How to spot an exercise that does something
A memory game and memory training look alike. Three things tell them apart.
- It ends with a number — Seven out of ten, four digits backwards. Without a number there is no way to see whether anything changed in a month.
- It has a difficulty dial — More items, a shorter preview, a longer pause before answering. An exercise without that dial wears out in a week.
- It requires recall — Pointing at a picture among four is recognition and is always easier. The real work is naming everything with your eyes closed.
Six exercises at the table
One a day, five to ten minutes. Take the starting level from the table below.
- Objects under a cloth
Lay out ten objects from a drawer, give thirty seconds to look and cover them. The child names everything from memory. Harder: ask for the order from the right, or the colours.
- Digits backwards
You read out a string of digits, the child repeats it backwards. Start with four and add one at a time. It is the shortest working-memory exercise you can run with nothing at all.
- The shopping chain
The first says «I am buying bread», the second repeats and adds their own. Whoever drops an item loses. Harder: the items must go in alphabetical order.
- A picture from memory
Thirty seconds on an illustration in a book, then a description with the book closed: what was on the left, how many characters, what time of day. You check together.
- Repeat the rhythm
You tap a rhythm on the table, the child repeats it. Four beats, then six, then eight with pauses. It trains auditory memory — the same one that catches the teacher's instructions.
- What has changed
The child looks at a shelf or a desk and leaves the room. You move three things. They come back and name the changes — saying them, not pointing.
If the exercise turns into a graded test, the child stops wanting it in three days. Write the result down but do not comment on it — comment only on the fact that it happened today.
Four exercises for the road
No table, no paper, no preparation — on a tram, in a queue, in the car.
Number plates
Memorise three letters and three digits from a passing car, repeat them two stops later. The material refreshes itself.
I am going on holiday
The classic alphabetical chain: apples, blanket, compass. Everyone repeats the whole list before adding their own.
What we passed
After ten minutes of the journey the child names the places passed in reverse order. It trains memory for sequences — the kind you need for stages and dates.
A list without paper
Five things to buy, memorised before entering the shop. At the till you compare with the list on the phone.
How many items to start with
Starting level by age. Raise it only after three successful runs in a row.
| Stage | How long |
|---|---|
| Ages 8–10 | 6–7 items, 40 seconds to look |
| Ages 11–13 | 8–10 items, 30 seconds to look |
| Ages 14–18 | 10–12 items, 20 seconds to look and a question about the order |
Start with a measurement
Our free test is six game-like tasks: memory, attention, pace and logic. It gives you a number you can come back to after a month of exercises and compare.
Take the free testabout 15 minutes · no sign-up · instant result
Where these exercises come from
These are home versions of the warm-ups that open a Space Memory lesson. In class the coach runs them with a group of 5–10 children and after each one asks what the child did in their head — the answer to that question is where learning the techniques begins.
Parents' questions
How many exercises a day?
One. Ten minutes on a single task gives more than five tasks of two minutes each: only after several attempts does a child start looking for a method.
Will this work with a child who dislikes games?
Then it is better to run the same exercises straight on school material: instead of ten objects, ten dates or formulas.
What about memory-training apps?
They are fine for those ten minutes as long as the level grows. The drawback is that the child only practises on the app's own material.
Is it worth practising with a sibling?
Yes, competition helps — as long as the children are at a similar level. Otherwise the younger one always loses and stops playing.
How long do we keep the same set?
Until the child knows the answer by heart instead of working it out. You change the material, the rules stay.
Will exercises replace learning the techniques?
No. They warm up and show the level; the techniques — images, associations and routes — are described separately.
Three pages: how to turn this into training and what the techniques are.
Memory training for kids
What memory training is and what a child practises in class.
How to train a child's memory
Weekly rules and raising the load
Mnemonics for kids
Techniques one by one: images, associations, chains
Concentration exercises for kids
When attention is the problem rather than memory
Would you like your child to do this with a coach?
Classes run 90 minutes once a week in a group of 5–10 children, and in between the child practises 10 minutes a day on the platform. Leave a request and we will tell you about the next group.
Request a callAll the exercises are free and need no account. Classes are a separate thing — for those who want to work with a coach.