Memory Test
In short: a short exercise for short-term memory — you memorise 10 words and then try to list them. It works well as a game at home or in class.
The exercise
MEMORY TEST
There are dozens of ways to check so-called short-term memory. One of them is to memorise a set number of words – in this case 10. Write the words LEG, CHEESE, TENT, MOTORBIKE, BOUQUET, STAMP, CUP, KING, FOREST, MENU on a sheet of paper.
Read them aloud once, trying to remember them. A little later, glance at them again for a moment.
Then close your eyes and try to bring them back to mind. If you can name 8 or more words, your memory is in excellent shape. Four remembered words is the normal limit.
If only two words have stayed in your mind, your memory may be affected to a degree that calls for a visit to a doctor.
Important
This exercise is a game and a guide, not a medical test. How many words we remember depends on tiredness, attention, mood and age. If you have concerns about the memory of a child or an adult, only a specialist can make an assessment.
A version for children
- 4–6 years: 4–5 pictures or toys instead of words; the child looks at them, then you cover them and the child says what they saw.
- 7–10 years: 6–8 familiar words read aloud.
- Make it a game: “What’s hidden?” — you take one object away and the child guesses which one is missing.
How to train memory
- Group the words: food (cheese), things at home (glass), nature (forest).
- Make up a short story with the words — connected things are easier to remember.
- Repeat the next day — which words are still there?
If a child often forgets things said a moment ago, instructions of two or three steps, or finds it hard to learn rhymes compared with peers, share your observations with the teacher and with a speech therapist or psychologist. See also Brain gymnastics and the game What’s hidden?.