Mnemonics training for the development of attention and memory

Mnemonics for beginners is a system of various methods that helps to remember information using various associations and is used in teaching children from preschool age. This technique uses previously acquired knowledge to create a chain of connections. Thanks to such logical series, you can easily remember information that is difficult to perceive.

There are many mnemonic techniques. For example, Cicero’s method is based on spatial imagination, while Aivazovsky’s method works by training visual memory. Number sequences, foreign words or complex terms are easier to remember with the help of consonant or familiar words and numbers.

In a time when there was no written language, ancient priests and storytellers had to memorize enormous amounts of information. With the advent of the first texts put on paper, the art of using mnemonics did not lose its relevance, because the raw materials for writing them were very expensive. Even in Ancient Greece, notes were made using mnemonics. The art of associative memorization was mastered by the monks of the Middle Ages. At all times, people who could quickly remember and store useful and interesting knowledge in their heads were valued.

Pros and cons of mnemonics

Mnemonics are actively used in teaching children. For example, one of the most famous phrases for studying the sequence in the color spectrum is “Every Hunter Wants to Know Where the Pheasant Sits.” It is she who helps to accurately tell how a rainbow “works.”

The role of methodology in the development of children:

• helps you remember information quickly and for a long time;
• improves memory and attentiveness;
• develops speech, expands vocabulary and horizons, teaches how to pronounce sounds and words correctly;
• forms logical and imaginative thinking;
• improves imagination, intellectual and creative abilities;
• develops character, teaches sociability, helps to overcome isolation and shyness.

When used correctly, mnemonics have very few disadvantages.

• At the initial stage of use, children have a small vocabulary, so it can be difficult for them to work using this method.
• There is no need to abuse the method and use it in cases where it is too easy to understand the properties and remember the signs - this hinders the child’s development.
• Sometimes it is not possible to use the technique. For all-round development, it is necessary to teach the child to learn information mechanically; this skill will also be useful in the future.

The human brain consists of two hemispheres. The left is responsible for logic and speech, and the right helps to perceive different colors and form images using the imagination. When using mnemonic techniques, both halves are activated simultaneously. As a result, thought processes bring maximum benefit in the form of acquired knowledge.

Areas of use of mnemonic tables

Mnemonic tables for the formation and development of coherent speech (developmental and educational) are images of textual information that is previously divided into groups of words in sequential order. There is one illustration for each group of words. Thanks to such a schematic sketch of information, the baby easily perceives it, remembering everything without much effort.

Using mnemonic tables for speech development, the following is carried out:

• Memorizing fairy tales or rhymes. Young children take part with great interest in educational games based on fairy tales they know. At home, you can invite your child to tell a story to his favorite toy, using a series of pictures. You can also draw a mnemonic table together, depicting the heroes of events with your own invented symbols, for example, a triangle is a person, a wavy line is a cloud in the sky. Thus, not only the formation of coherent speech occurs, but also the active development of imagination and fantasy with the manifestation of the hidden creative abilities of children.

• Learning general rules, such as how to brush your teeth correctly. The diagrams depict the sequence of all manipulations that are easily perceived and remembered.

• Compiling stories describing objects, events, pets, etc. Focusing on pictures that answer basic questions: who is it, what color is it, what sounds does it make, what does it like to eat, etc., children can create a consistent description.

• Working on a retelling. After reading the text, the most difficult words are highlighted, the meaning of which must be explained to the child. After the explanations, a conversation should be held on the entire content of the text with a demonstration of drawings from the mnemonic table. A joint retelling using pictures will allow the child to quickly remember information and tell the story he heard himself.

• Solving riddles. With the help of mnemonic tables, children learn to identify an exact object, focusing on its characteristics. At the first stage, it is necessary to explain to the child everything that is depicted in each picture, and only after that offer to independently guess the encrypted object.

Speech therapy classes on the development of coherent speech using a variety of mnemonic diagrams involve memorizing and deciphering the plot illustrations given in the table. The type and thematic content of mnemonic tables can be different; execution can be printed (Doman cards) or made by hand. Cards for speech development in the first lessons should be small with light storylines; it is recommended to place 3-4 of them in one row, in this position they are easier to perceive.

From what age is it used?

Teaching children using mnemonics can begin from a very early age. Getting to know exercises for children starts with simple techniques.

First, they use mnemonic squares, which can be introduced to children at the age of three. In the first lessons, children study simple images that represent one word, phrase or simple phrase. You can place pictures in a square and learn poems with movements.

Later, at 4-5 years old, children become familiar with mnemonic tracks - systematized pictures of four drawings. With the help of such images, the concept of sequences is formed. Thanks to group illustrations, you can easily tell a short story, remember the steps of washing your hands, the process of dressing or washing your face.

Children aged 6-7 years begin to study mnemonic tables that allow them to perform more complex actions:

• retell various works;
• memorize poems and complex words;
• guess and make riddles;
• find rhymes for words;
• invent fairy tales or stories;
• distribute objects into groups according to certain characteristics;
• study numbers;
• become familiar with the basic rules of life safety and behavior in various places, and methods of self-service.

Children learn to express their thoughts correctly and beautifully and use new words in speech. Attention and intelligence develop, the ability to highlight the main thing and compare improves.

Stages of working on a poem:

1. The teacher reads the poem expressively.

2. The teacher reports that the child will now learn this poem by heart. Then he reads the poem again using the mnemonic table.

3. The teacher asks questions about the content of the poem, helping the child understand the main idea.

4. The teacher finds out which words are incomprehensible to the child and explains their meaning in a form accessible to the child.

5. The teacher reads each line of the poem separately. The child repeats it using a mnemonic table.

6. The child recites a poem based on a mnemonic table.

Features of application

You can achieve results during mnemonics classes if you follow the basic rules for using the technique.

• Subsequence. You cannot start classes with difficult tasks. First they work with mnemonic squares, single images, then with mnemonic tracks and mnemonic tables.
• Rationing. Children are not shown more than two tables per day, and the number of images in each block should be no more than 9 pieces. Too much information is difficult for a child to absorb, so classes will be ineffective.
• Colorfulness. The pictures should interest the child in their appearance. They use bright colors, rich and expressive images. Tables in black and white will not be able to attract the attention of children and have the desired impact; they can only be used for children of older preschool age.
• Emotionality. Children should feel the positive energy of such activities.
• Diversity. Pictures or series of images for one lesson should be on different topics. Guys will quickly lose interest in the same type of training. It is also advisable to select tables that require different actions. For example, the first pictures help to remember the sequence of food intake, and the next group helps to tell about how insects move.
• No coercive measures: just a game. Classes can only be conducted when children are involved in the process with pleasure and interest. Everything should happen in a playful way. If the children's attention wanes, it is better to stop the lesson and continue at another time.

It is enough to adhere to these simple principles to achieve maximum learning results.

Mnemonic tables for children with OHP

The concept of coherent speech and its significance for the development of a child with general speech underdevelopment (GSD) has a direct relationship with the logic of thinking and the ability to comprehend images seen or sounds heard, expressing this in sequential speech in which logical chains are present. The general level of development of coherent speech inherent in preschoolers with ODD depends on the ability to think through information and construct statements on a variety of topics.

Dialogical speech is displayed in the communication of several people, often accompanied by simple monosyllabic statements, asking specific questions and composing options for answers to the interlocutor’s questions, followed by reproduction of the selected answer. In this process, a special role is played by formulating and asking questions, constructing answers and reasoned defense of one’s opinion. Coherent monologue speech in preschoolers is characterized by expansion and concentration of thoughts on the main thing, without delving into details. In the process of reproducing one’s thoughts and choosing linguistic means, internal motives play a decisive role, since it is they that stimulate monologue speech.

The features of the stages of development of coherent monologue and dialogic speech vary, but both types are closely interrelated. This nuance must be taken into account when conducting classes aimed at stimulating the development of coherent speech in children with ODD.

The introduction of mnemonics into speech development classes for preschool children should be carried out with the help of mnemonic squares, in which the simplest words are encrypted (boy, girl, sun). Only after children understand the concept of “encryption” can they move on to more difficult variants of schemes - mnemonic tracks with mnemonic tables, which can be based on a whole story.

Mnemonic track “Two funny geese”.

Using this technique during classes with children with special needs allows:

• increase attention and interest in games with logic cards;
• facilitate the perception and processing of information data that
• are stored in memory and can be played back if necessary.

What is mnemonics

The concept is associated with a system that helps to assimilate large amounts of information. These are exercises that help evoke associations and remember. Associations can be kinesthetic (tactile), visual (visible), auditory (auditory).

How to remember a date from history?
Imagine that this is the day and month of “your acquaintance” with a historical character. Or the day when “you visited” the site of a historical event.

Everyone can associate differently. The task of parents is to teach the child to find the association on his own based on examples and remember it. And then reproduce it in memory.

Books on mnemonics for children

1. “Learning from a fairy tale”, T.V. Bolshakova;
2. “Supermemory for everyone”, E.E. Vasilyeva, V. Yu. Vasiliev;
3. “Remember everything. Practical guide to memory development”, Arthur Dumchev;
4. “Brain development. How to Read Faster, Remember Better, and Achieve Bigger Goals by Roger Sipe;
5. “Einstein walks on the moon. The Science and Art of Memory,” Joua Foer;
6. A. R. Luria. “A little book about a big memory”;
7. How to Develop Super Memory by Dominic O'Brien.

The books describe in detail common techniques, proprietary methods, give tips on mastering and demonstrate the work with examples.

Tips for using mnemonics

• Start with the basics. Don't try to remember large amounts of data at once. Practice on single images, short lists of words, dates. Focus on the techniques that mnemonics offers for beginners: the method of stories or visualization. Increase the difficulty gradually, noticing progress at previous stages.
• For training, choose bright images; for children, always color ones. Such illustrations attract attention better, allow you to focus on details, and highlight more associative connections.
• Don't get overwhelmed. For children, 2 mnemonic tables per lesson are enough, no more than 9 squares per piece. A large amount of data causes boredom and in the form of a game.
• Make mnemonics classes varied. Change exercises, topics, memorize texts, illustrations and numbers.
• Remember that you need to exercise regularly. Perform 1-3 exercises daily, gradually limiting the time or increasing the load.