Hi all. I’ve made a search for LM program in the forum but most instruction is for child under 3 year old. So i am wondering how we can teach the older kid this programs so that they can memorize 40-50 items once glance? Is it too late for them? If it can, then how much total time we need for a normal child? And what should be the agenda daily/weekly? Thanks a lot for your advice by return.
You can do it yourself, or if you don’t want to try it yourself, you can invest in Tweedlewink’s Memory Train or the Memory Magic program by Accelerated Learning (a product partner here on the forum, they have an app too) . Memory Magic goes up to 100 cards and Tweedlewink goes up to 300. We did memory magic up to 70 or 100 or so, but haven’t done it in a while. We have been doing the memory train more recently (although not as consistently as I would like). We have since bought a 100 counting board for math and I think it would be perfect to put the 100 Memory Magic cards in, so maybe I’ll pull that out and see how far we get. I hated the cards spread out making a big mess everywhere. :wub: Shenli has some downloads on her blog I think that may help you, too. http://figur8.net/baby/2010/08/28/flashcards-linking-memory-part-1/ And now that I think about it, TW might recommend that kids not begin LM until after they turn 3 anyway? I can’t remember, maybe someone else can chime in.
Anyway, here is my daughter doing a Memory Magic Lesson-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VbaLfEXmyM&feature=g-upl
More kids on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xh0GH24Pzow&feature=related
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVhpRZd6cmU&feature=related
Hope that helps! Oh, and regarding the age, it’s not too late but you may need to deliberately focus on getting your child in a relaxed right brain state first with tranquil music, a guided visualization exercise. Other right brain training games may help your efforts as well overall. I have no idea on the time line though, but consistency is key for success at pretty much anything in this life and education is no exception. 
Memory linking for age 4-6 is really quite easy. Plus it’s fun for both of you! Start with about 10 cards and add 5-10 more each time you do it.
Work with the same story for a while, using the cards in the same order each time but adding to it. You will very quickly get to 40 cards so be prepared! Once you hit 100 then try changing the story.
Memory linking isn’t really aimed at teaching " instant" recognition of objects just perfect recal in order.
For intant recal you want to work on photographic memory techniques. One example, which my kids enjoy, is to get a bag full of 100 different small object ( marble, bead, plastic frog, magnifying glass, key, ring…) then grab a handful and drop them in front of your child. Give them three seconds to memorize the objects then cover them. Have your child recal as many as possible by closing their eyes and picturing them. Eventually you will be up-ending the entire bag at a time.
duyhoa83 - Yup. TMT is right. Right Brain Kids recommend starting linking memory later because they believe it encourages bridging of the left brain and ideally you want your child to remain in the right brain phase for as long as possible. Generally once language kicks in, the transition starts. That’s what I understand anyway.
Shichida and Heguru - two other right brain education schools - however, practice linking memory right away. The idea behind linking memory is to create a crazy story that is so wild and impossible that it becomes memorable. The story is used to help you remember a list of items. I have noticed linking memory practiced in different ways. Some use the same cards and the same story over and over and gradually extend the story. I prefer the Heguru method of using a random story with random cards.
Using picture cards of all kinds of things, you make up a story that connects all the cards. Then cover the cards and see if your child can remember all the pictures. The general recommendation is to start with 3 cards and gradually increase the number of cards if your child finds it too easy. You can do it a few ways
- lay out the cards and then turn them over or cover them then get your child to tell them to you following the story you created.
- lay out the cards and then turn them over or cover them then ask your child to find the card with picture “X”, for example.
You want to be able to stretch your child’s memory until he or she is able to remember 40-50 cards at a go. According to the testimonials in Shichida’s books, the teachers found that once a child could remember up to 40-50 cards at a go, something amazing happened and they developed the ability to remember everything at a glance without having to make up the stories to go along with it.
Oops, forgot to add, I moved my linking memory flash cards here:
http://www.figur8.net/linking-memory-flash-cards/
Sorry, I have not updated the page for a while because we got some physical cards from a friend and I just shuffle and play as if I’m reading tarot cards :-p
Thanks a lot for your feedback. Now i understand how to teach the children. Surely they can memorize the item list with our story. However, i am not sure if they can creat the crazy story to link the items by themselves. I prefer them to be independent in this regard. So how should i teach them?
Mine can now make up their own stories but we started out with stories already produced for them until they got the hang of it. Once they have heard enough of the types of linking stories you use, they will be able to create their own.
To teach them I just gave them 3 cards and asked them to have a go making up the craziest story they could. Then we increased the amount of cards. It was actually one of my children’s own idea to make up their own stories. So I ran with it! lol
As to the magic of instant recal after the kids can remember 40-50 consecutive items…well we are still waiting for that and we have all been able able to do more than 50 for quite some time. :blink: Perhaps we need to practice it more often? We do it sometimes but not daily.