So what is working memory? I think of it like a piece of scratch paper. When you want to work out a math problem or remember that you need milk in the house, you will make a note on a piece of scratch paper. This is something that as we get older and our brain develops, we can do on the piece of scratch paper in our heads. Did you pick up your phone today and dial a number? Working memory. Did your husband ask where something was and you gave a set of directions ::in the fridge, top shelf, behind the milk::? Working memory. Distractions can impact working memory.. For a kid it   may look like being given the set of directions for the writing assignment they are working on in class but the kid next to them started to make funny faces. POOF memory of those steps – vanished. We can store between 5-7 bits of things in our working memory. But those with certain disabilities may have a hard time remembering even 3 of those items (like dyslexia friends). Because of this it will look like your kid is not paying attention. This is seen by kids who struggle to finish something to the end – very simply because they have forgotten what they need to do. 

 

So as a parent, now what? What can you do that builds your kid’s working memory? The latest craze with my oldest (age 6) is the good old game Battleship. Think back, Battleship is a game where you have to do strategic thinking. You need to think about the size of the boats, remember which ones you have sunk, and think about the placement of the next peg to sink the ship. For our younger kids it is a game of matching to make pairs. Where was that duck? I remember the caterpillar was on the top right corner. Both of these games work to exercise the working memory but a double win is that they also support planning and problem solving (another executive function!).