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A fun technique to help the brain remember more by grouping small bits into bigger pieces.
Have you ever tried to remember a long phone number and felt like your brain was a bucket that was overflowing? What if you could turn that bucket into a giant treasure chest just by changing how you look at the numbers?
Your brain has a special place called working memory. Think of it like a small backpack. It can only hold a few things at once before it gets too heavy! Scientists found that most people can only hold about items in their head at one time. That means if you try to remember 10 separate numbers, your 'backpack' might spill over, and you'll forget some! To fix this, we use a magic trick called chunking. Chunking is when we take those 10 separate items and group them into 3 or 4 'chunks.' Instead of 10 heavy rocks, your brain only has to carry 3 small bags!
Quick Check
What is the name of the 'backpack' part of your memory that holds information for a short time?
Answer
Working Memory
When we chunk information, we look for patterns or groups. Imagine the letters C, A, T. If you see them as three separate letters, you use three 'slots' in your brain. But if you see the word CAT, you only use one slot! By grouping things together, we make more room in our memory. This works for numbers, words, and even your grocery list. The best way to chunk is to keep groups small, usually around or items per group.
Let's look at how grouping letters makes them easier to read. 1. Look at these letters: . 2. That is 11 letters to remember! 3. Now, let's chunk them: BLUE, RED, PINK. 4. Now you only have to remember 3 colors instead of 11 letters!
Quick Check
True or False: Chunking makes it harder to remember things because it adds more groups.
Answer
False. It makes it easier by reducing the number of 'items' the brain has to track.
Numbers are the most common things we chunk. Think about a phone number like . It is much harder to remember than . By using a dash or a space, we tell our brain: 'Hey! This is one chunk!' This is why we can remember long strings of digits. We aren't actually remembering more numbers; we are just making the groups bigger and the list shorter.
Try to remember this string of 10 numbers: 1. The list: . 2. Let's chunk them into three groups: . 3. Instead of 10 items, you now have 3 'chunks.' It feels much shorter!
Can you chunk this list of 12 numbers using years or dates? 1. List: . 2. Look for patterns: (Columbus), (Independence), (This year). 3. By using things you already know, you turned 12 numbers into just 3 famous years!
What is 'chunking'?
How many items can most people's working memory hold at one time?
Remembering the word 'DOG' is easier than remembering the letters 'D', 'O', and 'G' separately.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow morning, try to remember the three colors we used in the 'Letter Leap' example. Can you remember the colors without looking at the letters?
Practice Activity
Find a license plate on a car or a phone number on a sign. Practice 'chunking' the numbers into groups of 2 or 3 and see if you can repeat them back 10 seconds later!