No matter how effective a lesson is, information learnt can be forgotten unless the topic is revisited several times. This is why, at school, we revise topics to check a child has absorbed the information taught. Having a good memory recall can help deepen subject knowledge and also enhance exam performance.

Parent: “What did you learn at school today?”
Child: “Errr… I don’t know. I forgot.” 

If this is a common conversation in your household, do not fear. There are simple and effective ways to develop and improve your child’s memory recall.

Ask questions about homework.

You can usually see what your child has been doing in school by looking at their homework. Homework is one tool that we use to encourage memory recall and to embed information more deeply into a child’s consciousness. You can extend this practice and strengthen your child’s memory retrieval by asking questions about homework your child did 2, 3 or maybe even 4 weeks ago. By repeating this process, the information that your child has learned will become a permanent memory. 

Make it fun.

Children love quizzes! They also love showing their parents how well they are doing at school and how much they have learnt. You can make this an enjoyable experience by turning it into a game show complete with buzzers and prizes - you could even involve the whole family.

Brainstorm posters. 

Once your child has completed a topic at school you could ask them to create a brainstorm poster showing everything they know about that topic. These posters will look great displayed in your child’s bedroom. Also, If they remember some more information on the topic (or learn new information), they can easily add the information to the poster. You can then use these posters to make quizzes. 

Tell people. 

One of the best ways to improve memory recall is to pass the information on to others. Ask them to share what they know with friends and family members and have meaningful discussions about the topic. Your child could even teach a friend or sibling about a topic and create their own quiz to test them. 

Mr Peter, Early Years Teacher
Moscow Campus