How to Remember: Ways to Improve Memory for Kindergarten SEL

From learning a language and building on personal interests to making new friends and taking new adventures, memory plays a significant part in one’s quality of life. It is a fundamental cognitive function that supports learning, comprehension, and retention, enabling one to perform daily activities and succeed in personal and academic life.

It is important to strengthen memory to recall information and easily respond positively to one’s environment. Sharpening memory is not only for adults and older people; even children in kindergarten can exercise their brains to keep their memory sharp. Doing so is an intellectual positive action that can optimize their brain functioning.

Through an engaging story and fun mental exercise, this evidence-based health education lesson teaches kindergarten students why the strong ability to remember is crucial for their minds. It also teaches them helpful ways to boost their ability to retain information.

In this lesson’s story, "Positron Remembers," the intellectually advanced robot named Positron is preparing to fly back to his home planet, the Land of Intellectia. However, one problem remains: he can’t recall how to go back. He usually knows everything, but when he crashed on Earth a few days ago, some of his memory banks may have shut down. Now, he needs the help of his forest animal friends to help him remember his way back home.

As the story title informs, Positron successfully remembers how to get back. His friends from the forest suggest positive actions that help him boost his memory power. Some of these positive actions are:

1. Association: Annie Owl suggests to Positron that connecting the information he wants to remember with something familiar or meaningful can help him retrieve what he has forgotten. For example, when she was lost, she flew higher and looked for the tree she associated with her home.

2. Retrieval cues: Abbott Rabbit shares that he looks for cues in his surroundings to remind him how to return home. For Abbott, landmarks like a berry bush or a nearby pond help him around the forest.

3. Repetition: Cindy Squirrel shares that she likes to repeat things over and over so she does not forget. She suggests Positron does it, too.

4. Mnemonic devices: Positron remembers that he uses rhymes to help him store and retrieve important information. He recites the rhyming device, and the forgotten information finally comes back to him.

Positron’s story is an effective teaching strategy. Not only does it engage kindergarten students, but the story characters also serve as cues to help the young learners remember the lesson it wishes to impart and the positive actions they must follow for memory development. After the story, the teacher facilitates a class discussion and encourages students to share their thoughts and reflections. In the end, the teacher invites students to a memorization activity that helps them feel good about themselves.

Memory decline is a serious health issue that can prevent one from living independently. At a young age, one must use helpful strategies to improve memory performance and keep the brain active. With this effective lesson, kindergarten students will have increased memory capability and brain power, which can improve their academic performance and overall intellectual development.