8 Ways To Strengthen Working Memory

Sometimes children have trouble retaining information for short periods of time. That is why it is important to strengthen working memory. This type of memory is responsible for storing and working with the information stored in our short-term memory.

A few years ago, working memory was also referred to as ‘short-term memory’. Today, people use both terms because they are related to the executive function of people. Keep reading to learn about the different ways to strengthen working memory.

How to strengthen working memory in children

When it comes to learning, children use their working memory the most. This memory is necessary when it comes to following directions or taking certain steps to mentally solve a math problem.

Parents can use several strategies to strengthen their children’s working memory. Let’s take a look at some of those strategies.

Strengthen working memory and encourage reading

A good strategy for strengthening the working memory of school-age children is to have them underline the text they are studying or reading. This allows them to retain the information they have read for longer. Then they can answer any questions they have about what they just read.

Another thing they can do is read the passage aloud while they study. You can also ask them questions about what they have read.

Divide the information into small parts

It is always easier to keep small groups of numbers than a long row. Why do you think you remember your phone number and ID better than your bank account number? That’s because those numbers are separated by dashes or spaces, while your bank account number is a long continuous number.

Therefore, when instructing your child, you should do it one step at a time or one at a time. If you are trying to divide a written task into smaller parts, you can have your child use a graphic organizer to help him or her.

Play card games

Card games help strengthen working memory in two ways:

• Children must remember the rules of the game
• They have to remember which cards they have and which the other players have played

Multi-sensory information

It is important to provide the information to your child in a variety of ways. For example, write down the things they have to do and hang the notes on the fridge. That way, they will have to read them to know what tasks to do.

You can also tell them the tasks out loud so they can hear them. This allows them to better remember the information and remember it later when they need it.

Make connections to strengthen working memory

By making connections between different things, you make the information easier to remember. For example, you and your child can work on making mnemonics. To help them remember multiple words, they can use the first letter of each word to create a word that is easy to remember.

By finding a way to connect the information with other things, children can restore both long-term memory and working memory. This allows them to remember the new information and connect it to their old memories.

Ask your little one to teach you

Another strategy you can use is to ask your child to explain to you something they are learning. If you can explain what your child is learning, you show that your child has understood and can mentally store the information.

Play games that require visual memory

One of the best games that your child can play to work on their visual memory is the Memory game. In this game they try to find matching pairs by turning over two cards with pictures on the back. If they don’t find a match, they turn the cards over and try again.

This game helps strengthen working memory as your little one has to remember where each picture is for a short time so that they can find the match.

In addition, you can also play another game where you give your child a magazine and ask them to find and circle certain words or letters.

Working with visualization skills

If you encourage your child to take pictures of what they read or hear, they will remember the information better. You can ask them to create a story while they read or while you read.

You can also ask them to draw a picture when you’re done with the story. By doing so, they will eventually be able to describe the details without having to draw them.

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve discussed several strategies that can help you strengthen your child’s working memory. It is important to boost their working memory so that they are better able to retain information in the short term.

Children often have trouble retaining information for short periods of time, but these ideas will help. What are you waiting for? Start putting them into practice!