Make Memorizing Fun
At some point, every student—whether attending school at home or down the street—will get a memorization assignment. In fact, it’s likely to happen often throughout their school years. Consider these tips to help your students get whatever is on their paper into their noggins.
1) Start early. When it comes to memorizing, it is much easier to do a little bit at a time than to cram at the very end.
2) Use the chunking method. There’s an old joke about the best way to eat an elephant being one bite at a time; the same could be said of memorization. If your student needs to put to memory a long passage or speech, break it down into shorter segments and practice them one at a time. Once she has mastered the first segment, move on to the second segment while still reviewing the first segment every day. Review is key. Our brains move info from short term memory into long term memory when we prove we still need it by practicing.
3) Work to his strengths. Figure out your student’s study strengths and work with them. Is he kinesthetic? Auditory? Visual? No idea? I explain how to teach to your child’s strengths in Chapter 6 of Homeschool Like an Expert. You can also download a free copy of the 10Q Test here to help identify your child’s learning strengths.
4) Get creative. There are oodles of great ways to study. (I spend all of Chapter 4 suggesting practical study games in my book Study Smart, Study Less.) Here are a few:
a. Cut and Play. Take a sentence or two of the passage (around 20 words) and print them in large letters on paper. Cut the sentences apart, word by word, and scramble them. Ask your student to reassemble the words (using the original copy as a guide for the first few days) and be sure to discuss the meaning behind the quote so logic can help her order the words. (Kinesthetic learners tend to do well with this tool.)
b. Sing a Song. Put your passage to music—the more recognizable the song, the better. Jingle Bells has always been a great tune for us to use for elementary length memory projects. Songs with multiple verses, like “She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain”, have been great for longer passages with the older kids. The cheesier the better. There is something about a really annoying song that makes it hard to forget. (Auditory learners and those with the flair for the dramatic do great memorizing via song.)
c. Flash Cards. Yup, even in the great age of tablets and cell phones, flash cards still hold their place as a top five learning tool (particularly for visual learners). Even better if you make your own cards and color code them.
d. Talk to Yourself. For kids who don’t yet read, teens who are tired of holding a book, adults trying to multitask, and parents too busy to read their non-reader student the same passage over and over 100 times, this tool rocks. Grab a recording device and record yourself reading the passage. (Don’t worry—almost everyone cringes a little when listening to themselves on a recording, and no one has to hear this but you). Then find pockets of dead time (getting dressed, commuting, housework, insomnia) to listen. You’ll likely be amazed how much sticks. And, just like “Sing a Song” the cheesier you make it, the more likely you will remember it.
With a little creativity, memorizing can be a really fun way to engage new content in a meaningful way. Want more great tips like these? Check out my books, and stay in the loop with insider advice by following me on social media and signing up for our weekly newsletter (both of which are FREE and at the bottom of this page).