Memory in preschool children: types and features of development

In preschool children, memory develops very actively, but sometimes problems with memorization are encountered. That is why it is important for parents and teachers to know what types of memory exist, how they are formed, what type of memory prevails in preschoolers, and how best to develop visual, auditory and voluntary memory.

Thanks to developed memory, children accumulate and store information, and subsequently use it in their lives, therefore memory can be safely called one of the key mental processes in childhood. At the same time, at different time intervals in the development of memory, they note their age differences, therefore, preschoolers remember everything somewhat differently than school-age children.

The memory of children in the first year of life is motor and is associated with reflexes. When a child begins to walk, recognize loved ones and memorize their words, motor, verbal and figurative types of memory are actively formed, which are leading at the age of 2–4 years. Over time, the baby learns different mechanisms of memorization, his mental functions are improved, resulting in the ability to learn.

It is largely based on the hobbies and interests of the child, so different children treat the same subjects differently. At the same time, kids also quickly capture what has been repeated many times, for example, the way to kindergarten, a fairy tale often told by a mother or a cartoon that has been repeatedly watched.

There are quite a few classifications of forms and types of memory.

If we consider from the point of view of objects and phenomena that are remembered, then memory is:

• motor;
• figurative;
• emotional;
• verbal.

The motor helps the child to develop physically, the emotional one arises when experiencing any emotions, the verbal one develops when connecting the studied words with the properties and signs of objects or phenomena, and the figurative one determines the formation of certain images.

If we take into account the sense organs used to form images, then memory is divided into:

• visual;
• olfactory;
• gustatory;
• tactile;
• auditory.

Considering whether memorization occurs by chance or a person deliberately tries to remember something, involuntary and voluntary memory is allocated.

There is also a separate classification by duration, according to which memory is:

• short-term, when information is captured very quickly, but for a short period of time;
• long-term, when the experience lasts for a long time.

Let's consider some types of preschooler's memory in more detail.

This type of memory is also called deliberate, because it involves the intention to learn or remember certain information. To fix the phenomena and objects in memory, the child specially learns something, making an effort of will. Voluntary memorization begins to appear by the age of 6-7 and is one of the most valuable achievements of the preschool period.

A more complex form can be called memory, since with it the object itself may be absent and does not affect the appearance of the image. The most active form is called recall. It is she who is of the greatest value for educational activities.

It is also worth knowing that voluntary memorization can be mechanical and logical.

• Mechanical relies on external connections and represents "memorization", and understanding of the material is often lacking. It is used to study poetry, terms, exercise.
• Logical requires an understanding of the meaning of the information being studied - first, the material is analyzed and divided into components close to understanding.

With this type of memory, the child has no intentional goal of remembering or remembering anything. This means that cases, phenomena or objects are deposited in memory as if by themselves. Such memory precedes the appearance of an arbitrary one and is very important for cognition of the surrounding world.

The kid will quickly remember something bright, colorful and unusual, new, attractive, funny, distinguished by unusual tastes and smells.

When forming such a memory, the information is perceived by the child by ear, as a result of which certain images are created. For training, they use poems, fairy tales, nursery rhymes, songs.Frequent conversations are also noted to have a positive effect, for example, if at the end of the day you ask a child about events in kindergarten, or the next day after watching a cartoon, offer to tell the story or discuss the main character. After reading a fairy tale with the child, for better memorization, it is worth asking a few questions about it, trying to draw conclusions from the story.

This is one of the types of figurative memory, in which the organ of vision is used to store information. For exercises and games, they resort to numerous visual aids, including bright pictures, squares with dots, colored cards.

This type of memory is also well developed with the help of board and computer games.

Memorization problems in childhood are caused by a variety of factors. For example, they can indicate underdevelopment or brain injury. In some children, memory is impaired due to a previous illness or intoxication.

The combination of such influences can cause hypomnesia (this is the name of a deterioration in memorization) or amnesia (if certain moments completely fall out of the baby's memory).

You can identify such problems with a psychologist or neurologist using tests. After the examination, the doctor prescribes a correction program aimed at improving the cognitive functions of the child's nervous system. Next, the baby is tested again to make sure the effectiveness of the development activities carried out.

For memory training, a variety of exercises and exciting tasks are used in a playful way.

It is also important to create the prerequisites for good brain functioning:

• organize a good meal for the child;
• provide the baby with oxygen through long walks on the street (according to the recommendations of doctors - at least 2-3 hours a day);
• take care of a quality night's sleep.

This is taken into account in organizing lessons to improve memory, inviting the child to remember:

• adjacent elements - phenomena or objects that have interaction in time or space (this is how they remember the order of any actions);
• similar images - things or phenomena that have something in common;
• contrasting images - something that is sharply different from each other.

It is advisable to develop the memory of preschoolers with the help of visual materials: a variety of cards, pictures, toys, natural objects, and so on. This will increase the volume of memorization and the strength of fixation.

The illustrations work well. With their help, kids perfectly reproduce stories and poems.

However, you should not limit yourself only to the effect on vision - it is worth using other senses in the classroom, for example, letting the child touch vegetables and fruits, guess them by taste or smell.

For successful training, several conditions must be met:

• the game should influence feelings and emotions, be interesting for the child;
• the material should be structured, with simple logical connections;
• it is important to motivate the child to learn new things;
• memorization results should be checked regularly.

Group exercises are also noted to be more effective: if the game is played in kindergarten, at home with family members or outdoors with friends. A competitive moment is added to such games, which is pleasant to most children and stimulates them to better assimilate information. You can take turns coming up with words for a certain letter, naming objects around, repeating movements behind the presenter, describing a neighbor, comparing two objects, and so on.

For information on what activities can be done with a preschooler to develop memory and attention, see the next video.