Do you know a kid who always forget the things they have learned at school, can’t remember to turn in their homework after it’s completed, or study for hours and know the material but forget it when a test is taken the next day?

There are many activities that can improve memory skills that can be used by parents and teachers of forgetful children. Both visual-spatial and verbal working memory can be improved by activities such as exercise, the effective use of technology, and role-modeling. Kids are more apt to use these activities on a consistent basis if they are fun.

Most of the following suggestions are memory activities for students that they can do on their own, so we encourage you to share this list with them.

Here are some engaging memory activities for students:

Exercise before you study.

• Exercising before you study can help you remember what you are studying.
• Try riding your bike, going for a walk with your family, or playing tag with your friends.
• All of these activities can help your brain get ready to learn.

Exercise your mind.

• Just as exercising keeps your body healthy, it’s also healthy to exercise your brain.
• Play memory board games or card games with your family or friends.
• Try to remember something that you find interesting, such as the names of all 50 states or the names of the past presidents.

Create a video of your routine.

• Make a video of routines that you have a hard time remembering.
• Have your parent or older sibling videotape you getting ready for school.
• That way, you could watch the video first thing in the morning to remind you of what you need to do.

Record yourself saying what you need to remember.

• Recording yourself saying what you need to remember to do can be really helpful.
• Use the recording app on your iPod or iPad or an app such as MyScriptMemo or Forgetful.
• On a daily basis record yourself saying what you need to do that day and pick a time to listen to it.

Play a video game to help you learn to remember better.

• Playing video games isn’t just fun, it can also help you learn things.
• Talk yourself through a game to help make your memory better.
• In doing this you also help yourself to remember the steps you need to take to win, which can help in remembering other routines, too.

Watch videos.

• Videos are a great way to learn.
• Ask your parent or older sibling to look up videos that will help you improve your memory.
• Then watch them together.

Featured image: Flickr user USAG Humphreys