3 ways to boost your kid’s memory skills

Meaningless list or rote memorisation are stressful methods and can kill your child's interest in learning. Instead, focus on boosting his memory skills with these easy strategies.

1. Flashcards

They serve as both pictorial and verbal reminders for the same information presented (based on the principles of dual-coding), so they enhance Junior's ability to recognise new words easily, says Trevor Xu, senior curriculum manager at Stamford Education.

To maximise the benefits, you can introduce language rules, sentence constructions and others.

2. Supplement storybooks with daily news

As most storybooks targeted at preschoolers consist of basic words and simplified content, your child remembers only superficial concepts.

To inculcate meaningful understanding, read about and discuss the development of current affairs with him, so that he grasps the relevance of real-world events.

Keeping the content open-ended not only enhances memory capabilities, but also stimulates his diverse interests, says Xu.

3. Plan trips with physical landmarks and mental milestones

Associate meaningful content with each landmark during a vacation and add new landmarks every day.

When he grows familiar with these landmarks, challenge him to suggest a new route using the information he has remembered. This is known as mental imaging.

This article was first published in Young Parents.