Probably, any person will agree that a good memory is an extremely important part of success in all respects. On the one hand, she turns anyone into an interesting conversationalist. On the other hand, in some situations it increases the chances of survival. However, not everyone knows that there are special exercises for the development of memory in younger students. Yes, it is best to start from an early age - in this case, with a minimum expenditure of time and effort, you can achieve the maximum result. Therefore, to talk about this in more detail will not be out of place. This topic may be of interest to both parents and teachers.
Why develop memory?
Perhaps some readers may have such a question. Indeed, why develop memory, if any person already has it?
On the one hand, it is. But on the other - the memory of discord. Some people hardly remember their own phone number and are unable to retell the plot of a short film. And others, at first glance and forever remember dozens of numbers, can practically literally retell a thick book or series, almost quoting long dialogues.
Of course, both options are extremes. Relatively rare is a very bad or very good, close to eidetic, memory. But still, people have different abilities to remember. And the root of this difference often lies precisely in education. Still, memory, like many other human skills, is primarily laid in childhood. Of course, memory can be improved at any age. But it is precisely in childhood that it is easiest to do. And the skills fixed in the first years of life usually remain with a person for life. Therefore, the use of memory development exercises in primary school students is quite justified.
Moreover, it has long been proven that people who are used to getting large loads on the brain from childhood remain in their right mind for longer. Yes, they are less likely to experience age-related problems with memory and logic, as well as excessive suggestion. Therefore, we can say with confidence: developing a memory in a child or students, a parent or teacher provides them with a huge advantage in life.
Now let's deal with the theory a bit.
Types of memory
Even people who decide to seriously engage in the development of memory in schoolchildren rarely think about this issue. Really - because memory is memory. But actually there are several types of memory. They have different effects on human life, affect different areas, and, accordingly, should train in different ways. Here everything is exactly the same as in bodybuilding and any sport - it is precisely those muscles that are given increased load. After all, it would never occur to anyone to swing legs with a bench press from the chest. Therefore, it is necessary to choose appropriate exercises for the development of memory in younger students accordingly.
So, experts distinguish several types of memory: auditory, visual, associative, motor and logical. It is difficult to say which one is more important - each one can have a certain impact on a person and his future. Therefore, it is desirable to develop all of them - evenly and constantly.
How to approach the issue?
Many parents and teachers sincerely wish good to their children and students. Therefore, we are ready to do everything to provide them with diverse development. They do not forget about memory. What principles should be followed in order to achieve maximum effect here?
First of all, everything should be served in a playful way. Still, children, especially at the age of 6-7 years, are not particularly persevering. They are happy to do interesting things for many hours. But as soon as it bores them, the children are ready to immediately abandon it. It makes no sense to try to appeal to their common sense, to tell why this is important and how it will help in life. Remember that children and adults are completely different people. The former do not have life experience and are not able to really seriously think about their future. Most are not ready to make serious efforts to get something plus in the distant future.
And any attempts to put pressure on authority usually lead to the fact that the child is engaged through force. On the one hand, it simply reduces the effectiveness of classes. On the other hand, it can cause hatred of exercises, the meaning and benefits of which are incomprehensible to children.
Therefore, you need to submit training in a playful way. Then, most children will be happy to perform a variety of exercises for the development of memory among schoolchildren, for a long time without looking up from them. Of course, with this approach, the efficiency will be the highest.
Try to alternate them so that there is no feeling of monotony, boredom. Fortunately, specialists today have created many different exercises that allow you to use and, accordingly, develop various types of memory. Now we will tell about them.
Developing auditory memory
Many argue that it is auditory memory that is most important for a modern person, because for a successful career you need to communicate a lot with a variety of people. And the one who remembers every little thing said by the interlocutor automatically gets certain advantages. It is always interesting to talk with such a person; he is pleasant in communication. This leads to an increase in the number of friends, as well as to a rapid climb up the career ladder. Auditory memory is also very useful in the process of obtaining education. A person can easily memorize interesting stories of a teacher, as well as hours-long lectures at the university or at business trainings.
Therefore, it is with exercises for the development of auditory memory in younger students that we will begin.
One of the simple, but at the same time interesting exercises is "Packing the suitcase." Suitable for small groups (4-6 people), as well as for couples (parent and child). The first player pronounces a conditional phrase like the following: "Going on a trip, I will take with me ...", and adds to this an object that wants to take, for example, a book. The second is to continue the chain: "I will take a book and an umbrella with me." The third (or again the first one) should add another subject: "I will bring a book, an umbrella and a phone with me." The chain continues until one of the participants makes a mistake or forgets about one of the mentioned items - he is considered a loser. If there are more than two participants, it is advisable to have a host (an adult - he is the organizer), who would record all the items mentioned in order to avoid conflicts and disputes between children.
Another effective exercise for developing auditory memory in younger students is “Listen to a fairy tale”. This is suitable mainly for large groups - for example, an entire class. The teacher or other organizer begins to read an interesting book, having pre-voiced some word mentioned in it (preferably in the first sentences). Children should not only listen and perceive a fairy tale (this is also the development of logical memory), but also constantly monitor whether the teacher will pronounce the key word. As soon as he does this, everyone present should clap their hands. Children who missed it are eliminated from the game, after which the teacher selects a new word and continues reading. The game continues until there is only one participant left - the winner.
Visual memory exercise
Visual memory is very important - it can come in handy in a variety of areas of life, from the easy memory of a large number of new acquaintances in the face, ending with tracking prey on the hunt. Therefore, it is imperative to tell about exercises for the development of visual memory in younger students.
For starters, you can use multi-colored cards, for example, three pieces. Show them in a certain sequence and ask them to reproduce. After several repetitions, when success will be one hundred percent, the number of cards must be increased to four, and then to five, six, and so on. The exercise is repeated until the child makes a mistake. After that, you can go back one step or take a break. This exercise is suitable for paired classes. Of course, it is very important that the mentor himself has a good memory and not get confused.
Another interesting and effective exercise for developing memory in schoolchildren is drawing. Suitable for both one child and a group. Children receive a picture or they are shown one image containing a large number of details. For example, a person in clothes of certain colors with different objects in his hands. The more details, the better. The child must memorize the picture for 10-20 seconds, after which it is removed, and he must reproduce the image as accurately as possible. The quality of the drawing fades into the background here - you need to quickly sketch a picture, albeit symbolically, reproducing as many details as possible. Such an interesting exercise has a positive effect on the development of attention and memory of schoolchildren and preschool children.
Working on associative memory
Associative memory improves overall memory. Thanks to her, a person, having seen some object, subconsciously builds a long chain of associations and comes to the desired result. There is a special mnemonics with exercises for the development of memory of students.
This requires more involvement from the teacher or educator. And it works best in small groups - up to 5 people - or with individual training.
For example, you can use associative chains. That is, you need to name two completely different objects or concepts and try to connect them in a chain. For example, watermelon and war. The chain will be as follows: watermelon - vegetable - fruit - pomegranate - pomegranate - weapon - war. This develops not only associative memory, but also logical.
You can also make a list of a number of items, for example: borsch, milk, potatoes, cake, sausage. And the child must determine which word unites them all together. A great activity for a long trip when the child needs to be entertained, and adults can not be distracted from the road.
How to develop motor memory?
Motor memory is one of the most important. It is from her that a person’s life often depends. Falling with ice, a person intuitively makes sharp movements, trying to restore balance. When skidding while driving a car, he without hesitation performs certain actions - motor memory works here. How to make it more efficient and reliable? In this case, there are special game exercises for the development of memory for students.
Sit the child at the table, blindfold him, give a pencil and a blank sheet of paper. Suggest writing a capital letter or number. And then repeat, trying not to deviate from the original contour.
You can also simply put a dot on the paper with a marker. After that, move your hand - for example, lower it under the table or raise it above your head. Then - put an end again, trying to get into the first. After a few exercises, it’s easy to notice that the distance between the points is getting smaller. This means that the coordination of movements and motor memory of the child is gradually improving.
Briefly about logical memory
Finally, logical memory. It is perhaps the most difficult, because in other cases a person simply unconsciously or on reflexes performs some action. Here he has to process the obtained data, assimilate it, pass it through himself, and only then reproduce it.
Fortunately, she trains quite easily. In general, there are many exercises for the development of the logical memory of younger students. But the simplest and most effective is reading and retelling. In some cases, reading can be replaced by listening to the story.
A child does not just mechanically remember information - he assimilates it and then reproduces it. To test the effectiveness, you should ask questions in the text. And you can do this immediately after reading it or in a few days. It also produces a wonderful effect on the development of logical memory. In schools, when a teacher simply cannot devote at least a few minutes to each student, a good replacement will be a statement that is familiar to everyone when the child does not retell the text he has read or heard, but writes it down.
Work with mentally handicapped children
Most problems arise when working with children with developmental delays. The lag may occur due to illness or lack of work with the child - most often from dysfunctional families.
Of course, there are special exercises for developing the memory of mentally retarded students. But you can also use those described above. It’s just that you need to set the bar much lower and raise it much more slowly. For example, when developing visual memory, show not three cards, but two, and do more repetitions. To develop logical memory, use very short texts - from only a few sentences.
Thanks to this approach, the child quickly makes up for lost time, and the gap between him and other children (if the reason is neglect, and not physical inferiority) is reduced much faster.
Conclusion
This concludes our article. Now you know about the most interesting and effective exercises for the development of memory in younger students. And at the same time we studied the theoretical side of the issue. Surely thanks to this, working with children will become more enjoyable and productive.