- Set-up
- About 3 min
- Reading
- None
The quick verdict
Full verdict ↓Great for Children of about 3 to 6 who are ready for a first card game with rules
Think twice if You want the memory board game with a race round a path: that is Funskool's Match & Move Memory, a different box
How we rate it
Learning curve. Turn two cards and keep them if they show the front and back of the same thing. A three-year-old can follow it with a few pairs, so it sits at 1 on our scale with UNO.
Luck & skill. The first turns are lucky guesses. After that, remembering where cards were, and spotting which front goes with which back, decides who collects pairs.
Interaction. You can't block anyone, but every card another player turns up tells you something, so everyone watches every turn.
Set-up. Mix the 72 cards and lay them face down in a 9-by-8 grid, or use half of them in a 6-by-6 grid. If the cards come on cardboard sheets, press them out the first time.
Reading. Matching is done by the pictures; we found no words on the cards in Funskool's photos. Only the rules on the box back are in English.
Learning curve: 1 = UNO or Connect 4; 3 = Catan; 5 = a heavy strategy game. These describe the experience, not an overall score.
Is Memory Front and Back right for you?
Great if
- Children of about 3 to 6 who are ready for a first card game with rules
- Practising careful looking: each pair is one object seen from two sides, not two copies of the same picture
- A quiet game with grandparents in any language, as there is nothing to read on the cards
- Playing alone: the box has a solo rule where you count your turns and try to need fewer next time
Skip it if
- You want the memory board game with a race round a path: that is Funskool's Match & Move Memory, a different box
- Your child is 7 or older and already quick at pairs games; there is nothing more to it than flip and match
- A toddler under 3 at home: the box warns that the small cards are not suitable for children under 36 months
How Memory Front and Back plays
Set-up: in Funskool's earlier box the 72 picture cards came on cardboard sheets; if yours do, press them out carefully the first time, pushing up from underneath. Mix the cards and spread them picture-side down. The box suggests 9 cards across and 8 down for the full game of 36 pairs, or half the cards (18 pairs) in a 6-by-6 square for beginners.
- Time to teach: about 2 minutes.
- Reading and language: You match the cards by their pictures, so children who can't read yet can play in any language. Only the rules on the box back are in English, and they are short enough for a parent to explain in Hindi, Tamil or any home language.
How to play Memory · Triple S Games
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If this creator doesn’t allow embedded playback, watch on YouTube ↗.
A turn, step by step
- 1Flip
Turn any two face-down cards picture-side up so everyone can see them.
- 2Match
The front and the back of the same object make a pair: keep it and go again. Otherwise turn both cards back in the same places.
- 3Win
When all 36 pairs are found, the player with the most pairs wins.
The full explanation: how a game of Memory Front and Back goes
A turn: the youngest player starts and play passes to the left. Turn over any two cards all the way, so everyone can see them. A match is the front and the back of the same object: keep the pair and take another turn, and carry on until you miss. If the two cards don't belong together, turn them face down again in the same places, and everyone tries to remember where they were.
Winning: when all the cards are matched, everyone counts their pairs and the player with the most wins. Playing alone, set out any number of pairs, count how many turns you need to match them all, and try to beat that score next time.
A tip: before the first game, lay a few pairs face up and talk about them together ('this is the front, and this is the back of the same thing'), so a three-year-old understands why two different-looking cards belong together. Then turn them over and play with just those pairs.
How it differs from Memory Animal Family: both are 72-card pairs games from Funskool with the same rules and the same solo rule. In Animal Family a pair is an animal's parents and its baby; here a pair is one object seen from the front and from behind. Match & Move Memory is different again: a board game in which you turn one card at a time to race a piece round a path.
What's in the box
- 72Picture cards
36 pairs, each the front and the back of one object; on press-out sheets in Funskool's earlier box - –Rules
printed on the back of the box, with a solo rule
Box: 27 × 18.5 × 4 cm. Handy to know for gifting and travel.
From the contents and rules printed on the box back (72 picture cards), shown on Funskool's product page and in an Indian store's photo of the box back. No separate rules leaflet is mentioned.
Where to buy
How to make sure you get a genuine copyEditions and the details worth checking.
What reviewers and players say
We found no written reviews, videos or forum threads about Funskool's Memory Front & Back, so this summary rests on the game's design and Funskool's own information. It is the classic pairs memory game with one twist: the two cards of a pair are not identical, but the same object seen from the front and from behind. That makes young children look carefully as well as remember, and gives parents something to talk about. With 72 cards and a 6-by-6 beginner layout it scales from a three-year-old's first game to a fair challenge at 5 or 6, and the box has a solo rule; older children are likely to find it too simple.
What people love
- A gentle twist on pairs: matching a front to a back makes children look closely, not just remember
- No reading needed, so grandparents and pre-schoolers can play together in any language
- Easy to scale with the box's 6-by-6 beginner layout or a handful of pairs
- A solo rule on the box, so a child can play alone and try to beat their own score
Common complaints
- Cardboard cards can bend or get lost, so keep them in a pouch
- Very young children may at first find it confusing that a pair shows two different-looking pictures
- Children of 7 and up who are good at pairs games may find it too easy
Based on 4 reviews and discussions
- Reference Memory Front & Back product page with the box-back rules (Funskool, read October 2026) · Funskool
- Reference Ravensburger range page (Funskool, read October 2026) · Funskool
- Reference Concentration (card game) · Wikipedia
- Reference memory: Das Original von Ravensburger (Ravensburger, read October 2026) · Ravensburger
Summarised in our own words from the sources above. We don't use Amazon reviews or ratings.
More like Memory Front and Back
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Our picks if Memory Front and Back isn't quite right.
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| Compare the games.The details that make a difference. |
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Memory Front and Back
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Memory Animal Family
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ANOTHER WAY TO PLAY
Match & Move Memory
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ANOTHER WAY TO PLAY
Memory Alphabets and Numbers
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Why consider it | This game Match the front of each object to its back, from memory | A different fit Funskool's 72-card pairs game in the same format, matching each animal's parents to its baby | A different fit Funskool's memory board game: turn one card at a time and race your piece home | A different fit Funskool's pairs game with a pair for every letter from A to Z and number from one to ten |
| Players | 1–4 | 1–4 | 1–4 | 1–4 |
| Best with | 2-3 | 2-3 | 2-3 | 2-3 |
| Play time | 10–20 min | 10–20 min | 15–20 min | 10–20 min |
| Age | 3+ | 3+ | 5+ | 3+ |
| Rules | Easy | Easy | Easy | Easy |
| Indian edition | Available | Available | Available | Available |
| On this page | Explore Memory Animal Family | Explore Match & Move Memory | Explore Memory Alphabets and Numbers |
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Questions people ask about Memory Front and Back
How do you play Funskool Memory Front and Back?
Lay the 72 cards face down. On your turn, flip two: if they show the front and the back of the same object, keep them and go again; if not, turn them back. When all 36 pairs are found, the player with the most pairs wins.
What age is Memory Front and Back for?
The box and Funskool's product page say 3 years and up, even though the Amazon.in listing title says 5 and above. A three-year-old can play with a few pairs and an adult's help, and the full 36 pairs suit children of about 4 to 6.
How is it different from Funskool's Memory Animal Family?
The rules and the 72-card format are the same. In Animal Family you pair an animal's parents with its baby; in Front and Back you pair the front view of an object with its back view, which asks children to look more carefully.
Is Memory Front and Back made in India?
Yes. The box back says 'Country of Origin: Made in India' and names Funskool (India) Ltd as manufacturer, with an address in Ranipet, Tamil Nadu. Funskool's product page also gives India as the country of origin.
Can a child play Memory Front and Back alone?
Yes. The box has a solo rule: set out as many pairs as you like, count the turns it takes to match them all, and try to do better each time.
Game facts
- Publisher
- Funskool (India) Ltd
- In India
- Funskool (India) Ltd, Chennai
- Players
- 1–4
- Language
- No reading – You match the cards by their pictures, so children who can't read yet can play in any language. Only the rules on the box back are in English, and they are short enough for a parent to explain in Hindi, Tamil or any home language.
- Box size and weight
- 27 × 18.5 × 4 cm
Sources & photo creditsThe references behind this guide.
Facts on this page come from the publisher, the Indian maker or distributor, and the sources below. Photos are credited under each one.
- Funskool - Memory Front & Back (product code 4014100, country of origin, age)
- Funskool - memory games in the catalogue
- Funskool - Ravensburger range (lists the memory card games)
- FirstCry - Funskool Memory Front and Back Game (box-back photo with product code and maker panel; linked from Funskool's page)
- Concentration (card game) - Wikipedia
- Ravensburger - memory (the brand's history)