Are you among those parents who constantly worry about your child’s memory or rather lack thereof? It is not uncommon for young children to easily forget things, however if this is left unattended to, it could cause problems later in life.
Below is a guide to help your child boost their memory without spending thousands of rand’s on therapists and unhealthy medicines.
1. Visualise:
If your child forgets simple tasks, let him/her draw a picture of what they think the task should look like when done. Do this for every task until the child no longer needs to draw in order to remember.
2. Ask questions:
Constantly ask your child questions which force them to remember previous events, for instance if you just went to the super market. Ask questions like; how many different fruits they saw or what colour shirt the teller was wearing. This helps boost the memory in quite a significant way.
3. Card games:
Simple card games like Uno, go fish or even crazy eights are a great memory booster. It forces the child to remember what card they have and what cards have already been played.
4. Number their tasks.
If you give your child tasks to do, write them down on paper and number each task individually. Pointing each task out also helps the child remember them more clearly.
5. Memory games:
A simple memory game like Simon says or I spy do wonders for a child’s memory. Children enjoy anything as long as it’s fun for them. A trip in the car to school is the perfect opportunity to exercise such games.
6. Play time is important:
Now we are not talking about TV games here, we mean outdoor activities such as, climbing a tree or sunning around kicking a ball. It’s no secret that an active healthy child’s brain stays stimulated for longer. Get your child to play outside and see the improvement in no time.
7. Routine:
A simple thing like a routine can make a big difference. Have set times in place for certain things, like for instance, have them recite their times table daily, or spell words out. It really does improve those memory skills.
8. Sing songs:
Children love songs. They might forget to make their beds but they will never forget the lyrics to Barney’s theme song. Make up songs about the tasks given to them and have them remembering simple tasks in no time.
