There is this memory game we had when my kids were little. It was just cardboard tiles with pictures on them, nothing fancy at all. But they would drag it out after dinner almost every night and line up all those little tiles on the kitchen floor. I still remember the sound of them flipping the cards over and squealing when they found a match.

I thought about that game so much when I came across this pattern. A big soft mama turtle whose shell lifts right off, and all her little babies tucked underneath with different colored tummies. Each baby is a match to another one, and the whole thing becomes a memory game that a child can hold in their hands and actually feel. It is the sweetest idea I have ever seen in crochet form, and I knew I had to share it.

If you have a little one in your life, or if you are just someone who loves making things that are both beautiful and useful, this one is for you.

Materials Needed

• Yarn: Himalaya Dolphin Baby, 131 yards / 3.5 oz (120 m / 100 g), in beige and green. You will need 1 skein of each color to make 1 big turtle and 9-12 baby turtles.
• Stuffing: fiberfill
• Hook: size 7 (4.5 mm)
• Eyes: black beads, 1/3 inch (8-10 mm), 2 pieces for the mama turtle
• Transparent glue
• Sewing needle
• A piece of black yarn for embroidering facial features
• Small amounts of assorted colored yarn for baby turtle tummies
• Stitch markers
• Elastic hair band, diameter 2 inches (5 cm)

Finished Size

• Big turtle: 12 x 5 inches (30 x 12 cm)
• Baby turtles: 4 x 2.5 inches (9 x 4 cm)

Abbreviations

• MR – magic ring (you can make 2 ch and crochet 6 sc in the second chain from the hook)
• sc – single crochet
• sl st – slip stitch
• inc – increase
• dc – double crochet
• dec – decrease
• tc – treble crochet
• ch – chain
• (…) x N – repeat N times

Pattern Instructions

Legs

Make 4 Crochet with beige color.

• Rnd 1: 5 sc in MR (5)
• Rnd 2: 5 inc (10)
• Rnd 3-5 (3 rounds): 10 sc
• Rnd 6: (3 sc, dec) x 2 (8)
• Stuff the detail.
• Fold the detail in half and crochet 3 sc, grasping the stitches of both edges.
• Fasten off and cut the yarn, hide the end.
• Crochet the rest of the legs in the same way.

Head

Crochet with beige color.

• Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR (6)
• Rnd 2: 6 inc (12)
• Rnd 3: (1 sc, inc) x 6 (18)
• Rnd 4: (inc, 2 sc) x 6 (24)
• Rnd 5-8 (4 rounds): 24 sc
• Rnd 9: 12 dec (12)
• Rnd 10: (4 sc, dec) x 2 (10)
• Rnd 11-17 (7 rounds): 10 sc
• Stuff the detail.
• Fold the detail in half and crochet 4 sc, grasping the stitches of both edges.
• Fasten off and cut the yarn, hide the end.

Shell / Body

Crochet with beige color.

• Rnd 1: 24 sc in elastic band
• Rnd 2: (3 sc, inc) x 6 (30)
• Rnd 3: (inc, 4 sc) x 6 (36)
• Rnd 4: (5 sc, inc) x 6 (42)
• Rnd 5: (inc, 6 sc) x 6 (48)
• Rnd 6: (7 sc, inc) x 6 (54)
• Rnd 7: (inc, 8 sc) x 6 (60)

In the next round, crochet together the stitches of the body, legs and head.

• Rnd 8: 7 sc, 3 sc with leg, 10 sc, 3 sc with leg, 5 sc, 4 sc with head, 5 sc, 3 sc with leg, 10 sc, 3 sc with leg, 7 sc, crochet the tail: 4 ch, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, 2 sc, sl st

Change the color to green.

• Rnd 9: 60 sc
• Rnd 10: crochet for the front loops only: (9 sc, inc) x 6 (66); crochet for the back loops only: 60 sc (60)
• Rnd 11-15 (5 rounds): 60 sc
• Rnd 16: (dec, 8 sc) x 6 (54)
• Rnd 17: (7 sc, dec) x 6 (48)
• Rnd 18: (dec, 6 sc) x 6 (42)
• Rnd 19: (5 sc, dec) x 6 (36)
• Rnd 20: (dec, 4 sc) x 6 (30)
• Rnd 21: (3 sc, dec) x 6 (24)
• Rnd 22: (dec, 2 sc) x 6 (18)
• Rnd 23: (1 sc, dec) x 6 (12)
• Rnd 24: 6 dec

Cut the yarn, tighten the hole. Fasten the yarn, hide the end inside. Sew the neck to the shell. Glue or sew eyes. You can add black felt circles. Embroider eyelashes and mouth.

Baby Turtle

Crochet with green color.

• Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR (6)
• Rnd 2: 6 inc (12)
• Rnd 3: (1 sc, inc) x 6 (18)
• Rnd 4: (inc, 2 sc) x 6 (24)
• Rnd 5: 24 sc for the front loops only

Change the color to beige.

• Rnd 6: crochet the body, legs and head for the back loops only of the 4th round:
  • 2 sc
  • 1st leg: (1 sc, 4 ch, 1 sc) in one loop
  • 5 sc
  • 2nd leg: (1 sc, 4 ch, 1 sc) in one loop
  • 2 sc
  • Head: (1 sc, 2 ch, 2 tc) in one loop, (1 tc, 1 dc, sl st) in one loop
  • 2 sc
  • 3rd leg: (1 sc, 4 ch, 1 sc) in one loop
  • 5 sc
  • 4th leg: (1 sc, 4 ch, 1 sc) in one loop
  • 2 sc
• Rnd 7: (1 sc, dec) x 7, 1 sc, sl st (16)

Do not crochet the legs and head; leave them between the stitches of the decrease.

Change the color to blue (or any other color you choose for the tummy).

• Rnd 8: crochet for the back loops only: 8 dec (8)

Stuff the body. Cut the yarn, leaving a long end for sewing the hole. Tighten the hole. You can glue on the eyes.

Baby is ready! Crochet 9-12 of these babies with tummies of different colors.

How the Memory Game Works

Make pairs of baby turtles in matching tummy colors. Place them all tummy-side down under the mama turtle’s removable shell. Players take turns lifting two babies at a time trying to find matching tummy colors. The player who collects the most pairs wins!

Tips for Success

The elastic band is the secret to the whole toy. The mama turtle’s shell starts with 24 sc crocheted right around a hair elastic. This is what gives the shell its dome shape and lets it lift on and off so the babies can hide underneath. Use a plain, smooth elastic with no metal parts.

Attaching limbs in the round is easier than it sounds. When you reach Round 8 on the shell and body, you are crocheting the legs and head right into the body at specific stitch positions. Pin them in place before you start that round so everything lands where you want it.

The front loop and back loop trick creates the shell rim. In Round 10, you work the increases in the front loops and then immediately crochet the back loops. This creates a little folded ridge that looks exactly like the edge of a turtle shell. Take your time in this round because it is the detail that makes the whole piece look polished and real.

Give each baby a different tummy color. You need pairs for the memory game, so plan your colors before you start crocheting. If you are making 12 babies, you need 6 different colors, 2 babies each. Write down your color plan or lay out the yarn skeins first so you don’t lose track.

Plush yarn hides a lot. Himalaya Dolphin Baby is a chenille-style yarn that is very forgiving. Small tension inconsistencies and uneven stitches practically disappear in the texture. This makes it a great pattern for crocheters who are still building confidence.

The baby turtles work up fast. Once you understand the construction of Round 6, where the little legs and head pop out from the back loops of Round 4, you will be flying through them. The first baby takes the most time to figure out, and after that each one goes much quicker.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a different yarn brand? Yes. The key is to use a bulky chenille or velvet-style plush yarn in a similar weight to Himalaya Dolphin Baby. Bernat Blanket, Lion Brand Velvet, or any other chenille yarn around 100g / 120m will work. Just adjust your hook size if needed to keep the fabric firm enough that the stuffing doesn’t show through.

Do I have to make 12 babies? Not at all. Nine babies means you have 4 pairs plus one extra, which works great as a beginner memory game for toddlers. Twelve babies gives you 6 pairs for a slightly more challenging game. You can make as many or as few as you like depending on who you are gifting this to.

My shell doesn’t sit over the babies properly. What went wrong? The most common reason is that the elastic band was stretched too tightly when starting Round 1, which makes the base of the shell too small. Try starting with a looser tension around the elastic. You want the shell to be wide and gently domed, not tight.

Is this pattern safe for young children? The bead eyes are glued or sewn on, so always supervise young children during play and make sure the eyes are very securely fastened. For children under 3, you may want to embroider the eyes with black yarn instead of using bead eyes at all.

Can I wash this toy? Hand washing gently in cool water is best for chenille yarn. Lay flat to dry and reshape the shell while it is still damp. Machine washing can cause the yarn to shrink and lose its soft texture.

Conclusion

There is something about making a toy that is also a game that feels extra meaningful. You are not just crocheting something cute to look at. You are making something a child is going to pick up and play with and carry around and maybe fight over with a sibling. The little babies hidden under their mama’s shell, each one waiting to be found and matched, that is a kind of magic that you built with your own two hands.

I hope you love making this as much as I loved writing it up for you. Whether you tuck it in a gift bag or set it on a shelf where little hands can reach it, it is going to bring a whole lot of joy.

Now go grab that green yarn and get started. You have got some babies to hatch.