Improve Your Memory Naturally

What Is Memory?

Memory improvement does not mean expanding the total storage area; it is development of the capability of the storage. Below you can read about the methods to improve memory and the stages of memory development.

Memory Stages

Coding and Recording Stage

Storage Stage

How to Improve Short Term Memory?

1. Stay Active

Keeping the body active will increase the blood flow to your whole body. This will help boost your and your child’s memory.

2. Keep Your Mind Sharp

Games and activities that keep your mind sharp are perfect to boost memory. Try playing chess, checkers, or other brain games

3. Eat Well!

Make sure to eat nutritious and healthy food and ensure that your children are getting all the vitamins and minerals that they need. Here are some healthy and fun foods that you can add to your grocery list to boost your and your child’s memory:

How to Improve Long Term Memory?

Now, it’s time for some useful techniques!

They work wonders if you’re looking for ways on how to improve memory for studying or how to improve memory for language learning because long term memory is where you store all that information!

1. The Imagining/Visualizing Technique

The human brain can store visual information easier than any other type of information. You may have difficulty keeping the name of a street in mind, but you would not forget the image of the street.

If you listen or read something that you do not experience by yourself, it is still possible for you to make this information permanent in your mind by visualizing it.

When you want to teach your children something, let them imagine. This method is also often used in schools to support learning.

If you were able to put your hands inside the screen while reading this article and pick up the sentences you wanted and put them in your pocket, which ones would you take?

I think you would take this last sentence in your hands and put it in your pocket to use it elsewhere.

Did you imagine for a second, while you were reading the orange sentences above, that you put your hand into the screen and picked up letters, words, and sentences?

If you did imagine it, then it is very likely for you to remember this article in the future again when some memory techniques are discussed.

2. The Grouping or Association Technique

We are likely to remember the order of something sometime in the future. This could be an event or the way that a task is performed.

The association method is mainly based on memorizing something by making an analogy with existing knowledge. Match items, numbers, words, etc, with other concepts. The association method is a good learning and teaching method for children.

We can use the grouping technique to have a long term memory about different events or objects.

For instance: If we need to keep a list of names in mind such as cars, pots, wheels, spoons, cups, and brake pedal, our brain records car, wheel and brake pedal as a group. And it records kitchenware as a separate group.

In this way, you can make groups in your mind according to the 3 common features of the objects.

For example, you can make groups of things with common initials, common colors, and common areas of use.

Teach your children to utilize this technique for their learning. Grouping makes it easier to remember the information you have recorded in your brain.

3. The Mnemonic Technique

The method to memorize difficult things by supporting your brain with simple concepts in which we have already memorized is called mnemonic.

It is a method that is often used by educators. We can use this method to memorize a list of things.

Mnemonic Example: Here is mnemonics for the order of the planets orbiting the Sun: “My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nine Pickles”.

• My = Mercury
• Very = Venus
• Excellent = Earth
• Mother = Mars
• Just = Jupiter
• Served = Saturn
• Us = Uranus
• Nine = Neptune
• Pickles = Pluto

Now, neither you nor your child will forget it 😉

How to Improve Memory Retention?

Firstly, we would remind you that all of these tips and techniques will help with your memory, no matter which kind. That said, let’s dive into the tips that will guide you on how to improve memory recall!

1. Sleep Tight

It goes without saying, sufficient sleep is important in maintaining a healthy brain. It also affects the speed at which your brain recalls information.

Therefore, make sure that your children have had a good night of sleep before any big exams. Don’t forget to give a piece of dark chocolate too 😃

2. Calm Your Mind

A calm mind means the ability to think and remember things faster and easier. Find activities that soothe your children’s minds. It can be meditating, listening to classical music, or simply humming a melody.

3. The Short Story Technique

Let’s get creative! Let’s say that you have to do grocery shopping and you need:

• milk
• eggs
• tomatoes
• bread

Now, make up a story!

It doesn’t have to make sense. Here’s an example for you:

The eggs and tomatoes went to visit the bread and they spilled the milk.

Teach your children to apply the same tip to their chores and tasks. It will enhance their creativity and boost their memory recall skills.

How to Reduce Memory Loss?

Here are useful tips on how to improve memory and concentration. But before that to be sure if your short term memory (STM) loss is harmless, you can take a quiz right now: Short Term Memory Loss Test 🧠

1. Train Your Mind

You can think of memory as a muscle in your brain. The more you train your memory muscles, the more likely you are to not forget them. For instance, a study about poor working memory has shown that 15% of children have poor working memory skills; however, it also showed they can improve their memory up to 3-4 times more by doing regular mental exercises.

MentalUP offers the best memory improvement exercises that advance according to your children’s skills. With only 10 minutes of daily MentalUP exercises, your children will have much more enhanced memory skills which will directly affect their learning ability and academic success.

2. Stay Organized

Although our brain takes up to 2% of our whole body mass, it consumes 20% of the entire body’s energy based on the article of National Institutes of Health. Therefore, leaving things tidy and packed will protect your mind from unnecessary cluttering.

Convince your children to keep their rooms, desks and other areas tidy and organized. This will help their brain to process more effortlessly and efficiently, resulting in avoiding memory loss.

3. Read

Reading is undoubtedly one of the most beneficial ways of enhancing your brain. Pick out fun stories or novels according to your child’s age and hold reading sessions at home. Better yet, encourage them to form a “book club” in which they read books with their friends! This will make reading more enjoyable for them!