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Growie's Memory Corner (Series 5)

Did you know that drawing can actually help children improve their visual memory and recall more life experiences? Read on to find out how...

Research has indicated that children can learn to remember things more effectively through creative art, as it involves both imagination and recollection.

Through drawing, a child is able to improve his visual memory, which is the ability to remember what he has seen previously. Whether your child is artistic or not, he can still use drawing as a method to recall things efficiently.

For example, if you ask a young boy to draw a picture of a mermaid, he'll probably sketch an illustration of a lady with a fish tail and long hair, obviously an image that he remembers seeing from a cartoon or a book. In fact, this very act of drawing will assist his brain to naturally recall the details.

Drawing can also help a child to remember good and bad experiences, allowing him to express his emotions through art.

Prepare Your Child

For a child to benefit from this fun and creative memory tool, it's important that you provide encouragement and assist him with some basic drawing techniques.

Here are some ways you can cultivate an interest in drawing, and equip your child with a useful resource that can support him throughout his academic years:

	Supply your child with drawing materials, such as crayons, colour pencils, and colouring books to get him started with the basics of colouring;
	Begin by teaching your child to draw simple shapes, and show him how to sketch circles, squares and rectangles;
	As soon as he gets the hang of the basics of drawing, choose subjects that are consistent with relatively easy shapes and lines for him to practise;
	Each time your child sees or experiences something new, ask him to sketch it, as this gives him the opportunity to practise his memory skills; and
	Even if his drawing doesn't look like the original object, don't say so, as that can be demoralising. Instead, ask him why he chose that particular colour or shape to describe the object.

Look out for GROWIE'S MEMORY CORNER Series 6 in the next issue of Family Ties.

Missed out on GROWIE'S MEMORY CORNER series? Visit our children's section. More »

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