Before offering you some nice ways to stimulate your children's memory, first some background on the memory.

You may have heard of short-term and long-term memory. Fact knowledge is usually referred to as short-term memory. Short-term memory can become long-term if the circumstances are right. How this exactly works is still being researched by scientists; 

One theory is that short-term memories do not last long because new information enters the part of the brain that stores short-term memories and then drives out older memories.

We all have memories about facts, varying from streetnames to birth dates. We also have memories about past events, such as our first day at school or family reunion. What we may not realise however is that certain skills, such as how to talk, cook, or play a certain sport are also dependent on our memory.

• Physical exercise: Exercise on a regular basis helps keep the blood flowing, which increases the amount of oxygen passing the brain. The brain, and therefore the memory, will be more focused.
• Visualization: This means creating an image that explains or represents something. If your children are trying to remember important elements of their homework, it is helpful if they create a link between a word or concept and a matching image. You can help them with finding these corresponding images.
• Writing things down on paper helps children to remember because the act forces them to concentrate on the things they are writing.
• And of course the obvious.... Playing the famous game of Memory or comparable games once in a while provides a good and fun training for the memory.