Exercises for Children to Boost Memory Power

Remember what you did at your 5th birthday celebration??? Nope? Yes?? It turns out most children can remember provided their memory power is immaculate, every child has the capacity to do wonders, “mind” is such a boundless place that each and every child has huge potential in developing their personality and transforming their future.

Children can store an enormous expanse of data and information in their mind, it is this capability that helps children in doing their day to day activities which is called as short term memory or working memory, children use this memory to execute all the necessary tasks which come their way, from eating, communicating to solving complex math problems.

Children learn quickly and retain the information for a short term or for a long time depending on the focus and concentration they pay towards anything they come upon.

Many children find it difficult to comprehend and struggle to process data into meaningful understanding, it is simply due to lack of retaining information and accessing it when required, hence children are taught from basics which consumes a lot of time, a solid foundation helps a child in developing prodigious potential.

It is very imperative that every child is given maximum opportunities to enhance their skills, as adults and guardians, we should proceed in helping a child boost their memory power. Here are few tips to be considered:

1. Food for thought

A well-nourished child has a good body and mind, a balanced diet not only provides strength to the body but also offers a strong mind. There are certain foods that help in improving and boosting memory in a child

• Eggs – an egg meets the daily requirement of a child up to eight years, eggs are rich in protein, vitamin A and iron, and it helps in the growth and development of cells.
• Dry fruits, oats and cereals- packed with numerous benefits dry fruits are simply a great source of nourishment to children, they consist of vitamin B which helps in a robust nervous system, and wholegrains improve short term memory and awareness.
• Milk and dairy products- milk, yoghurt and cheese are packed with protein and B vitamins which are essential for the growth of brain tissue, neurotransmitters and enzymes.
• Fish – fish is a great source of vitamin D and omega-3s, which protects the brain from memory loss.

2. Visualization drills

Encourage your children to visualize and create images in their mind, by far it is the best method of improving memory, kids learn fast, whatever children learn, ask them to imagine in their mind, this helps them in retaining for a longer period of time, ask your child to draw imaginary maps in their mind, simple strategies like imagining how they reach to school or wherever they often travel, let the children make a virtual map of how they reach to a place, this exercise helps the children in boosting memory and also helps in creative skills.

3. Make your child teach

If one understands something they should be able to help others understand, let your kid be the teacher, ask your child to teach what they have learnt, it helps the children retain whatever they learn for a longer period of time, this exercise has great benefits and also has personality development skills, your kid can gain confidence while teaching to someone younger or adult.

4. Make the classroom colossal

Yes! it is not necessary that children learn in classrooms, expand their vision and latitude, classes can be virtual and online but remember that every place is a learning ground, teach your children whenever you travel, when you hit your next road trip remember to take your child to a zoo, a hill station, an ocean, etc.. children perceive differently, visual images leave a great impact on their minds, most children are taught about many things via books and images, think about showing a real tiger in a zoo, birds in a sanctuary, rocky mountains, river beds, marine life and ships in an ocean, you can factually create a classroom for your kid anywhere.

5. Young Inventors

We all have tangible things around us all the time that are innovated by someone or the other, spend time with your children in helping them understand what an invention is and how it transforms human lives, start with the scratch use images to show your children how human had evolved after the invention of the wheel, use video clips to show how incumbent travelling was back when the wheel was not even invented. There are many such examples that can be drawn, children learn quickly once they understand the history and the necessity behind an invention they will have lots of “why this why not that” “it should have been this” “how if it was like this” when you shot with such questions rest assured that your child is a genius and if tapped in the right place your kid could be an inventor one day.

6. The great memory palace

One of the best methods recommended by scientists to improve memory power and memory skills is making a memory palace. What is a memory palace? A memory palace is a make-believe place in your mind where one stores images. It is the best and ultimate method to boost memory power and execute strategic functions at ease. There is a lot of memory palace exercises available, some free and some are priced, well these exercises are definitely worth taking up, as parent research on platforms that provide such pieces of training, to begin with, start teaching your children these exercises like creating a mind map where the child can build a city of their own and include places like parks, roads, vehicles buildings etc, it is a great way of making your child creative at a very young age.

7. Learning new skills

Help your child in learning a new skill, this exercise supports children in learning fresh things and retaining information and also can become masters at what they learn as a new skill. Let your children learn a new language, a second language which will help your child in multilingual skills, learning a new language enhances the memory, children not only learn a new language but they also get familiar with new cultures and literature, is an added advantage that children get global exposure and are acquainted with many values at a very young age.

8. Games

Yes! playing games is very important. Firstly, games have all the attention of the children and they can be fun and frolic to every child, playing games like chess and puzzles which involves great concentration, problem-solving skills and foresight that predicts the mentality or behaviour of the opposition, it also helps in planning, concentration and patience. There are other such games available only which can be more mind-bending and mind blogging, these games help children in augmentation of brain capacity. Challenges in these games bring out the best in a child, as children compete in the games, they build a subconscious to overcome any hurdles and survive to be the winner, and these are simple exercises to not only boost memory power but also improve all-round memory skills.

9. Computer skills

Let your child spend time every day on a computer or a laptop, it is also a visual technique, children grasp quickly as computers are interactive, getting instant answers and solutions at the tips of their fingers, let your child get acquainted with much basic software like Microsoft Paint, Microsoft word etc.. internet application software lets your children explore more skills. There are a lot of websites where children can learn about anything like space and astronomy, get answers to any questions on search engines like google, yahoo search, Bing etc.. your kid can get creative on graphic and 3D software, another good software which can help your children is designing a house, your kid can build a house from scratch and create a masterpiece, these exercises are a great method of boosting memory power, make sure you research and help your child in choosing applications which are of interest to your child.

10. Recalling past memories

One way to test the memory of children is to ask them about memories about the past, ask your children about special events and tours in the past, this instantly helps the children in accessing information stored in their mind, the next time you have visitors at home your kid can narrate the story of any event or tour they had been with their family and the fun they had all the while.

Here are a few Don’ts to be remembered!

• Don’t burden and overstress – try not to push too much on your children, stressing too much will lead to stress and lose interest in whatever your child does. Take it slow and do not rush many things at the same time, find a suitable time and moment to carry out any exercises.
• Never forget to Probe- after every session remember to ask questions to your child, ask your child to summarize what they have learnt, read or heard, and also do remember to talk about concepts that your child has not grasped.
• Don’t pressurize- at no time force your children to do something that they are not interested in, this can be precarious, children tend to stay quiet or do not communicate due to fear certainly this will have a negative impact and can lead to anxiety, make sure you always find out if your child is comfortable in any task you assign.