Taking steps to strengthen your child's memory will increase her chances of performing well in school, the Family Education explains. She will recall lessons in school and retain information in social situations more easily if you challenge her memory regularly. Taking your child through some simple memory exercises will give her the boost she needs.
Quick Recall Games
Quick recall games are good to test memory skills in smaller children. Hold a picture, painting or comic strip up in front of a child or group of children for five or 10 seconds. Hide the item, then ask the kids to close their eyes and describe what they saw. Create a point system to make the game more interesting.
Lines in the Sand
On the playground or at a beach, draw some shapes or pictures in the dirt or sand with a stick. Allow the kids to look at it for several seconds, then mess it up with the stick. Have the children try to re-create the picture you made.
Covered Trays
This exercise works well with cafeteria-style trays, or any tray that will hold several items. Place 10 or 20 items on the tray; the number can vary based on the kids' ages, University of Washington researchers note. Let them study the tray for one minute. Cover the tray and give each child a pencil and paper to write down everything he remembers from the tray. Another variation is to remove one item from the tray and ask the children which one is missing.
Hide the Peanut
For small children, a simple game of hiding a peanut, marble or rock under a cup will get the memory working. Line up three disposable cups, then place a peanut under one, in plain view of the kids. Rotate the cups and have them try to remember which cup hides the peanut.
Concentration Match Games
Matching games are a slightly more advanced form of memory exercise. Find a deck of cards, or any picture cards that look the same on the back side. Count out 15 pairs, or 30 cards in total, and place them face down in a six-card-by-five-card grid. Have the kids take turns turning over two at a time, looking for a match. If they find two the same, they keep going. If not, they put the cards back and the next player goes. The objective is for them to remember where certain cards are located to make a match.
