Help your child prepare for SATs

Memory Skills

Reading, writing, addition, subtraction, to name but a few, there is so much information for your child to absorb. Learning information is quite different from actually remembering it and being able to apply it to a given situation.

Email this article to a Friend >>

Memory directly affects every psychological and intellectual process in our brains so keeping your child's brain active and challenged is a good way of improving their ability to retain and remember information.

Memory is a fundamental element of your child's SATs experience. They will be drawing on ideas and concepts taught in class. Making sure lessons are visual, tactile, and fun are good ways of helping children remember facts and concepts, but there is plenty you can do at home with your child to strengthen their memory and support learning.

Key Stage 1

Memory games are an excellent way of improving your child's capacity to retain facts, and certainly will give their brains a thorough work-out. You can play them in the car, on picnics, or at home. Try this one ‘I am going on holiday, I will need to pack...' then each person names an item to take but must repeat the ones said previously.

Key Stage 2

A good way to help consolidate your child's learning at this age is to play a very simple game which most children love. Play ‘teachers' with your child. Ask them to be the teacher and you will be the pupil. They can teach you what they have learnt that day. You can make it more challenging for them by pretending not to understand so they have to explain their learning that day in different ways. Whether they realise it or not they will be learning as they explain and committing their understanding to memory. You could even add props such as blackboards and costumes.

Key Stage 3

As your child progresses to key stage 3 their ability to remember facts will be very developed. Try lighthearted activities to get them using their brains and concentrating hard. One fun activity is ‘Now you see it, Now you don't!', a game which relies on memory. Choose 20-30 objects and place them on a table. Show them to your child for 30 seconds and then cover up with a cloth. Ask your child to name as many things as possible. You could score them and ask them to compete against friends or family members. Other ways to get key stage 3 children to improve their memory include playing more complex card games such as gin rummy, poker (with matchsticks rather than money) or chase the ace, which really get children concentrating, thinking tactically and using their memory.

Email this article to a Friend >>