Memory is a fundamental element in your child's SATs experience, as they will be drawing on ideas and concepts taught in class during their tests. Making sure lessons are visual, tactile, and fun are good ways that your child’s teacher can help them to remember facts and concepts. But there is plenty you can do at home to strengthen their memory to support learning, too.

 

 

Memory games are an excellent way of improving your child's capacity to retain facts, and will certainly give their brains a thorough workout. You can play them in the car, on picnics, or at home. Try this one with younger children. You say, "I am going on holiday, I will need to pack..." and give an item. Then each person takes it in turn to say the sentence, naming an item but also repeating all the ones said previously.

 

A good way to help consolidate your child's learning at this age is to play a very simple game which most children love - ‘teachers'. Ask them to be the teacher and you be the pupil. They can teach you what they have learnt that day. You can make it more challenging for them by pretending not to understand so they have to explain their learning in different ways. Whether they realise it or not they will be committing their understanding to memory. You could even add props, such as blackboards and costumes, to make it more fun.

 

 

Although Key Stage 3 SATs have been scrapped, your child can still benefit from reinforcing their memory skills. Try light-hearted activities to get them using their brains and concentrating hard. One fun activity is ‘Now you see it, Now you don't!'  Choose 20-30 objects and place them on a table. Show them to your child for 30 seconds and then cover them up with a cloth. Ask your child to name as many things as possible. 

 

Other ways to get Key Stage 3 children to improve their memory include playing more complex card games, such as gin rummy, poker (with matchsticks rather than money), or chase the ace, which really get children concentrating, thinking tactically and using their memory.