Start with matching, grow into memory
The first game is the easiest to teach. Lay the cards face up, point to one unicorn, and ask them to find its match. At around 2 years, this is the skill that matters: noticing that two images are the same, then reaching for the right card and placing it beside its partner. It also gives you a natural reason to talk. Name the colours, the wings and the sparkly details as you go, and you'll hear their vocabulary stretch. The included parent prompts give you easy questions to ask, so you aren't making it up on the spot.
Flip the cards and the challenge changes
Turn the same cards face down and you have a memory game. Now they have to remember where the rainbow unicorn went, which is real memory practice. Around 3 years, children start to hold a picture in mind for a few seconds, and this game builds exactly that. You'll see them concentrate before they commit to a flip. With 1 to 4 players, it works as a quiet solo challenge or a turn-taking game with a sibling or friend. Waiting for a turn and coping with a wrong guess are early lessons that carry straight into school-age board games.
Then build the floor puzzle
The same 24 cards also make a 24-piece floor puzzle, which gives the set a third life. Matching pieces and fitting them together builds the visual scanning and spatial reasoning they'll use for bigger jigsaws later. It's a good fit for the stage where a standard jigsaw feels like too much but they're ready for more than a knob puzzle. There are no batteries, no tiny accessories and no noise, so it travels well to a grandparent's house or a waiting room.