Studying Tips To Make Sure Your Child Recalls Information

If you have a child who has recently entered middle or high school, then they may need to study more than ever. The studying itself can be a daunting task for many children, and so is the process of learning how to study. Learning how to study is an extremely difficult task, especially if your child does not recall most of the information they look over. Memory strengthening tools like apps and online games can help with memorization and recall. The following study strategies can help too:

Break Things Into Smaller Bits

You may not know this, but the brain is not capable of converting all short-term information to long-term memory. There is simply not enough brain capacity for this. The brain will essentially decide what is most important and then convert those ideas or new types of information to long-term memory. This process occurs while you sleep, and the conversion takes place overnight once you learn or experience something.

When it comes to short-term memory, the brain only stores about seven unique pieces of information at once. Your son or daughter's capacity may be smaller or larger. Short-term memory storage is essential for long-term storage, so it is wise to ensure that ideas and concepts stick. This is one reason why it is wise to focus on "chunks" of information, and five to seven "chunks" or concepts a day are ideal. 

You can probably see how cramming the night before an exam does not work. Not only is there no time for the ideas to convert to long-term memory, but many of the concepts studied will not be remembered. Work with your child to study over the course of a week or more and break information up into shorter study periods with fewer concepts.

Write Information Down

If the brain decides what is important, it may seem as though certain bits of information are chosen over others, but it does not work this way. If the information is repeated or gone over a number of times, then it is deemed more important by the brain, because you spent so much time on it. You can read over information many times or you can write it down in your own notebook. 

Writing information down allows for repetition, and it also can serve as a reference for the memory. Since some people are visual learners, they can picture the ideas in the notebook and have an easier time recalling it. This is a good way to remember a concept in relation to others as well because your child can picture where information is placed in the notebook.

Contact a company like Brain Paths for more information and assistance.