IMPROVE YOUR CHILD'S MEMORY THROUGH PLAY

List in order all of the presidents of the United States. Now name all of the capitals of the states. Are you kidding? I can't even remember where I put my car keys! Though your preschool or early elementary child may not have a to remember this volume of information yet, the time will come -- maybe sooner than you realize! Start strengthening your child's memory now while playing together. Here are a few fun games to try:
  • Block Busters -- Build a simple block design. Use 3-4 blocks for preschool-age children and 5-8 or more blocks for elementary-age children. Give it a name to make it fun. For example, Look! I built a castle! Allow the child to look at the design for 10 seconds, then cover it up. Ask the child to try and make one just like yours. Kids love to take turns and test your memory, too!
  • What's Missing? -- Gather 5-10 different small toys or objects from around the house. For example, a toy car, key, paper clip, crayon, ball, doll, action figure, button, etc. Place them all on the table or floor. Ask the child to review them carefully and memorize them. After the child has studied them for 10-15 seconds, ask the child to cover his eyes. Remove one of the objects. Now, with eyes uncovered, ask the child to see if he or she can figure out "what's missing?"
  •  Memory Race -- Place two pieces of paper along with a crayon or pencil at opposite sides of the room. Depending on the age of your child, draw one of the following:
    • a simple picture such as a face, house, ball, etc.
    • a sequence of shapes like circle, cross, square
    • a sequence of letters like BNDP
    • a sequence of numbers such as 39485
Ask your child to study the drawing or sequence for 10-15 seconds. Then instruct her to crab walk, bear walk, frog leap, or run to the other side of the room to the other piece of paper. Once there, ask your child to reproduce the drawing or sequence shown to her on the first piece of paper without peeking at the original.
  • Personalized Memory Game -- Use 10-30 index cards to make a unique memory game geared toward a skill your child is trying to achieve.
    • For preschoolers, try simple shapes. Draw a shape on two cards. Repeat for each shape your child is trying to learn.
    • For early elementary school-age children, write capital letters on one set of cards and the coordinating lowercase letters on another set.
    • For middle to late elementary school-age children, try equations and answers. For example, the equation 3x5 on the first and the answer 15 on the second card.
Place all cards face down. Take turns lifting two cards at a time and see if they match, such as in the prior examples shape to shape, capital to lowercase letter, or equation to answer. If they don't match, the player returns the cards to the original spots and the other player takes a turn. If they do match, the player picks up the pair and keeps until the end of the game. Continue playing until all of the cards have been matched.
 
Have fun boosting your child's memory (and maybe yours at the same time)!


Toni M. Schulken, MS, OTR/L