Children with ADHD and learning disabilities often have trouble remembering and retaining information taught in class. To improve memory skills, create links and associations (visual, auditory, conceptual) between bits of information. Here are six ways to do that:
1. Draw or create vivid pictures depicting information that needs to be memorized.
Since memory is enhanced by exaggeration, emotion, action, and color, the more ridiculous and detailed the image, the better. To remember the meaning of the word felons (which sounds like melons), make a picture of melons dressed in prison clothing marching off to jail. For more examples, see vocabularycartoons.com.
2. Teach memory strategies.
Some popular mnemonics include HOMES (the Great Lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior) and Dead Monsters Smell Bad (steps for long division: divide,
3. Create acrostics or whole sentences.
“Every Good Boy Does Fine” is an excellent way to recall the sequence of lines in the treble clef (EGBDF).
4. Try melody and rhythm to teach a series or sequence.
There are raps, rhymes, and songs to help students memorize multiplication tables, days of the week, and so on.
5. Use songs to teach grade-level content.
Musically Aligned (musicallyaligned.com) creates music and lyrics geared to teach a science curriculum. For physical science, there are songs like “Heat, Light, and Motion.” For teaching a concept in life science, there is “Food Chain Gang.”
6. Reinforce the information learned.
After the lesson, have students list the things they remember, as fast as they can, to increase recall.
Adapted with permission from sandrarief.com, How to Reach & Teach Children with ADD/ADHD, Second Edition, Copyright 2005, and The ADD/ADHD Checklist, Second Edition, Copyright 2008, by Sandra F. Rief.
