Auditory Memory

Memory comes in several different forms – visual memory (remembering what you see), kinaesthetic memory (remembering what you experience, e.g. smells, tastes), and auditory memory (remembering what you hear). In the early years, children often learn new things by being exposed to them in a number of different ways. For example, they may learn about an apple by seeing it, touching it, tasting it, and hearing it being named whilst doing these. As children get older, the way they are expected to learn becomes increasingly more through listening alone, with less and less visual information given as support.

Children with language difficulties often struggle with auditory memory. They often have trouble remembering longer instructions, and may only remember parts of what they hear. They may experience difficulty developing a good understanding of words and remembering new terms and information they hear as well as relating them to new information they are learning.

The good news is that auditory memory can be improved through practice. The following are some games you can play with your kids to help develop their auditory memory. Make sure you start off at an appropriate level and make it harder when they are ready. Have fun!

Shopping Game

Give your child a shopping basket/bag and get them to go ‘shopping’ for you around the home. Start off with naming just two items in the room you are in. Gradually move on to more items and extend the game to include things in other rooms in your home. You may want to try it out in the actual supermarket also! Only repeat the items for your child after they have had a good attempt at trying to remember them.

Simon Says

Give instructions such as “Simon says touch your nose and ears.” “Simon says wave your hands and nod your head.” Add extra actions, e.g. “Clap your hands then jump to the chair.” Refrain from doing the actions yourself so your children are using their auditory memory alone. Encourage them to do the actions in the correct order.