A child who forgets what they went to fetch from the other room. A preschooler who can’t remember what they had for breakfast. A Year 1 pupil who has been learning a poem for the fifth time and still loses the third verse. Before we think “something is wrong”, it is worth knowing that memory in children works differently from memory in adults and, most importantly, it can be trained. In this article you will find concrete games and everyday habits that strengthen visual, auditory and working memory, without worksheets and without stress.
How does memory work in children?
A child’s memory is not simply a “weaker version” of an adult’s. It is still being built. The preschool brain is actively forming neural connections, and the more repetitions, associations and emotions accompany a given experience, the more lasting the memory trace.
That is why a child perfectly remembers a song from their favourite cartoon (emotion + melody + repetition) but cannot remember where they left their shoes (no emotion, no attention, action performed on autopilot). This is not a memory deficit. It is the normal way a young brain sets priorities.
The key message for parents and teachers: memory can be exercised like a muscle. Regular, short games engaging different sensory channels (sight, hearing, movement, touch) build the memory “infrastructure” that the child will use for the rest of their life. The more varied the memory experiences during preschool and early school years, the easier learning becomes later.
Three types of memory worth knowing
When we talk about developing a child’s memory, it helps to know that there is no single “memory”. In practice, teachers and therapists work primarily with three types:
- Visual memory allows the child to remember what they see: images, colours, shapes, spatial arrangements, letters, numbers. It is crucial for learning to read and write.
- Auditory memory allows the child to remember what they hear: sounds, words, instructions, melodies, rhythms. It is the foundation of speech development, understanding instructions and memorising poems or songs.
- Working memory is the ability to hold and process information at the same time. The child listens to an instruction, remembers it and simultaneously plans an action. It determines whether the child can follow a two-step instruction (“take the red cup and put it on the shelf”).
Each of these memory types can be trained separately, but the most effective games engage two or three channels at once. Below you will find exercises grouped by the type of memory they develop most.
Games that develop visual memory
Matching pairs (Memory)
The classic card game in which the child turns over two cards and looks for pairs. Start with 6 pairs (12 cards) for three-year-olds and gradually increase to 15–20 pairs. Variation: instead of ready-made cards, use family photos or pictures drawn by the child.
What changed?
Arrange 5–8 objects on a table. The child looks for 30 seconds, then closes their eyes. You remove or swap one object. The child opens their eyes and says what changed. Easy to scale: more objects, shorter viewing time, two changes instead of one.
Recreating patterns with blocks
Build a simple pattern from coloured blocks (e.g. 4–6 elements in a specific colour arrangement). The child looks at the pattern, then you cover it and the child recreates the layout from memory. This exercise works particularly well with Combo Wall blocks on a wall: the teacher builds a mosaic on one side of the board, covers it with a sheet of paper and the child recreates the same pattern on the other side. The vertical surface makes the pattern clearly visible and easy to compare with the original.
Drawing from memory
Show the child a simple picture (a house, a tree, a sun with a cloud) for 15 seconds, then hide it. The child draws what they remember. The point is not the quality of the drawing but the number of details remembered. Over time, show increasingly complex pictures.
Spot the difference
Two almost identical pictures differing in a few details. The child compares them and points out the differences. This trains not only visual memory but also observation skills and concentration.
Games that develop auditory memory
Repeating sound sequences
Clap a rhythm (e.g. clap-clap-pause-clap) and ask the child to repeat it. Start with two claps, then lengthen the sequence. You can also use a drum, a pot with a wooden spoon or simply tap on the table. Varying the sounds (loud/quiet, fast/slow) increases difficulty.
Shopping list
“We’re going to the shop and we’re buying: milk, bread and apples. Repeat what we’re buying.” Start with three items and add more when the child manages without difficulty. Cumulative version: “I’m buying milk. You add something and repeat the whole list.”
Rhymes and songs
Learning short poems by heart is one of the oldest and most effective auditory memory exercises. Melody and rhyme act as “hooks” on which the brain hangs information. That is why children memorise a song more easily than plain text. Use this to your advantage: present new information in a rhyming or sung form.
Sound guessing
Record 5–8 household sounds on your phone (vacuum cleaner, tap, door closing, doorbell, rustling paper). Play them one after another while the child identifies and remembers the order. After playing all of them, ask: “Which sound was third?”. This trains auditory and sequential memory at the same time.
Chinese whispers
The classic group game: one child whispers a sentence to the next, who whispers it to the next, and so on. At the end you compare the original with the result. Laughter guaranteed, and auditory memory trained along the way.
Games that strengthen working memory
Working memory is the “whiteboard” inside the child’s head on which they simultaneously hold information and do something with it. It is critical for following multi-step instructions, understanding longer sentences and learning maths. Here are games that strengthen it:
Multi-step instructions
Instead of “bring a cup”, say: “take the red cup from the kitchen, put it on the table and come back for the spoon”. The child must remember three steps and carry them out in the right order. Start with two steps and gradually add a third, then a fourth.
Building from verbal instructions
Describe a construction for the child to build, but don’t show it. “Place a blue block, a red one on top, a yellow one next to it.” The child must listen, remember and act at the same time. With Combo Wall blocks on a wall this becomes a game: the teacher dictates a “building instruction” and the child pins blocks on the wall following the commands without seeing a model. This engages working memory, auditory memory and spatial orientation all at once.
Counting backwards with rules
“Count from 10 to 1.” That’s easy. “Count from 20 to 1, skipping every other number.” That requires working memory because the child must simultaneously remember the rule and apply it while counting. For older children: “name the months in reverse” or “name the days of the week backwards”.
“I’m going on a trip”
The first player says: “I’m going on a trip and I’m taking a backpack.” The second repeats and adds: “…a backpack and a water bottle.” The third: “…a backpack, a water bottle and a map.” The list grows with every turn. The child must remember an ever-longer chain of items and think of a new one at the same time.
Simon Says
The leader gives instructions: “Simon says: touch your nose. Simon says: jump. Clap!” Anyone who follows an instruction without “Simon says” is out. The child must simultaneously listen to the content of the instruction and check whether it contains the key phrase. This is working memory, attention and impulse control in a single game.
Daily habits that help
Memory training does not have to be limited to planned games. A few simple habits woven into everyday life can make an enormous difference:
Talking about the day
In the evening, ask the child: “What did you do at nursery today?”. “We played” is not enough. Probe further: “What happened first? Then what? What did you have for lunch? Who did you play with?”. Reconstructing the day in chronological order is an intensive workout for episodic memory.
Reading and returning to stories
After reading a story, ask: “What happened at the beginning? Why did the bear go to the forest? How did it end?”. The next time you read the same book: “Do you remember what happens next?”. Repeating and reconstructing the plot builds narrative memory.
A fixed place for everything
Every item has its home: shoes by the door, backpack on the hook, crayons in the box. Consistently maintaining order teaches the child that remembering locations is a useful skill, not a boring chore.
Planning and reminding
In the morning: “After nursery today we’re going to the park and buying bread. Remember to remind me.” The child receives a memory task, a sense of responsibility and satisfaction when they actually remember in the evening. This is a simple but effective dose of prospective memory training (remembering future intentions).
Sleep and movement
No memory game can compensate for lack of sleep. Memory consolidation, the transfer of information from short-term to long-term memory, occurs mainly during sleep. Physical activity is equally important because movement improves blood flow to the brain and supports the formation of new neural connections. You can read more about the role of movement in child development in our article on activities that support hand dexterity.
Matching activities to age
Simple matching pairs with 4–6 pairs, “what disappeared?” (3 objects), action songs, repeating short rhymes, naming objects from photos.
Matching pairs with 8–10 pairs, “what changed?” (5 objects), recreating simple block patterns (e.g. Combo Wall), two-step instructions, “shopping list” with 3 items, learning short poems.
Spot the difference, drawing from memory, building from verbal instructions, “I’m going on a trip” (4–6 items), sound guessing, three-step instructions.
Matching pairs with 15+ pairs, recreating complex patterns, counting backwards with rules, Simon Says, retelling the day in detail, learning longer poems, Chinese whispers.
Strategy games (chess, draughts), learning foreign vocabulary through associations, creating mind maps, memorising sequences of 8–10 items, multi-step planning.
Frequently asked questions
How much time per day should be spent on memory training?
There is no need to set aside dedicated sessions. 10–15 minutes of memory play woven into everyday life (a matching game before dinner, a rhyme before bed, multi-step instructions during play) is more than enough. Consistency matters more than the length of any single session.
Does a poor memory in a child mean there is a problem?
Not necessarily. Children of the same age can have very different memory capacities and that is normal. It is worth being concerned if the child consistently cannot remember simple instructions, does not recognise familiar people or places, or if memory difficulties are getting worse rather than improving. In such cases a consultation with a child psychologist is advisable.
Can building blocks develop memory?
Yes, in several ways. Recreating patterns from memory trains visual and spatial memory. Building according to verbal instructions engages working and auditory memory. Remembering which elements go where requires procedural memory. Wall-mounted blocks (such as Combo Wall) have an added advantage: the pattern is clearly visible and easy to compare with the memorised original.
Do screens worsen memory in children?
Research does not suggest that screens themselves “destroy” memory. The issue is that passively watching video content engages memory far less than active play. A child who passively watches a cartoon remembers less than one who hears the same story read by a parent and answers questions about it. The key is not so much limiting screens as ensuring a sufficient amount of active memory experiences throughout the day.
What foods support a child’s memory?
The brain needs a regular supply of glucose (wholegrain bread, porridge), omega-3 fatty acids (fish, nuts, flaxseed), B vitamins (eggs, dairy, leafy greens) and iron (meat, lentils, spinach). Drinking water regularly is equally important because even mild dehydration lowers the ability to concentrate and remember.
Summary
A child’s memory is not a fixed trait they are born with and have no influence over. It is a skill that can be strengthened every day through play, conversation and simple habits. Matching pairs on the carpet, a rhyme before bedtime, a “shopping list” on the way to the shop, recreating block patterns on the wall, retelling the day in the evening. None of these require special equipment or much time, yet each one builds foundations the child will rely on throughout their school years and beyond.
Looking for more ideas for activities that support specific skills? See our articles on Montessori activities and the benefits of playing with blocks.