Improving Memory Using Memory Exercises

If you are a student struggling to study for a big test, you may soon learn that you will need the help of certain tricks to make your study life easier. Many students of all ages benefit from learning memory exercises. Teachers usually try to help their students by suggesting certain exercises that they themselves have used or that they have learned since beginning to teach.

Of course, each person must use whatever appeals to them. What works for one won't necessarily work for another. This lesson has been demonstrated in the simple act of teaching a child to tie a shoe. His concentration may be thrown askew and result in frustration when asked to try a new way to learn. Maybe one parent teaches a different method, or the grandparents disagree on what is best.

One way to improve your memory is by adding meditation to your daily routine. Meditating helps to relax your mind and body, which in turn can make it easier for your brain to recall memories. Set aside a specific time each day when you know you won't be interrupted to close your eyes and meditate for as long as you would like.

Children with learning disabilities must learn constructive methods for improving their memories that are tailored to their own distinct capabilities. A child who struggles may need to associate certain things with the same colors daily to remember. Maybe they have certain shapes that help them remember, or smells. A child who has sight impairment may learn to associate by touch or scent. Grandma may wear the same perfume every day or Grandpa may wear the same cologne or after shave.

There are times when the teachers have a learning method that is different from the parents'. When the child asks the parent for help with homework, an argument may develop because the parent will use a different method to get the same result. Sometimes if the child is taught not to argue with the parent, this could result in a bad mark on the work that is turned in. This is where consistency and cooperation is successful in the parent/teacher relationship.

To help you to remember something, take that abstract thought or article and place it in a memory palace. A memory palace is some place that is familiar to you. By picturing yourself walking through that space, and then seeing, feeling, or hearing the thing you want to remember, that thought will come easier to you. This is a technique used by professionals regularly.

Have you ever made up a silly, but rude song about someone who offended you? This was a great memory exercise, even though it could be construed as mean. Music is a helpful tool, especially for teaching small children to improve their memories, although it is usually not used in a derogatory way. Comedians make jokes with rude songs, which often results in the audience remembering the comedian simply because the music acted as a tool to cement the person into memory. Maybe you don't even recall the words, but simply the tune, the results are the same.

Rhyming games are a very helpful memory tool. An endless number of people have grown up enjoying the antics of the characters in Dr. Seuss stories! Many of the words don't even make sense and mean nothing in reality. But they served to help a person remember the story because of the rhyming effect.

When trying to learn a lot of new information, it can really help to consciously relate it back to information that you already know. For instance, if Aunt Sadie moved to Tupelo where your friend Julie happens to live, then linking Aunt Sadie with Julie anchors the memory. Integrating new information with solid memories you already have helps it "stick" in the brain faster.

The key to memory exercises is repetition. You must teach yourself to perform the actions over and over. Like always putting your car keys in your purse so you won't lose them. If you have trouble getting your children to school on time because they spend too much time finding their backpack or shoes, have them learn to place the items in the same place each evening. These little memory tricks are sure to make your boss happy if they get you to work on time each day!