Working Memory Activities & Strategies for Kids: Explore 40+ working memory strategies and activities for kids. Plus, download three free memory activities for your classroom or home, complete with strategy suggestions, various implementation options, and different levels of difficulty to engage both younger and older children.
Memory is the cognitive ability that allows us to retain, store, and retrieve information.
There are three main memory categories:
- Sensory memory is the shortest-term memory that retains unprocessed or raw impressions of what we see, hear, or feel for a brief moment after the original event is over. Sensory memory holds this information for comprehension purposes or to move into another memory storage system. Sensory memory is not consciously controlled.
- Short-term memory: This type of memory holds a small amount of information in an active, readily available state for a short period of about 10 to 30 seconds.
- Working memory is a closely related concept, but it is much more than just short-term memory. Working memory is a core executive function. It involves not only the short-term storage of information, but also enables us to work with that information and manipulate it to perform complex cognitive tasks such as reasoning, planning, problem-solving, or understanding.
Poor working memory affects a person’s ability to retain and manipulate information over short periods.
- Working memory is a closely related concept, but it is much more than just short-term memory. Working memory is a core executive function. It involves not only the short-term storage of information, but also enables us to work with that information and manipulate it to perform complex cognitive tasks such as reasoning, planning, problem-solving, or understanding.
- Long-term memory is a relatively permanent information storage system that enables one to retain, retrieve, and make use of skills and knowledge hours, weeks, or even years after they were originally learned. (Source: APA Dictionary of Psychology).
Table of Contents
- Working Memory
- 32 Helpful Memory Strategies for Kids
- Organizing Information
- Memory Techniques
- Practice & Repetition
- Focus & Environment
- Health & Lifestyle
- Tools & Aids
- Cognitive Skills Exercises
- 10 Working Memory Activities & Games
- Working Memory in the Classroom
- Memory Worksheets Free Download
Working Memory
Our working memory is like our brain’s processing hub, helping us juggle and make sense of incoming information.
Working memory allows us to solve a math problem, remember phone numbers long enough to dial them, follow multi-step instructions, or keep track of a conversation while thinking about our response.
In other words, working memory is the cognitive system responsible for temporarily holding and manipulating information needed for complex tasks like reasoning, learning, and comprehension. According to Baddeley and Hitch’s model (1974), working memory consists of multiple components:
- The central executive: It directs attention and coordinates tasks.
- The phonological loop: It’s like a storage system for verbal and acoustic material and processes auditory information.
- The visuospatial sketchpad: It’s the storage system for visual material and handles spatial and visual information.
- The episodic buffer (added later in 2000) combines information across our different senses and interfaces with information from perception and long-term memory. This system is crucial for tasks such as problem-solving, language comprehension, and decision-making.
As you can see, a strong working memory is essential for problem-solving, learning, academic success, and managing everyday tasks.
However, working memory can sometimes be overloaded, especially when it faces excessive demands, such as holding and processing too much information, or when we’re tired or distracted.
The good news?
Plenty of strategies can help our memory systems, making it easier to stay organized, retain important details, and improve focus.
In this post, I’ll share practical and effective techniques for kids (and adults) to boost their memory skills (and maybe even improve their academic performance!)

Helpful Memory Strategies for Students
I’ve organized these working memory activities into broad categories to make exploring them easier.
The categories include organizing information, memory techniques, practice and repetition, focus and environment, health and lifestyle, tools and aids, and cognitive exercises. In the following section, we will also explore what we can do to help working memory overload in the classroom.
Organizing Information
- Chunking information: Break things into smaller, meaningful groups—it’s easier to remember bits than the whole.
For example, instead of remembering a phone number as 1234567890, you can chunk it into 123-456-7890 to make it easier to manage.
Or remember the grocery list by grouping items into relevant categories: fruits (apples, bananas), dairy (milk, cheese), etc. - Writing information down: Jot down ideas or details so you don’t have to rely on memory alone for important information, especially since our memory capacity can only hold so much at once.
- Using checklists: A simple list keeps you on track, helps store information, and ensures nothing gets missed.
- Highlighting or underlining key details: Mark the important stuff so it stands out.
- Breaking tasks into smaller steps: Big tasks are less scary when you break them into chunks.
- Organizing information spatially: Use charts, tables, or layouts to see the big picture.
- Using diagrams or mind maps: Draw connections between ideas to make them stick. This is a great strategy to see the whole picture at a glance and see how everything connects.
- Asking clarifying questions: Get things straight up front to avoid confusion later.
Memory Techniques
- Using mnemonics: Create little tricks or phrases to remember things more easily.
For example, the mnemonic “My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos” is very popular and is used to remember the order of the planets. - Creating acronyms or acrostics: Use the first letters of items to make a word or phrase you’ll remember.
For example, many of you will be very familiar with the math acronym math PEMDAS (Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction) - Visualization techniques: Picture what you’re trying to remember—it’s like creating a mental snapshot.
For example, to remember your shopping list, picture walking through the supermarket and placing each item—like apples, bread, and milk—into your cart. - Using association techniques: Link new information to familiar places or objects. A popular method is the memory palace—imagine a familiar place, like your home, and assign pieces of information to specific rooms or spots. For instance, to memorize a speech, visualize each key point in a different room and mentally “walk” through your house to recall them in order.
- Using rhythm or rhymes: Rhymes are not just your young children. Turn facts into catchy tunes or rhymes—it really works!
For example, to remember the number of days in each month, use the rhyme: “Thirty days hath September, April, June, and November.”
Practice and Repetition
- Repeating information aloud: Saying things out loud helps lock them in.
- Regularly reviewing information: Go over what you’ve learned often to keep it fresh.
- Practicing recall instead of rereading: Test yourself on the material or try to write it down from memory—it’s far more effective than simply reading it over again.
- Using flashcards: A classic tool for quick review and practice. Write a question or term on one side and the answer on the other to test yourself anytime, anywhere.
- Teaching the information to someone else: Explaining what you’ve learned to someone else helps you understand the material better and reinforces your memory.
Focus and Environment
- Limiting distractions: A quiet, clean space makes focusing so much easier.
- Focusing on one task at a time: Forget multitasking—concentrating fully on one task at a time helps you work more efficiently and remember better.
- Learning in multiple study environments: Studying in different settings can improve memory.
- Scheduling regular breaks to prevent overload: Taking breaks keeps your brain fresh and ready to absorb more.
Health and Lifestyle
- Engaging in regular physical activity: Exercise improves focus, memory, and overall mental sharpness.
- Eating a brain-healthy diet: Good food fuels your brain—think nuts, berries, and leafy greens.
- Prioritizing good sleep hygiene: Quality sleep gives your brain time to process, organize, and strengthen memories, making it easier to recall information later.
- Practicing mindfulness: Mindfulness practice can be a useful tool to help kids manage their emotions, and control their impulses and worries.
- Practicing relaxation techniques: Relaxation helps reduce stress, clears your mind, and makes it easier to process and remember information.
Examples of relaxation techniques:- Deep breathing exercises
- Guided meditation
- Progressive muscle relaxation
- Focusing on a calming image or repeating a calming mantra.
Tools and Aids
- Setting reminders or alarms: Use your phone or computer to keep track of tasks and appointments. It helps you free up mental space for more important things.
For example:- Set a daily alarm to remind you to take medication.
- Use a calendar app to schedule meetings or deadlines.
- Create recurring reminders for weekly tasks, like submitting assignments or reviewing class.
- Using apps designed for memory improvement: These apps often include activities like puzzles, matching games, or recall tasks that challenge your brain in a fun way.
- Using a timer: A timer helps you stay focused by setting a clear time limit for working on a task. It encourages you to work consistently within that timeframe and reminds you to pause or switch activities when the time is up.
Cognitive Skills Exercises
- Challenging your brain with fun activities: Look for activities or games that challenge your thinking and engage your brain. Examples include puzzles, matching cards, Sudoku, or apps with logic games. While they may not transform your brain, they can be enjoyable and help you practice focus and problem-solving.
- Practicing pattern recognition activities: Spotting patterns boosts your ability to connect and recall ideas. For example, solving number sequence puzzles (e.g., 2, 4, 6, 8, ?) or identifying repeated shapes in a design can strengthen your pattern recognition skills.
10 Working Memory Activities & Games for Kids
The main focus of this article is working memory strategies. But let’s add a few memory challenges with some fun and simple games:
- Memory card games / Matching card games: The classic memory game where children flip over cards to find matching pairs.
- Simon says: A fun game that requires the child to remember and follow instructions…only if “Simon says so”!
- Pattern blocks: Create and remember patterns with colored blocks.
A few fun memory exercises:
- Collaborative story (Story chains)- Each player adds a sentence, recalling the previous parts of the story in the correct order.
- Shopping list game: Take turns recalling and adding items to a fictional shopping list. (“I went to the grocery store and bought….)
- Picture Recall: Show students a detailed image for 30 seconds, then remove it and ask them to write down or draw as many details as they can remember.
- Word List Challenge: Provide a list of 10-15 words, give students one minute to study it, and then have them recall and write down as many words as possible. (This memory activity is included in your free download at the end of this post)
- Sequence Memory Game: Create a series of steps (e.g., “Brush teeth → Wash hands → Pack bag”) and ask students to recall the order after a brief study time.
- Missing Items Worksheet: Show a group of items (e.g., 10 objects), then remove one or more and ask students to identify what’s missing. (This activity is also included in your free download at the end of this post)
- Story Retell: Read a short story to students and provide a worksheet with questions about the characters, events, or details to test recall.
Recommended reading for more memory activities and games for kids:
- 57 Fun Memory Games & Activities for Kids (Memory Boosters!)
Working Memory in the Classroom
I’ve already shared many strategies to support students, but here I’d like to highlight some that are particularly effective in the classroom. I’ve also included a few additional ideas to support kids with memory problems:
- Break Instructions Into Steps: Give directions one at a time or in short chunks to avoid overwhelming students.
- Repeat Key Information: Go over important points multiple times.
- Check for Understanding: Ask your student to repeat the information.
- Encourage Note-Taking: Teach students to jot down essential details as they work.
- Provide Written Instructions: Hand out written task guidelines alongside verbal explanations.
- Teach Memory Strategies: Teach some of the memory strategies we have reviewed in this article.
- Limit Distractions: Keep the space quiet and tidy to help students stay focused.
- Allow Processing Time: Give students a moment to think through tasks before starting.
- Incorporate Brain Breaks: Short physical activities can help reset and refocus working memory.
- Memory aids: Provide support information that may be requiredwhile students work on tasks:
- Anchor Charts: Post visual reminders of key steps, processes, or formulas on the walls to serve as quick references.
- Flashcards on Rings: Provide small sets of flashcards with key terms or concepts that students can flip through as they work.
- Step-by-Step Checklists: Hand out task-specific checklists to guide students through multi-step processes.
- Word Banks: Offer a list of key terms or vocabulary for writing assignments or problem-solving.
- Formula Cards: Provide small cards with common formulas for quick reference during math or science tasks.
- Visual Schedules: Display task breakdowns or timeframes to help students manage their progress.
- Reference Bookmarks: Create bookmarks with important rules or reminders for specific subjects.
Other Executive Functioning Skills Resources
- 30 Effective Impulse Control Strategies
- Time Management Activities for Kids
- 30 Fun Attention Skills Activities for Kids
- Problem-Solving Activities for Kids
- 36 Critical Thinking Activities for Kids
- 30 Decision-Making Activities for Kids
- SMART Goals for Kids
- Goal Setting Activities for Kids
Download your Working Memory Worksheets for Kids
Your free working memory worksheets for kids include the following memory activities:
- An activity to recall the position of items in a grid.
- An activity to recall a list of words, with three options (words only, images only, and words with images), plus suggestions for brainstorming different recall techniques.
- An activity to recall a missing item from a set of drawings.
Each person thinks and learns in their own unique way. Encourage your kids or students to try out some of these strategies and see which ones work best for them. Start with just a few to keep things manageable, and gradually add more. Small steps can make a big difference!
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