letter match, an alphabet memory game

This is a memory game for the 28 letters of the Arabic alphabet. Half the cards show a letter, such as ب, and half show a letter's name and sound, such as Bāʾ, b. Turn over two cards at a time and find the pairs. Each time you turn over a letter you hear its sound, and each time you make a match you hear its name, so children learn the shape, the name and the sound together.

Three levels

• 6 pairs: twelve cards, a good start for young children and anyone in their first week of Arabic.
• 8 pairs: sixteen cards, for children who know some letters.
• Look-alikes, 10 pairs: letters that share a shape and differ only by their dots, such as ب ت ث, ج ح خ and س ش. This is where most beginners mix letters up, so it is the most useful level once the basics are known.

How the score works

The fewest turns wins. A perfect game finds every pair without a wrong guess: 6 turns for 6 pairs. Your score is the number of pairs divided by your turns, as a percentage, and your best score at each level is kept on this device.

Tips for parents and teachers

• Say the name out loud with the recording each time a pair is found.
• Play the same level two or three days in a row. Memory games work through repetition.
• After a game, open the Arabic alphabet trainer to see each letter's four shapes and try its listening quiz.
• When the letters are known, move on to joining them in the Noorani Qaida.

The game has no music, no timer pressure and no pictures of people or animals: just the letters, in the AmalKit lapis and gold.