A memory pairs card game for children

Pairs is the classic memory game of turning over two cards at a time, and it's free in Games by Zaweba. Every card starts face down, matching cards stay up and the others turn back, so it's all about remembering where things are. Because the app has no adverts, no account and nothing online, it's a safe pick for children on a family PC.

Memory games are wonderful for younger players. The rule takes seconds to explain, there's no reading needed once you know it, and children often beat adults at it.

How Pairs plays

All the cards start face down. Turn over two. If they're the same rank and colour, such as the seven of hearts and the seven of diamonds, they stay face up. If not, they turn back over. Remember where everything is and clear the table in as few turns, and as little time, as you can.

The only control is the mouse: click a card to turn it over. Pairs is on the Cards shelf of Games by Zaweba, and the title card at the start explains the rules and controls.

Helping a child get started

Play the first game together. Turn the cards and say out loud what you see: "a red seven, top left". Saying it helps fix it in memory, and it teaches the habit of noticing where each card is.

Point out the colour rule. A match has to be the same rank and the same colour. Hearts and diamonds are both red, clubs and spades both black. Once a child sees that a red seven only pairs with the other red seven, the game makes sense.

Start with the first card you know. A good way to play is to turn over a card you haven't seen yet first. If it matches one you remember, you can go straight to its partner.

Keep it short. A game of Pairs doesn't take long, which is just right for young attention spans. If someone needs a break, Esc pauses, and the game also pauses itself when you click away from the window.

Making it a challenge for older players

Your score in Pairs depends on how few turns you take and how little time you use. That gives older children and adults a target. Games by Zaweba keeps your best score for every game and mode, along with plays and wins, and the result card at the end shows your score next to your best.

On a shared computer, those scores are stored in the settings folder of whoever is signed in to Windows. If each person has their own Windows account, they'll each have their own records.

Why it suits a family PC

Games by Zaweba is free software that runs entirely offline. Everything is drawn and every sound synthesised in code, so there's nothing to download, no adverts and no chat with strangers. You can turn the sound off from the bar above any game if others are working nearby.

When a child is ready for more, the Cards shelf has Wild Eights, an easy shedding game against three computer players. The Board games shelf has Serpents & Ladders and Noughts & Crosses, and the Puzzles shelf has gentler logic games such as Slide Puzzle. A star on a tile puts a favourite on the Favourites shelf, so younger players can find their games again without help.