Auditory memory
Auditory memory is our ‘listening memory’ the ability to take in information that is presented orally (out loud), process it, retain it and then remember it. Auditory memory can also require working memory.
What you might see at home if your child has poor auditory memory
This is when a child has trouble remembering auditory (heard) information such as instructions, directions, lists, or their learning. It can be immediate (“I can’t remember it now”) and/or delayed (“I can’t remember it when I need it for later”).
What you can do at home to help
- Make sure your child is listening before giving any instructions (facing you, good eye contact and not distracted)
- Slow down the speed of your talking for your child, think ‘steady’.
- Allow extra time for your child to respond, especially to a question - think about counting to 5 in your head after you’ve spoken, to give them processing time
- Use short, simple instructions and breakdown longer instructions
- If possible, use pictures or gestures when giving instructions
- Give written or picture lists to support memory - such as if you’re going shopping. You could ask your child to make this for/with you.
- If your child has not understood then repeat the instruction in shorter bits - e.g. change “After you finish your dinner place it in the sink and wash your hands” to “finish your dinner (pause), place it in the sink (pause) go and wash your hands”.
- Give instructions in the order they should be done - it can also help to number them onto your fingers and ask your child to copy you.
Fun games that help auditory memory
Here are some great games that will help auditory memory and, hopefully, will be fun for all the family!
- Treasure Hunt - hide items around the home. Give your child instructions e.g. ‘walk to the kitchen, turn to the left, check under the bowl’. You can start with short, simple instructions and make the instructions harder as you go. This will help develop your child’s ability to follow instructions, which will definitely help in class
- Shopping Lists - children love playing shops! When playing, ask your child for a list of items. You could start with two e.g. ‘can I have a banana and an apple?’ Again, as your child progresses make the lists longer e.g. ‘can I have a banana, an apple, a tin of beans, chocolate and bread’. This helps children to listen to and recall instructions as they gather the items. This could progress to your child helping when you do go to a shop
- Sentence Strings - this game can be played anywhere. Start a sentence such as ‘I went to the zoo and I saw ..., my Grandma went to the market and bought...’ and then you and your child list items. This helps auditory memory and vocabulary development, so it is both a fun and useful game
- ‘Fetch me’ - give children simple jobs/ tasks beginning with one step and building up
- Ask your child to recount (remember) their weekend/holiday/evening/dinner/birthday etc. - this is a good one for bedtime, when they can talk about what they remember from their day. Encourage them to remember events in sequence if they can
- ‘Simon Says’ - beginning with 1 and building to 2 and more instructions when they are confident
- Ask a child to ‘instruct’/teach you a simple task/activity, encouraging the correct sequence
- Sound chains - clap/beat a simple rhythm and ask pupils to mirror this. Begin very simply with 1-2 sounds
- Listening walks - when you are out walking, ask your child to list to you what they can hear
- Story time - when you read a story to your child, after you have closed the book, ask them to tell you what they can remember
- Can you... - use a page from a colouring book, catalogue, comic or magazine and ask your child to follow your instructions; such as can you circle the TV, colour the dog red etc.
- Chinese whispers - tell your child a short message or sentence and then they must remember it and pass it on to someone else
Useful websites
- twinkl
- Superduperinc
- Mentalup
- DreamEnglishKids - (This is a good website for using songs to remember basic concepts such as days, months etc)
Useful apps
- The Auditory Memory Ride
- Auditory Memory Club
- Auditory Memory for Quick Stories
