Improving your child’s working memory

Education

Improving your Child’s Working Memory

Working memory is the part of the brain that stores information so it can use it again. Children use this all the time: to remember what they read in the previous paragraph of a book, when doing mental maths and to follow directions with lots of steps. The good news is that, if your child’s working memory seems poor, it can be improved with practice. Here are some ideas that might help:

Encourage questions

To learn and remember, a child needs to fully understand a topic. By asking questions, children actively participate in learning, helping them develop a deeper understanding of the subject. with practice, they may no longer need to do this. Flashcards with words or pictures can also be used to practice spellings or Let your child be the teacher the meanings of words. Only when you fully understand something can you truly explain Use the senses it. To check your child’s understanding, get them to tell you what they know. ‘Teaching you’ knowledge they just learned is more likely to make it stick. Your child will develop a better relationship with what they are learning if they engage with it in lots of ways. Get your child to talk, act out using props, read and listen to audio or podcasts.

Discuss a topic and ask your child’s opinion Encourage active reading

Learning is much more fun if you can discuss topics and exchange opinions. If your child is expecting a discussion, they are more likely to retain the information for at least the amount of time required to answer questions about it. Once an engaging discussion has happened, they are more likely to remember the Active reading involves underlining or highlighting text or making notes on stickers. This helps your child keep the information in mind. Pair with asking questions or discussing a topic as described above! subject matter. Break information down Visualisation and flashcards Smaller amounts of information are easier to remember. Build Get your child to picture something in their mind and then describe it. Initially they may need to draw the picture first, but, up from there. Encourage your child to organise the information into lists with headings and use different colours to make certain parts stand out.

Fun Ways to Improve

Working Memory Langley, Berkshire

Games and cards At Code Ninjas Langley, kids learn to code while building

There are lots of matching games like Memory that can help. their own video games. They gain problem solving, critical

Playing card games that require players to remember what thinking, and STEM skills in a fun, safe, and inspiring cards have already been played are also helpful. Games like environment.

‘I went to the shops and I bought….’ (just google it!) where players have to remember a long list of items also work out the memory muscle.

Rhymes and songs LEARN TO CODE

Funny rhymes and tunes help children recall facts and figures because our brains like remembering music and patterns. That’s why television shows like Horrible Histories have transformed children’s recollection of historical facts! WORK WITH

Check out facts and take trips ROBOTICS

Look up interesting facts online or borrow books and audio visual material from the library. Visit places that help your child understand a topic better eg an historic building or a museum. This will associate a particular topic with an LEARN & BUILD interesting event in your child’s mind making it much easier to remember the learning. CIRCUITS

Use Mnemonics These are great for remembering how to spell tricky words Get in touch with the team at or remember things like the colours of the rainbow – you www.codeninjas.com/langley-brk-uk simply take the first letter of each of the words your child wants to spell and use them to make a fun phrase. For Or call 01753 316 089 example, BECAUSE: Big elephants can always understand small elephants! Follow us: @codeninjaslangley familiesonline.co.uk editor@FamiliesTVEast.co.uk I 01628 788058 Families Thames Valley East 7

Why Children Should Write Creatively

Every day children experience events that are new to them as well as building their vocabulary as they learn new words. These new experiences help them to develop a curious mind and could be the beginning of ideas which could be developed into stories or creative writing. This, in turn, has enormous benefits.

Creative writing contributes to the development of emotional skills. When creating a story, a child can channel their emotions and work out how to manage

particular situations. They may be able to show empathy with a particular character, experiment with expressing the different feelings of other characters and work through managing the difficult situations experienced by the characters. In so doing, children are learning how to better express their own feelings, as well as understanding more clearly how others feel. Words and story-telling go hand in hand with self-discovery and selfexpression.

In a world where text speak and emojis are so common, creative writing helps develop writing skills that are less and less used by children generally. Sentence structure, vocabulary and use of punctuation are all enhanced. We all know how essential effective communication is in the adult world and the basis for it is learned during childhood. Writing collaboratively with others also allows children to share ideas and learn to work as a team, developing their storyline together.

When a child begins to write down their ideas, and develop them into stories and creative writing they hone some disciplines which become important lifelong skills. The ability to complete a piece of writing requires focus, dedication and commitment. These are all skills which employers look for in a candidate and which characterise many people that go on to be successful in adult life. Creative writing also develops creative thinking, the pursuit of imagination, the exploration of alternatives, the broadening of thought processes and problemsolving abilities. It allows children to develop and express their opinions and develop their own voice.

When grappling with the flow of a story, working out the beginning, middle and end and creating drama and surprises, children learn to be logical and organised. Logic, in turn, helps them in other subjects like maths, science and languages. Organisation skills can be seamlessly transferred to everyday tasks and the skill of preparation for a specific event or for the day or week ahead.

The skills learned through writing are fundamental and can be applied broadly in other areas of learning. With this comes success and increased self-confidence. Self-confident children develop into adults who can clearly communicate their points of view, thoughts and feelings.

Creative writing has the opportunity to create an incredible positive impact on our children. While the opportunities to practice may be becoming more limited in the classroom, parents can take independent steps to encourage their children to write.

So much good can come out of it!

This article was written by Story Wars AB, a platform where writers with amazing ideas come to express them. Story Wars Kids is a collaborative writing platform, where children can read, write, and expand on thousands of created story ideas, or even create their own. For more information visit www.storywarskids.com