Does your child have a hard time remembering directions or math facts? Do they often forget what they want to say? If so, they might have working memory issues.
Working memory refers to the manipulation of information that short-term memory stores (in the past, the term “working memory” was used interchangeably with the term “short-term memory.”) It’s a skill kids use to learn. You can help your child improve their recall by building some working memory boosters into daily life.
1. Teach visualization skills.
Encourage your child to create a picture of what they’ve just read or heard. For example, if you’ve told them to set the table for five people, ask them to come up with a picture in their head of what the table should look like. Then have them draw that picture. As they get better at visualizing, they can start describing the image to you instead of drawing it.
2. Have your child teach you.
Being able to explain how to do something involves making sense of information and mentally filing it. If they’re learning a skill, like how to dribble a basketball, ask them to teach it to you after their coach explains it to them.
3. Suggest games that use visual memory.
Give your child a magazine page and ask them to circle all instances of the word “the” or the letter “a” in one minute. Alternatively, play games in the car in which one of you recites the letters and numbers on a license plate you see and then has to say it backwards, too.
4. Play cards.
Simple card games like Uno, Go Fish and Concentration improve working memory in two ways. Your child has to keep the rules of the game in mind, but also has to remember what cards they have and which ones other people have played.
5. Make up category games.
When words and ideas are put into categories, they’re easier to remember. Playing games in which you name as many animals as you can think of can eventually lead to playing games with more complicated concepts. For example, you may ask your child to name as many clue words for addition as they can (such as “all together,” “in all,” “total” and “plus”).
6. Number your directions.
Beginning a sentence with words like “I need you to do three things…” can help your child keep all of the different points in their head. You can do the same thing with other information, too, like shopping lists (”We need to buy these five items…”).
7. Connect emotion to information.
Processing information in as many ways as possible can help your child remember it. Help them connect feelings to what they’re trying to remember. For instance, if they’re learning about how the pyramids in ancient Egypt were built, ask them to think about what it felt like to have to climb to the top of one of them pulling a heavy stone in the hot sun.
8. Help make connections.
Connections are the relationship between things. Finding ways to connect what your child is trying to remember with things they already know can help them learn new material. For instance, show them that the twos times table is the same as their doubles facts, such as 4 x 2 = 8 and 4 + 4 = 8.
Memory-boosting tricks and games are just some of the ways you can help improve your child’s executive functioning skills.
Working memory refers to the manipulation of information that short-term memory stores (in the past, the term “working memory” was used interchangeably with the term “short-term memory.”) It’s a skill kids use to learn. You can help your child improve their recall by building some working memory boosters into daily life.
1. Teach visualization skills.
Encourage your child to create a picture of what they’ve just read or heard. For example, if you’ve told them to set the table for five people, ask them to come up with a picture in their head of what the table should look like. Then have them draw that picture. As they get better at visualizing, they can start describing the image to you instead of drawing it.
2. Have your child teach you.
Being able to explain how to do something involves making sense of information and mentally filing it. If they’re learning a skill, like how to dribble a basketball, ask them to teach it to you after their coach explains it to them.
3. Suggest games that use visual memory.
Give your child a magazine page and ask them to circle all instances of the word “the” or the letter “a” in one minute. Alternatively, play games in the car in which one of you recites the letters and numbers on a license plate you see and then has to say it backwards, too.
4. Play cards.
Simple card games like Uno, Go Fish and Concentration improve working memory in two ways. Your child has to keep the rules of the game in mind, but also has to remember what cards they have and which ones other people have played.
5. Make up category games.
When words and ideas are put into categories, they’re easier to remember. Playing games in which you name as many animals as you can think of can eventually lead to playing games with more complicated concepts. For example, you may ask your child to name as many clue words for addition as they can (such as “all together,” “in all,” “total” and “plus”).
6. Number your directions.
Beginning a sentence with words like “I need you to do three things…” can help your child keep all of the different points in their head. You can do the same thing with other information, too, like shopping lists (”We need to buy these five items…”).
7. Connect emotion to information.
Processing information in as many ways as possible can help your child remember it. Help them connect feelings to what they’re trying to remember. For instance, if they’re learning about how the pyramids in ancient Egypt were built, ask them to think about what it felt like to have to climb to the top of one of them pulling a heavy stone in the hot sun.
8. Help make connections.
Connections are the relationship between things. Finding ways to connect what your child is trying to remember with things they already know can help them learn new material. For instance, show them that the twos times table is the same as their doubles facts, such as 4 x 2 = 8 and 4 + 4 = 8.
Memory-boosting tricks and games are just some of the ways you can help improve your child’s executive functioning skills.
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