---
title: "Play Kim's game: remember the tray"
published: "2026-10-15"
updated: "2026-10-15"
author: "Dad Field Manual editors (drafted with AI help)"
time: "20 min"
cost: "$0"
ages: "5 and up"
where: "A table or a clear patch of floor."
topics: ["classic-skills","indoor"]
print: "https://dadfieldmanual.com/print?p=kims-game"
url: "https://dadfieldmanual.com/plans/kims-game/"
---

# Play Kim's game: remember the tray

> Twenty minutes, a tray of household odds and ends and a dish towel. Study, cover, then remember: the classic 1911 game that trains the eye and the memory.


## What you need

- A tray or table and a dish towel or coat to cover it (have)
- 15 to 20 safe small objects: a spoon, a sock, a toy car, a key, a crayon (have)
- Paper and pencil for each player (have)
- A timer or watch (have)

## Before you start

- **No sharp objects** on the tray, and nothing small enough for a baby or toddler to put in their mouth.
- **Keep the little ones' reach in mind.** If a younger sibling is around, count items back into the box when you finish.

## Steps

1. **Fill the tray** (Dad) Without letting the kid see, put 15 to 20 small objects on the tray and cover it with the towel. The 1911 book suggests 20 to 30, but start smaller. Write a list of what's on the tray.
2. **Look for one minute** (Kid) Whisk off the towel and set the timer for one minute. The kid can look but not touch or write. Say "Time." and cover the tray again.
3. **Write what you remember** (Kid) Give the kid paper and a pencil, or let a young child whisper the list to Dad. Take a couple of minutes. Spelling doesn't count; a small drawing does.
4. **Check the list** (Together) Uncover the tray and tick off what was remembered. Whoever remembers the most wins. Say what they did well.
5. **Swap roles** (Together) Now the kid sets the tray and Dad plays. Dad may not see the tray being set. Notice how hard it is to be sneaky and how much a kid enjoys outwitting a parent.
6. **Try a memory trick** (Together) Play again, but this time make up a silly story linking the objects in order. Does the story help?

## If it stalls

- If the kid gets frustrated, cut the minute to 90 seconds or drop the number of items.
- Group objects by color or type in your head: three red things, two metal things.
- Don't let the winner brag. Praise the kid who remembered the odd item.


## Variations

- **Ages 3–5:** Six large, safe objects, and the kid points or whispers rather than writes.
- **Ages 6–9:** The full plan with 15 items.
- **Ages 10+:** Twenty items. Or play the 1911 sister game: look at a poster or shop window for one minute, then describe everything that was on it.
- **Outside:** Spread the objects on a blanket in the yard and cover them with a second blanket.

## Sources

- **1911 scouting handbook, p. 311.** The 1911 book describes Kim's game: put 20 to 30 small articles on a tray or table and cover them, uncover for one minute, cover again, then have each player name what they remember. The player who remembers the most wins. <https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/29558> (checked 2026-10-15)