A
frequent headache of today’s mother is all about making a child learn and
recall what they have learnt. Lot of research is going on to help the kids in
training their brain. Human brain has an astonishing power to process and
recall information. Well, human brain can be properly trained in many ways to
help kids in learning process.
Similar
to physical workout, the brain too needs workouts. A simple workout is that the
more we use our brain, the more we will be able to process and remember information.
Avoid the kids from having the same day-to-day routine as it results in memory
loss. It is important to make them look out for newer ideas or indulge them in innovative
activities. This can be anything like learning a new language, instrument, going
on for vacations, playing strategic games or solving new puzzles etc. Anything
that is new and amazing is a definite brain workout for kids.
Mnemonics
(associating ideas) is another training technique in which we convert complex
information into simpler versions so that kids can easily understand what they
learn. For example, the colors of the rainbow can be easily remembered by the
letters VIBGYOR meaning violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red.
For some kids, identifying color might be a difficult task. Relate red color
with an apple, blue with sky, yellow with a banana and so on. For grown-up
kids, complex information can be charted down in a hierarchical model or can be
visually drawn to make it simple.
Relating
the information learnt with the senses (seeing, smell, color, texture etc) will
also help the kids in gaining knowledge. For example if you are teaching a
child about an animal, show them the picture and if possible try to get them
colorful charts so that they can visualize the animal. When teaching them about
different fruits or vegetables allow them to see, touch or taste it. This will
enhance their retention capacity.
Try to rehearse the information the child has learnt
at regular intervals. This is a better method than cramming as it helps to
retain the information for a longer period. If the child has a poem to recite,
help them to learn it with actions and make them repeat it at regular intervals
for better output.
These brain training methods will definitely
motivate a child to get involved in what they learn. But most of all it is important
that we spend quality time with the kids in shaping their future.
