Memory Mnemonics – Linking Memory

Linking memory or chaining is a basic method of remembering a short list.

The Method:

The method basically involve the following steps:

1. Visualise each item from a list.

2. Make up some form of association between an item and the next item on the list.

3. Remember the list by recalling the first item then proceed with the next. An example of a simple list is :

 Pumpkin, bird, house,apple

To link the items together, imaging a big pumkin, visualise it. Create some form of association between the pumpkin and the bird. e.g. imagine the small bird gobble up a whole big pumpkin. Next, imagine some form of association between the bird and the house e.g. the bird living in the house. After this, imagine the association between the house and the apple. e.g. the house turn in to an apple.

Teaching your child the technique: 

The best time to learn is when we were children and teaching a child this technique in a fun way help them practice their memory and teach them a useful memory tool.

You can create a simple game out of 2 sets of unrelated pictures and form a silly story base on the visualised association.

The first set are the images arranged in order:

The second set is the same images cut up into individual pieces. 

Using the example above, you can say something like "A pumpkin is gobbled up by a bird who live in a house which is actually an apple" as you show the first set of pictures to the kid. It will be good if you can get the kid to point his finger to each of the item at the same time you tell the story.

After that, hide away the first set of images and give the kid the individual cut out images and get him to arrange in order. Show how you arrange the images as you tell the story, then get him to arrange them in order as you tell the story. The funnier the story, the easier it will be to remember. Start with a few then slowly increase the number of items.