Free Chinese New Year Memory Card Game Printable

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Chinese New Year Memory Card Printable

You may know this game as Concentration, Matching Pairs, or Memory Match. We used to play with a regular deck of cards, but a themed set of cards is much more fun and suitable for kids of all ages!

There are six printable sheets with eight pairs of cards on each. Each one is (roughly) themed:

• Chinese Zodiac Animals: Of the 12 illustrations, 10 are our buildable animals*, including this year’s Free Printable Build A Snake.
• Auspicious Animals: Such as the Lion Dance and Fortune Cat.
• Symbolic Items: Many things are associated with China and the Chinese New Year; these images cover three pages! They include Firecrackers, fortune cookies, mandarins, lucky bamboo, Red Money Envelopes, the Fu character, and a family reunion dinner.
• Food: Food is a big part of the Lunar New Year celebration in China and across Asia, so we have included foods like moon cake, money bag dim sum, and tang yuan (glutinous rice balls).

*This printable will be updated to include all our animals in the coming years! For now, there are placeholder animals for the Year of the Horse (2026) and Year of the Goat (2027)

Year of the Snake

Chinese New Year and the Year of the Snake begins on 29 January 2025.

Your Chinese zodiac is Snake if you were born in one of these years: 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, and 2025.

We have been sharing Chinese New Year Printables since the Year of the Monkey in 2016, and these printables are updated annually to reflect that year’s zodiac animal.

We introduced our Chinese New Year Memory Cards to the collection for the Year of the Dragon and have updated them with our full-color Snake!

If you are planning a party or Chinese Banquet, be sure to take a look at these 50+ Delicious Recipes for Chinese New Year.

How To Prepare the Chinese New Year Memory Card Game Printable

• Print the Game: Print as many Chinese New Year memory match games as you need onto regular printer paper or cardstock for a sturdier set. You can use a printer at home, school, the office, or a print shop (online or in-store).
• We have provided decorative card backs, which you can print out using your printer’s duplex function (if available).
• You can also print out the front and back of each set of cards, glue them together, and then cut them out.
• Alternatively, you can mount the free template onto colored construction paper or cardstock to create a nice reverse side for the cards.
• This is optional—you can leave the back of the cards blank if you prefer, but remember that if you use thin paper, you may see the images through the paper.
• Cut the Cards: Each printable page contains eight pairs of cards, so you must cut them to size using scissors or a paper trimmer. First, cut around the whole sheet of cards, then horizontally and vertically down the middle of the thicker black lines to make the cards.
• TIP! For longevity, laminate each card after cutting to protect them. Leave a slight edge around each card when cutting the laminate sheet so as to not fall apart.

Setting Up the Game

• Shuffle the Cards: You want to mix all the pairs of cards as much as possible!
• Place the Cards: Lay the cards face down in a grid formation on a large, flat surface such as a table or the floor. 
• A grid makes remembering where different cards are more manageable. Or you could place them more haphazardly if you prefer a REAL challenge!
• For Younger Children: Use just one set of cards with fewer pairs for them to match.
• For Older Kids: Use all 48 pairs for a challenging and fun game.
• For Adults and Seniors: Use any number and formation of cards you like. This is a great way to exercise those memory skills that can lose function with age.

How To Play Memory (Concentration)

The premise of our free memory game is simple—flip over two cards; if they match, you keep them and take another turn; if they don’t, play moves to the next player.

The rules are so simple that everyone can play, from young children to seniors. It’s a fantastic multi-generational game.

Play Memory Match in a small group (2-4 players), in larger groups (up to 8 players), and even as a solo player.

Game Rules

• The first player flips two cards of their choice, trying to match pictures on the front of the cards. If they match, they keep the pair and have another go. If not, the next player takes their turn.
• The game continues until all pairs are matched. 
• The person with the most pairs wins!

Benefits of Memory Match Games

• The rules are simple for all ages, from younger kids to older children to adults and seniors.
• Not only are the rules simple, but this game is also fun to play, whether you’re in 1st grade, middle school, high school, or playing as a family.
• The game helps to develop concentration skills by paying close attention to the faces of the cards and their position on the table.
• The game is a fun way to develop and nurture memory skills.
• It can help with visual discrimination, which is the ability to see differences and similarities—such as differences in size and shape.
• Printable matching games help to develop turn-taking and teach you how to be a gracious winner or loser!
• Depending on the theme, the game can help with color recognition, letters, words, numbers, and shapes, improving literacy and numeracy.