Remembering during play

Explore related activities, guides and research. Use an age collection when you want a starting point for your child.

Working memory involves holding information in mind while using it. In a game, a child might remember a short order, rebuild a covered model or combine two clues. Different versions can ask for different amounts of information and different kinds of action.

Choose a manageable memory demand

Begin with information the child understands. Keep a model visible if needed, use fewer objects, or repeat an instruction together. A visual reminder changes the memory demand but can preserve an enjoyable planning or construction task. Add one challenge at a time rather than combining a longer sequence with a shorter viewing time.

What to notice

Watch for strategies such as grouping pieces, saying an order aloud or checking a picture. Avoid turning one game score into a judgment about ability. Improvement on a familiar game does not by itself demonstrate broader learning gains.

Read the evidence guide to working-memory games, then try Build From a Look with a version that leaves room for successful attempts.

Background research

Read the study context and limitations. These sources are not tests of our products.

Offers practical examples of games involving memory, rule use, planning and flexible responses, with challenge adjusted to the child.
Build playful movement into time together with copying, signals and easy-to-adjust routes.
An intensive adaptive computer program improved working-memory measures and some later outcomes, including geometry and a reasoning measure; effects were not uniform across outcomes.
The reviewed evidence supported improvement on related memory measures more clearly than reliable far transfer against treated controls.
Understand what memory games ask children to do, what transfer means, and how to choose an enjoyable level of challenge.