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Activities for Short Term Memory

Many people struggle to remember things at times. Stress and distraction can cause people to forget simple things in their day-to-day lives. There is a limit on how much a human can store in her short-term memory at any time, however, there are some tools to increase long-term memory, creating better immediate recall, thus improving memory.

  1. Attribute Meaning

    • Ascribing meaning to an experience helps make it memorable. For instance, with children it can be helpful to make up a story about something that the child needs to remember. Stories for children about important habits like brushing teeth before bed are one way to do this. For adults, attributing meaning can be helpful for remembering information as well. When trying to remember someone's name, it is useful to try to build associations; for instance, a person with the name of Brown might be associated with Brown Bear or Brown Bread. These types of associations will help to make meaning, thereby solidifying the memory.

    Repeat and Review

    • Repetition is key for remembering. New information should be reviewed within the first hour of learning and then again within the first day. Reviewing material before bed is also a helpful tool, since the brain will repeat and review material subconsciously during sleep.

      It is helpful to remember that it is only possible to keep about seven chunks (or seven words) in short-term memory at a time. Repetition works by putting this information into long-term memory for quick recall. When learning lists, focusing on the first and last words can make the task easier since these are the ones people recall most easily.

    Organize

    • Organization is a helpful tool for memory. If the challenge is to remember daily tasks, such as taking pills or the location of car keys, doing these things at the same time of day or in the same place can help. Organization can also reduce stress, which can get in the way of memory.

      Making lists is another helpful tool for staying organized, and remembering daily tasks.

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