Sequential Memory Activities

SEQUENTIAL MEMORY ACTIVITIES

Activities to Increase Visual Memory:

• Prepare a tray of 5 or 6 small items. Give your child a chance to look at them. Then, cover the tray and remove one item. Ask, “What is missing?”
• Arrange 3 or 4 items in order. Have your child close his eyes while you mix them up. Ask him to put them back in order.
• Prepare a series of objects such as a toy, car, boat, key, etc… Prepare index cards with pictures of the same objects arranged in a certain sequence on the table. Cover the objects and ask him to arrange his cards in the same order.
• Play the game, “Quick as a Flash”. Write a combination of several (2 to 7) letters, numbers, or shapes on paper. Cover it quickly. Ask you child to reproduce what he saw.
• Hand Signals-Using your hand, hold up combinations of fingers (3, 5, 10, etc…)with a few seconds between each signal. Ask your child to repeat the pattern.
• Have your child close his eyes and describe his clothes, his room, your house, etc…
  Use games with cards like “Concentration.”

Activities to Increase Auditory Memory:

• Play the old favorite game “I went to camp and took a pair of shoes, and etc…” Individually your child can add one object each time. Played in a small group of friends, each child repeats the entire sentence adding an object each time.
• Games where your child is required to follow a sequence of verbal directions will help him to develop skills of auditory memory. Example: “Hop to the door, turn out the light, turn around twice, and then skip back to me.”
• Tapping Game-You tap with a stick on different surfaces such as the floor, chair, wall, etc… Have your child tell you how many times you tapped on each surface.
• Give your child three or more crayons. Call out the colors all at one time. Stop and have your child arrange the crayons in that order. This game can be varied with blocks, shapes, or pictures.
• Talk with your child about information and events in the past. “Tell me what you did last night.” “What did you eat for breakfast?” Etc…
• Have your child repeat numbers, letters, or words in groups of 3 to 7, gradually increasing the amount each time.
  Encourage repetition and memorization of nursery rhymes.
• Tell a story and then ask your child questions about details in the story.