Long-term memory game: remember today, recall tomorrow

Long-term memory is how we keep what we learn for days and years — spelling words for Friday’s test, a friend’s birthday, or the way to grandma’s house.

In Seed & Harvest your child plants picture seeds in a garden and recalls where each one went. Then, one or more days later, they come back to harvest by recalling them again — practising remembering after a delay, with sleep in between.

What the research says

Learning science has strong evidence that recalling something after a pause helps it last longer than just looking at it again, especially when practice is spread out. Zigterman and colleagues (2015) found that spacing improved children’s delayed recall.

Sleep matters too: Wilhelm and colleagues (2013) found that children’s sleep is especially good at strengthening what they learned during the day. Seed & Harvest combines these ideas — but it is still just one small habit alongside good sleep and real learning.

Sources:

• Wilhelm et al. (2013), Nature Neuroscience: sleep and memory in children
• Zigterman et al. (2015), Memory: spacing improves children’s delayed recall

Try it at home, off-screen

• At dinner, recall 3 things you learned today.
• Before bed, tell a grown-up one thing to remember. Check it in the morning.
• Learn a short poem today and say it again tomorrow.