Parenting a Forgetful Child: Helping Your Child Remember Things

You may notice signs of forgetfulness when your child can’t seem to recall what their teacher said or their friend told them. Here, we present to you with some tried-and-tested tips to strengthen your child’s memory.

1.    Help Your Child Improve their Visualisation Skills

Visualisation is a great way to improve your child’s memory. Encourage your child to visualise a task or anything that they have heard or learned. Visual images tend to remain in our minds better than raw information.

For instance, if you ask your child to stir the sauce in a pan and then do some dishes, have them imagine what the stirring spoon and the colour of the sauce should look like and what kinds of plates there are. When your child visualises these images in their minds, they are more likely to perform the tasks associated with those images.

2.    Break Tasks into Smaller Chunks

Your child may easily get overwhelmed when asked to do a big task in one go. They may struggle with where and how to begin. What you should do is break the tasks down into smaller and simpler bits. For instance, if you have asked your child to clean their room, tell them first to make a list of all the things that need to be done. The number one task – put the clutter in its place; the second task could be to make the bed; the third task would be sweeping the floor and so on.

3.    Allow Your Child to Teach You

You might be in the process of explaining something to your child, but instead of focusing on what you are saying, they may be thinking about computer games. To make sure that your child pays attention to what you say, have them repeat what you have just told them. This will help jog your child’s memory and ensure they listen to what they are being told.

4.    Play Memory Games

Play cards or puzzles with your child. These games help train the mind to be more efficient and process and memorise information faster.

Have your child perform these activities and make sure to help them as they complete these tasks and activities.