What is memory?
In psychology, memory is the complex of human cognitive abilities combined with the ability to remember, accumulate and reproduce information. This means that any information is initially accumulated in the brain, then it is stored in it, which allows its further reproduction. The final process is awareness of information, skills, or actions. Reproduction occurs automatically, but this requires repeated repetition of specific information.
An effective way to develop memory is courses at the K.O.T. center.
At our center, psychologists have developed a special course that helps schoolchildren remember competently and effectively.
First, as mentioned above, we determine the leading modality and teach the child to use it.
Then we teach schoolchildren to work with information by selecting a special set of exercises. Structure, break into logical parts, create associations. We study various effective mnemonics.
The most important thing is an individual approach and choice of exercises. There is no single recipe for teaching a student to memorize quickly.
Therefore, each of our graduating students receives individual recommendations and their own working memorization methods.
In this article, we discussed what memory is and how to develop it at school age. We hope the article was useful to someone.
Taking care of your child's future, the team of the K.O.T. center
Classification of types of memory
Human memory is not fully understood. But now we can say with confidence how its mechanism works:
- Memorization;
- Preservation;
- Reproduction upon recognition;
- Forgetting.
There are two types of memorizing information: voluntary and involuntary. Voluntary memorization is special. This includes cramming poetry, historical dates, and mathematical formulas. In this case, motivation plays a big role. Involuntary memory is quite unpredictable. The child remembers what he saw, heard, touched. Some information ends up in the long-term memory section, while other information is destroyed because it is not needed and the child does not use it. When memorizing, the material is determined by a special structure of the brain - engrams.
There are two types of information storage: dynamic and static. Dynamic storage refers to short-term memory, static storage refers to long-term memory. The latter type is important for a child’s learning. Because he needs to remember important material in class, then return to it in exams, and supplement it when doing homework.
Forgetting unnecessary information is just as important as remembering important information. Forgetting is a procedure for destroying neural connections. The baby’s psyche needs it to avoid overload.
As mental processes become tense, memory is divided into: emotional, motor, figurative and verbal-logical. The first type of memory that a child begins to develop is motor memory. With its help, the baby learns to control his body. Next comes emotional memory. Thanks to her, the baby begins to recognize his parents by face and voice. The baby will not smile at strangers. Figurative memory appears even later. This includes memorizing taste, touch, and images. In addition, associations are formed, with the help of which the memorization process is easier. Verbal-logical memory is the last to develop. She helps the child formulate his thoughts and turn them into words.
Children's memory has its own characteristics. For example, girls develop visual and long-term memory faster and better. And for boys - motor skills. In addition, boys remember numbers better.
Methods for developing tactile memory
Tactile memory is a person’s ability to remember the sensations of touching a particular object. To develop tactile memory you will need the following exercises:
"Find by touch"
The child is asked to choose one from a variety of objects based on specific tactile characteristics. For example, a child is told that this object is soft and fluffy. Or rough, prickly.
"Game with mood"
The child has associations about objects. If an object is soft and pleasant to the touch, then this object is in a good mood. Which object is in a sad mood? Or evil? The child, relying on tactile sensations, selects objects.
"Tales with tactile details"
In this case, the child participates in a theatrical production, where the plot of a fairy tale is heard, and all the characters and objects surrounding them can be touched and determined what they are: soft, rough, hard, prickly, etc.
Games to develop fine motor skills in children
Age characteristics
At each stage of memory development, preschoolers experience dramatic changes in their ability to memorize and reproduce information. Conventionally, in preschool age, 4 such stages are defined:
- Children under one year of age: motor memory develops, which manifests itself in the first conditioned reflexes. In the first year of life, the child remembers movements and repeats them. Memorization is more effective if learning is accompanied by vivid, emotional action.
- Age from 1 to 2 years: during this period, the baby’s central nervous system actively develops, as a result of which the volume of memorized information and its strength increases. The child recognizes close and dear people, he begins to walk, and his figurative memory develops. The first conscious memories are tied to this age period.
- Age 2-4 years: mechanical memory is actively developing, but after two years the child begins to build a logical chain, remembers words, and develops basic motor skills.
- Age 4-6 years: involuntary memorization predominates. Typically, a child at this age remembers information that turned out to be interesting, exciting, and exciting. This happens regardless of whether the preschooler wants to remember this information.
Development of arbitrary logical memory
The ability to classify leads to the development of arbitrary logical memory, so it is important to give children exercises where they must use methods of classification, analysis, comparison and generalization.
Didactic game "Cards"
Children are asked to select images based on specific characteristics and arrange them in piles. For example, from pictures with birds and animals, you need to put pictures with birds in one group, and pictures with animals in another. Themes for the game can be different: sports, furniture, seasons, plants, etc.
"Twins"
Among different pictures, the child must find two identical ones.
Memory formation from 3 to 6 years
Parents need to know how to develop memory in children. During this period of time there is a productive development of attention. The baby effectively and easily learns important material for him, small poems. He tries to set the task himself and achieves it. This is a great age to improve tactile memory and start learning foreign languages. So how can you improve memory performance in a 6-year-old child?
Offer games that develop memory. For example, put various objects on the countertop, tell your son or daughter that he must remember the order and quantity of them, and then rearrange them and remove something completely. At this time, the child closes his eyes, and after your movements he opens them and tries to guess what has changed. Start learning words of a foreign language by matching them with various images and words of your native language.
Training auditory memory
The more we train our memory, the more we can remember. So, let’s begin exercises to develop auditory memory in younger schoolchildren. Classes can be conducted both in groups and individually.
Add yours
This exercise is good to practice in a group. This is the principle here. An adult suggests a simple plot, for example, a trip or a trip to the store. It starts like this: “I put a book in my suitcase (bag). The child must repeat this sentence from the beginning and add something of his own. For example: “I put a book and pencils in my suitcase (bag). The second participant in the class repeats everything from the beginning again (the phrase is already longer) and adds his own.
Remember the rhythm
With a pencil or stick, you tap on the table in a certain rhythm and invite the child to repeat it. You need to start with simple sounds; as the student masters it, the rhythm can be complicated.
Let's sing songs
For the development of auditory memory, such a simple technique as singing songs in the voices of familiar cartoon characters, for example, effectively helps. In order to imitate someone else's voice, the child will have to remember its timbre, volume, intonation and rhythm.
Looking for a couple
The training consists of two stages. In the first stage, you read pairs of words. For example: flower - vase, school - student, hare - forest, river - bank. At the second stage, you name one word from the read pair and invite the child to name the second. If your student copes, then everything is fine with both memory and logic.
Let's play in associations
This is a more challenging exercise, although your child will definitely enjoy it. Prepare several cards on which you depict objects and animals. For example, fox, sweater, sun, bus. Place the cards in front of your child. Set a task: you name the words, and the child selects a picture to go with them. Words could be: forest, clothes, weather, garage.
Memory formation from 10 to 14 years
A 10-year-old child begins the period of highest development of logic and memory. It is worth focusing on tasks that are aimed at further improving attention and intellectual abilities. A 12-year-old child should read a lot of books, play with classmates, and draw. But the time spent on a laptop and phone should be reduced.
Sports activities help improve and develop memory. If a child exercises physically, the body absorbs oxygen faster, which causes the brain to work faster.
Try to diversify the load in every possible way. If your son or daughter has no desire to play sports, send him to a music school or sign him up for additional intellectual classes. For example, mental arithmetic. This is a unique technique based on working with the ancient abacus - the abacus. Mental arithmetic, first of all, improves and trains memory, including photographic memory. Don’t think that your baby will only learn quick mental calculations. Although the program has the word “arithmetic” in its name, the skills your son or daughter has acquired will be useful in any school specialty.
Visual memory
To develop this type of memory, you can use the following exercises:
Color pictures
You will need from three to five pictures of different colors. Show them to your child in a certain sequence and ask them to repeat. Check for correctness.
Geometric figures
This exercise trains photographic memory well. Draw a cartoon character in the form of geometric shapes on a piece of paper. As usual, this is either a robot or an astronaut/alien. There should be no more than four geometric shapes. Show your child the drawing for 30 seconds so that he can study it in detail. Then ask them to draw what they remember. You can prepare three drawings in advance. At each subsequent one, slightly change some detail.
When checking a task, pay attention to how accurately it was completed
Describe the picture
You need to prepare up to five versions of drawings that depict several objects. The shape and color are different. Let your child study what is shown for 10 seconds, then let him close his eyes and describe in detail what he remembers. Gradually, the task can be complicated by increasing the number of objects in the picture.
What can slow down or weaken the development of a child’s memory and attention?
Excessive passion for cartoons and computer games. The fact is that frequent flashing of pictures on a TV or computer screen has a negative effect on the baby’s nervous system, as a result, attention becomes scattered and the child’s memory weakens. It is advisable to limit such pastimes for children so that they do not develop unnecessary addictions and learning problems in the future.
It is necessary to develop your child’s memory from childhood. When he is 7 years old, a young schoolchild can be enrolled in the Memorica course at the SMARTUM Academy for the Development of Intelligence. After training, the baby will be able to control all the processes of his memory, he will have well-developed imaginative thinking, and he will learn to systematize information. In addition, studying at school will turn into an entertaining adventure for him, because he will memorize any material easily and quickly, and perceive new sciences with interest.
Different types of information perception - choose yours.
Why is everyone given the same information in class, but everyone understands and perceives it differently and remembers it at different speeds?
The answer is simple. All people are very different. Everyone has their own perceptions.
Unfortunately, the school does not pay attention to this. Everyone must do what is required by the program. Information is given exactly this way and not otherwise. This is how our system works.
If you notice that a schoolchild has difficulty memorizing information, you should pay attention to the development of memory in younger schoolchildren. The first thing you need is to determine the child’s leading memory. There are three channels of perception:
The first thing you need is to determine the child’s leading memory. There are three channels of perception:
- Auditory or sound.
An auditory person is a person who perceives the vast majority of information through sounds. They most often turn to describing the world around them through sounds. Their dominant sense is hearing, so they tend to have strong communication skills. - Visual, or visual. Visual learners perceive information best in the form of images. He seems to draw certain pictures in his head of what you are trying to convey to him.
Kinetic, it's sensations. For these people, sensitive experience and emotional reinforcement are primarily important. They remember sensations, movements, smells well and are more oriented towards feelings.
There are no “pure” types of memorization. But there are leaders.
Here you need to do this:
Find out the leading type of memorization, teach the child to use it
Additionally develop other channels of information perception.
Auditory child
diligent, attentive, loves to talk and listen. Communication plays a huge role for them. They are characterized by saying their actions out loud.
Visual children
They better remember information that consists of pictures, graphs, diagrams, and highlighted fragments. They have well-developed finger motor skills, but they have difficulty perceiving verbal instructions and therefore often repeat tasks.
The child is kinesthetic
- a real practitioner. He strives to explore the world around him from all sides, feeling and even tasting. At school, a kinesthetic student likes to touch educational materials, assemble or disassemble manuals. They don't really like to read. It's easier for them to write more interestingly. That is why such children are often taught to read through writing.
