
How to Improve Children Memory Power? Some Simple Techniques
By Andrew Loh
Memory retention is a complicated process. Improving memory is also a
lengthy act, where you may need to use several methods in combination to
enhance working memory. One simple technique is improving different
senses in your children and refine the learning enhancement techniques to
induce memory retention. Intelligence in children is a manifestation of
different senses like touch, sensory, sight, visual, verbal and
auditory. Processing these senses will help your children develop better memory.
To perform better in the classroom, children may need to
develop their short-term memory. Another important memory is the working
memory that helps children in storing, indexing, organizing and
manipulating information on a temporary basis. It is just like the random access
memory in a computer that accesses the memory right on the spot.
Short-term memory is an absolute necessity, because the brain can store
information in the memory chest for immediate and short-term retrieval.
The information retrieved in such a manner will help the children
remember lessons and write their tests in an effective manner.
Hence, it is very critical to enhance and improve short-term memory in
children. More often, experts around the world use the basic technique
of integrated mnemonics, where sensory information derived from abilities
like color, shades, sounds, tastes, touch, language and emotions,
diction, reading and imagination play an important role. The main goal
is to infuse or instill the best of all these senses into the children's
brain, so that information and knowledge generated could be stored for
immediate and long-term retrieval. Another approach is to connect all
these senses together, so that triggering one will result in
triggering other senses, which eventually result in better memory power.
Here are some simple techniques that help you to train your
children for better memory power.
Using acronyms for better memory power
Using acronyms could help your children remember information in an easy manner.
There are several types of acronym games in the world. Acronyms might lead to the formation of
words and syllables. When your children create a word by using a game
board, he or she will be able remember them for
immediate retrieval.
Using rhymes and songs
Rhymes, songs, melodies and rhythms are the best sources of verbal
exercises. Your children could use thoughtful toys and playthings to learn or
they can use their voice to train their brains to remember
information. Rhymes and songs should go along with related and
accompanying visuals because they impart moving or stationary images
to consolidate the memory retention process.
Playing games to retain memory
Games are the best tools to enhance memory power in children. Story telling could be used as a form
of game to induce better memory retention. Children will be able to
remember important points of the story in memory and later recall it
very quickly. Young children in their early classroom should be asked to
recite a story everyday to help them develop memory power. Stories are
very good tools because children create images of events and
personalities in their brain. It is very easy for them to recall such
images later when needed by them.
Stories are very good play tools too! Story telling works in two different ways - one is by
enhancing short-term memory power and the other is by improving
long-term memory. When children repeat the story many times, they will
be driving home the most important parts of the story (both self-created
images and text) in their brain as long-term memory. Story telling is
also an efficient method to enhance working memory. Story telling could
also be a group event. When there is a close interaction among different
participants, children tend to contribute in a better way. The close
teamwork will result in better memory retention processes.
Here are some more tips to enhance short, long and working memory in your children:
Note: These simple tips will help children view
their working brain as it develops the memory power. In other words, it
becomes easy to control the activities of the brain as children learn
techniques of memory enhancement and retention.
De-stressing the brain
Stress and pressure could impede
flow of information to the sensitive areas of the brain. In fact,
several brain intake systems work in combination to carry information
into the reactive zone of the brain. When there is a pressure on the
brain, the resulting action of the brain will be flight or freezing of
information flow to the thinking or conscious parts of the brain where
long-term memory is created. Dr. Judy Willis proposed this monumental
theory of memory in her child brain research experiments. She recommends
enjoyable and entertaining daily rituals like singing, playing card
games and tossing the balls or introducing surprises like playing with a
fun picture before the real study time so that study experience becomes
smoother and relaxed.
Attention grabbing events
Children like something that grabs their attention. Memorable events
could help children develop long-term memories. Ask your children to
visualize how their next session of class will be. Hang posters that
advertise the next lesson. This will heighten the level of curiosity in
your children. Curious minds will open their sensory uptake filters to
absorb more bits of information.
Playing with colors
The sensory filter of brain allows a very tiny part of the
information that is made available by the nature. These filters will
control the type of data that goes inside. However, any information or
data on color and its shade gets access into the brain very easily.
Introducing colors and shades in children's early age will help them
develop better memory power.
Memory that relate to relations and similarities
The brain is an efficient organ. It retains details and information in its short-term memory area
for less than 30 seconds unless it relates them with an already stored
knowledge pool. To develop memory, you should help your children to
activate prior knowledge and details by reminding their previous
learning or experiences.
Creating patterns
The brain is a puzzle and pattern-seeking organ that creates a
storehouse of information based on the information available. When your
children create connecting patterns between new and old knowledge stored
within the memory sectors of the brain, then its power to retain and
enhance memory power becomes two or threefold. Making charts and
comparing them, mnemonics and playing with games that works on analogies
will help create patterns among old and new information stored within
the cerebral cortex of the brain.
Better memory means better classroom performances. Children who are adept in the art of memory
development and retention could easily outclass their peers in
scholastic and academic domains.
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Helping Students Remember, Includes CD-ROM: Exercises and Strategies to Strengthen Memory
By Milton J. Dehn, Ed.D
A practical workbook designed to assist students whose
academic learning is suffering due to a memory deficit or
ineffective utilization of their memory capabilities,
Helping Students Remember provides numerous strategies and
methods to strengthen memory, including chunking,
organization, keyword, self-testing, pegword, loci, and
mnemonics.
Drawing on the author's extensive training and experience,
this useful resource presents effective techniques and
lessons on:
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How memory works
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Memorization methods
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Goals for improving memory
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Repetition
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Using cards to build memory
-
Grouping words by category
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Study skills that help
memory
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Using arithmetic to build
memory
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Using music to remember
-
Improving recall during
tests
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Creating and using review
sheets
-
Picturing verbal
information
-
Using context cues
-
Plans for using memory
strategies
With an accompanying CD containing all of the worksheets and
word lists for reproduction, Helping Students Remember is
the first workbook of its kind for general psychologists,
school psychologists, and special education teachers,
offering practical, easy-to-implement, and evidence-based
methods for working with children with memory impairments.
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