Memory Kickers To Help Stimulate Long-Term Memory

Memory Series – Color, Sensory Involvement

Do you have a child who is struggling in school? Perhaps you’re a teacher who is frustrated because your students don’t retain material as well as you would like. Maybe you’re just tired of wasting time searching for things in your home. If any of these apply, read on!

As an educator in North Carolina, I was given the opportunity to attend national conferences on Differentiation in the Classroom. I also did brain studies in preparation for my Gifted Education certification. One of the most valuable lessons, that I learned, dealt with Memory. This interested me both from the perspective of teacher but also as a mother. Too, I realized that I would probably eventually struggle with some memory issues with the natural aging process.

Here are a couple of memory kickers that can make a real difference.

• Color is a memory stimulant. Teachers have color-coded things in their classrooms for years. Generally this was for organizational purposes, but by using different colors, our visual minds make an association that creates memory. Marketers talk a lot about branding one's business. One of the first things they use as a marketing tool is color. Think about a few businesses, what color do you associate with them?  Target? McDonald’s? Planet Fitness? These businesses want you to remember them, so color is important.
  

• Sensory Involvement can make a huge difference in memory. We are told that scent is possibly the strongest sense that we have in promoting memory. Every spring, when the lawn is first mowed, I have a quick jolt of childhood memories of playing outside with my brother. It’s the smell of new-mown grass that does it.
  
  
  When studying WWII, one way I incorporated sound, taste and smell, was to construct a cardboard facsimile of an upright radio to resemble one from the forties. Behind this prop was a tape of a selection of radio shows of the time, including music, big news broadcasts of the time, comedy shows, soaps, etc. We sat around the radio enjoying popcorn while listening to the “radio”. They had a cultural experience from another age, and the memory was stimulated by multiple senses. Remember, one sense is good, but the more senses involved in a learning process, the better. Memory retention is the goal.
  
  

I challenge you to think about ways in which you can use color and/or sensory involvement to help you, your child or an aging parent with some memory issue. These are simple to apply, and the rewards can be amazing.