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Memory games about everyday situations are a great way of getting your child to remember things you've done together, reinforce what they've learnt from them and practise talking using the past tense.
For some ideas of ways you can help your child with their memory watch the families in the video below.
The benefits of playing memory games
- Asking children about the things they saw or did during everyday situations helps them to practise using their memory.
- Using their memory, helps your child focus on attention to detail and improve concentration.
- It can help reinforce their understanding of routines and situations they often find themselves in.
- It can help them to practise using the past tense and think about the details of their experiences.
- Talking about the past encourages children to use longer sentences.
How to play memory games with children
Take turns to remember details about a situation from your day. You could say, for example, 'When we went to the shop, what did we buy? We bought an apple鈥hat else did we buy?'.
See what your child can remember. You could ask them all sorts of questions about what you saw or did. You could ask them general questions like, 'When we went to the harbour, what did we see?'
If, for example, they answered 'a lighthouse', you could repeat what they say back to them and see if this encourages them to expand on their sentence.
If not, you could prompt them by asking for more specific details like 'Do you remember what colour the lighthouse was?'.
When they remember things, offer plenty of praise and encouragement.
If you're stuck indoors or want to try something different, why not try this alternative memory game, which uses lots of household objects hidden under a cloth or tea towel.
Child psychologist Dr Claire Halsey talks through the benefits of playing simple memory games with children.
More information on talking about the past
Learning to talk about the past is a key part of language learning. We've got loads more information about this across our website.
