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Basic memory tips like using pictures and rhymes to help information stick.
Have you ever walked into a room and suddenly forgotten why you went there? What if your brain had a 'save button' just like a video game?
Your brain loves pictures much more than plain words. When you want to remember something, like the word 'Apple', don't just think of the letters. Instead, use your Mental Camera! Imagine a giant, shiny red apple with a silly smiley face. This is called Visualizing. By making a 'movie' in your head, you give your brain a hook to hang the information on. The sillier the picture, the easier it is to find later!
If you need to remember to bring an umbrella to school tomorrow: 1. Close your eyes. 2. Imagine your front door. 3. Picture a giant, bright purple umbrella dancing right in front of the door. 4. Now, when you see the door tomorrow, your brain will 'see' the dancing umbrella!
Quick Check
If you want to remember to buy milk, what kind of picture should you make in your head?
Answer
A silly or bright picture, like a cow jumping over a giant milk carton.
When you say something out loud, your brain hears it twice! Once when you think it, and once through your ears. This is like an Echo Voice that locks the door to your memory. If you are learning that , don't just look at the page. Say it clearly: 'Two plus two is four!' This helps the fact move from your 'short-term memory' (the 'now' brain) to your long-term memory (the 'forever' brain).
To remember your teacher's name, Mr. Henderson: 1. Look at the name. 2. Say it out loud three times: 'Mr. Henderson, Mr. Henderson, Mr. Henderson.' 3. Clap your hands for every part of the name (Hen-der-son) while you say it.
Quick Check
Why is saying a fact out loud better than just reading it silently?
Answer
Because your brain hears it twice and it helps move the info to your 'forever brain.'
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to remember songs? That is because of Rhyming! Rhymes are like glue for your memory. When words sound the same at the end, they create a pattern. Your brain loves patterns! If you have a list of things to remember, you can turn them into a tiny poem. This makes the information sticky so it doesn't slide out of your head.
Imagine you need to remember to pack a Pear, a Bun, and some Cheese. 1. Find words that rhyme with the items (Pear/Bear, Bun/Sun, Cheese/Please). 2. Put them together: 'A bear with a pear, a bun in the sun, and cheese if you please!' 3. Say it with a beat like a song.
What tool are you using when you imagine a giant red apple in your head?
How many times should you say a fact out loud to help it stick?
Rhymes make information 'sticky' because our brains love patterns.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow morning, try to remember the rhyme: 'A bear with a pear, a bun in the sun, and cheese if you please!'
Practice Activity
Pick three toys in your room and try to make a short rhyme to remember them all together.