Working Memory

Working Memory is the thinking skill that focuses on memory-in-action: the ability to remember and use relevant information while in the middle of an activity. For example, this is the type of thinking a child does when he's trying to recall the steps of a recipe while cooking his favorite meal. Children who have trouble with their Working Memory skills will often have difficulty remembering their teachers' instructions, recalling the rules to a game, or completing other tasks that involve actively calling up important information. 

Video games can help improve Working Memory by allowing kids to practice their memory skills while in the midst of a fun and immersive gaming experience. Many games require that the player learn and recall important information over and over again in order to advance to higher levels and succeed. 

Watch the video below to learn more about how video games can help your child improve her Working Memory thinking skill.




Featured Working Memory Games and Beyond Games
Pick a Working Memory game or other digital technology (Beyond Games) from the lists below.

Learn More About Working Memory

Working Memory involves the ability to recall and utilize information while performing an activity. This skill maintains information in one's mind so that an individual can use it for learning, reasoning, or producing a result. Working Memory may invoke visual or verbal processes; for example, it might involve shutting off a television while remembering to gather one's coat, keys, and bag before leaving the house for a trip.  In school, Working Memory is very important for taking notes, following multi-step directions, and doing mathematical calculations in one's head.  Working Memory involves storing information temporarily and using that information for problem-solving, motor activities, and self-control.

Working Memory plays an important role in reading comprehension and, for younger children, in the development of decoding skills that create reading fluency. It is a measure of an individual's capacity to hold information in his or her mind for the purpose of completing a task, and it helps individuals to remember the rules of a game or steps to a task. Individuals often use rehearsal strategies, such as repetition, in order to enhance their Working Memory skills.

Skillful application of Working Memory is seen when children:

• remember and can follow complicated directions.
• have the ability to use their previous learning experience in new situations.
• maintain their level of engagement in tasks even while shifting activities within these tasks.
• reorganize their thoughts or materials in a fashion that encourages further learning.
• are able to sustain their attention to tasks.

Unskilled use of Working Memory is seen when children:

• remember only the first or last things in a series of directions.
• have difficulty with tasks that entail more than one step.
• forget what they are doing in the middle of doing it.
• have trouble remembering things even for a few minutes, such as directions or phone numbers.
• describe themselves as being absent-minded and often need help from adults to remember directions.
• have difficulty retelling a story in their own words.
• are confused while attempting to complete multi-step math problems.

Home and school situations that require Working Memory:

• taking notes in class
• recalling plans made or an assignment's due date
• remembering the rules to a game or a sport while playing it
• following multi-step directions both in school and at home
• doing math computations in one's head
• recalling answers to reading comprehension questions
• remembering a list of chores, items, or tasks

Hints and strategies to improve Working Memory:

• simplify directions as much as possible. Your child will be more likely to recall short, simple, and direct instructions.  For example, saying, "When you have finished those two math worksheets, you may watch one episode of the The Simpsons" is much more direct and simple than saying, "When you finish your homework, you can watch some TV."
  
  
• use visual reminders, such as drawings, photographs, or colorful pictures, for sequential tasks. These visual reminders may serve to enhance working memory; for example, taking photographs of your child's pajamas, toothbrush, and washcloth and then posting these pictures in his bedroom may help him to remember the sequential bedtime series of changing into his pajamas, brushing his teeth, and washing his face.
  
  
• encourage your child to seek assistance from others. Emphasize to your child that it is acceptable to ask the teacher to repeat instructions or to ask a classmate to borrow his notes. Roleplay these scenarios at home so that your child will feel comfortable when such situations arise.
  
  
• practice verbal memory skills, such as rehearsal, chunking, or mnemonic devices. Help your child to rehearse by whispering directions or lists to himself.  Also, practice chunking devices that can help your child whittle down two-step instructions to one, such as grouping together brushing his teeth and washing his face. Mnemonic devices can be especially helpful, such as how "ROY G BIV" is often used to recall the order of the colors of the rainbow.

Further Reading About Working Memory:

• Cooper-Kahn, Joyce, Ph.D. and Laurie C. Dietzel Late, Lost, and Unprepared. A Parent's Guide to Helping Children with Executive Functioning (Chapter 14). Maryland: Woodbine House, 2008.
• Cox, Adam J., Ph.D. No Mind Left Behind (Chapter 7). London, England: Perigee Press, 2007.
• Dawson, Peg, Ed.D. and Richard Guare, Ph.D. Smart but Scattered. (Chapter 12). New York: The Guilford Press, 2009.
• Dawson, Peg, & Richard Guare. Executive Skills in Children and Adolescents. New York: Guilford Press, 2010.
• Dehn, Milton J. Working Memory and Academic Learning. Hoboken, NJ: Riverside Publishing Company, 2008.
• McCloskey, George, Perkins, Lisa A., & Bob Van Divner. Assessment and Intervention for Executive Function Difficulties. New York: Routledge, 2009.
• Meltzer, Lynn. Promoting Executive Function in the Classroom. (Chapter 5). New York: Guilford Press, 2010.
• Pohlman, Craig. How Can My Kid Succeed in School? San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2009.
• Richard, Gail J. and Jill K. Fahy. The Source for Development of Executive Functions. East Moline, IL: Lingua Systems, 2005.

What's Next?

Next, it's time to play Shape Switcher. Click the "Shape Switcher" link in the navigation bar or click here.

Remember, you don't need to play all three games in one session. In fact, in order to give the lessons a chance to sink in, it would be best to play them on separate days.