Give children paper and pencils, chalk and chalkboard or a white board and markers. Have each child or pairs of children write down as many pairs of rhyming words that they can think of, such as bat and hat, book and took or car and far. Start out by giving children simple examples of rhyming pairs to get them thinking. The child or pair of children with the most rhyming pairs of words wins. For smaller children, say a word aloud, such as dog, and ask them to say words that rhyme with it, like frog.
The traditional Memory game is a set of cards that contain pictures of objects; players turn them face down and try to match up pairs. The player with the most pairs wins. This game is also easy to play with a traditional set of cards. Place all cards face down and have children match pairs of identical numbers and colors. For example, the ace of hearts pairs with the ace of diamonds and the two of spades pairs with the two of clubs.
Gather two of each everyday items, such as pens, combs, socks, forks and spoons. Have children find matching pairs of items. For younger children, give them one item, hide the matching item and have them find its pair. For older children, hide both items, give them a list of hidden items and have them look for pairs. The child with the most pairs wins. Children may work in pairs for this game as well.
Websites, such as knowledgeadventure.com, thekidzpage.com and happychild.org, feature interactive pair games for children. Most smart phones are equipped with educational applications for children that include pair games, such as Memory and Concentration. Children match pictures of objects, such as leaves, shapes and animals while the game scores and times them. These pair games get progressively harder as the child scores better in a shorter amount of time.