How to Help Children with ADHD Develop Memory Skills

An estimated six million American children have been diagnosed with ADHD, and it’s likely that there are many more children and adults who never received a professional diagnosis.

Many people think that ADHD just results in hyperactive children with poor focus, but this isn’t the case. ADHD presents in many different ways. It has a huge impact on a child’s executive functioning skills.

Working memory skills are some of the most important executive functioning skills for children and adults alike. We’re here to talk about how to help children with ADHD improve those important working memory skills so they can thrive.

Read on for a few tips that can help.

First: Look for Signs of Problems

It’s helpful to know the signs that your child or teenager is experiencing trouble with their working memory.

When a child struggles with working memory, it doesn’t mean that they weren’t paying attention to the information in question. The child may be very attentive and even interested in the topic, but for whatever reason, they’re unable to store it and bring it back to mind later.

Sometimes the information is actually there deep down, but because the child struggles with recall, they can’t remember. Their long-term memory could be great, but they can’t access the information when they need it.

If your child is struggling to complete basic tasks right after you assign them, forgetting to do their homework, or struggling to recall information from a book they just read, it may be due to poor working memory skills.

Many parents make the mistake of thinking that their children simply aren’t trying, but this isn’t the case. When you pay attention to the signs, you’ll have an easier time actually helping your child.

Hire an Academic Coach

If it’s possible to do so, consider hiring an academic coach for your child. An academic coach will help build your child’s working memory skills using tried and true methods.

Academic coaches will help your child succeed in school. They’ll teach your child valuable coping mechanisms that they can use in the classroom.

This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t also be working on your child’s working memory skills at home, but an academic coach is a huge asset.

Talk to Your Child’s Teacher

If you know your child is struggling, be their advocate by reaching out to their teacher(s). Even if your child doesn’t have an official ADHD diagnosis, if you notice these working memory problems, it’s helpful to tell the teacher about them ahead of time so they know what to look out for.

If your child does have a diagnosis, see if there’s any way to get accommodations for them. You’ll need an IEP.

Those accommodations won’t make school easy for your child, but they’ll make a difference while you’re still helping them with their working memory skills at home.

Use Visual Aids

Visual aids are fantastic for strengthening a child’s working memory.

Visual aids can be obvious, like written checklists (more on those later). If you want to challenge your child, however, visual aids can be fun and helpful without being too obvious.

So what makes a good visual aid?

Pictures, posters, and even symbols make great visual aids. Find visuals that represent concepts or facts that you’re trying to help your child remember. The child can associate the picture with the information and recall it with that simple visual cue.

Provide Written Instructions and Guides

Speaking of visual aids, we recommend writing down instructions and guides for your child for anything that they’re struggling with. This is going to be a lot of work at first, but with enough practice, your child will be relying on guides less and less over time.

Many children, with and without ADHD, use written guides every day. It’s common for children to use planners in school, and planners are just written guides.

Help your child write down all of the things they need to do in a planner, on a whiteboard, or anywhere else that they’re able to easily access. It’s best if your child does the writing on their own because writing may help your child remember things.

Even if you’re assigning the task (like a list of chores, for example), have your child write it.

Written instructions can be as in-depth as you want them to be. As your child’s working memory improves, they may be able to rely on small written cues rather than full instructions.

On the other hand, there’s nothing wrong with your child continuing to use written guides through adulthood. Many adults also use written planners and schedules to stay on task.

Break Tasks Into Smaller Steps

So you’ve given your child written lists and guides to help them work on their working memory, but unfortunately, they’re still getting confused. Now what?

Try breaking each thing on the list into smaller parts.

For example, let’s say that you’ve given them a big task, like cleaning their room. On the surface, this might seem simple. To your child, it may be difficult to keep track of all of the mini tasks that go into the larger task.

Instead of just “clean your room,” consider writing down sub-tasks like:

• Sweep the floor
• Make the bed
• Fold your laundry
• Put away your laundry
• Wipe the windows

All of these tasks are part of the larger “clean your room” task, but breaking them down will make them easier for your child to remember.

Over time, your child may start remembering these things on their own. For now, there’s nothing wrong with giving them some help.

On this note, even if you’re not writing down instructions, we recommend giving short verbal instructions. Long lists of tasks are difficult for a child to follow. Even if this means that you have to keep giving your child tasks throughout the day, it’s best to break them down into digestible pieces.

Play Memory-Related Games

Boosting your child’s working memory doesn’t have to be boring. Try playing games.

There are a few games that will obviously help with working memory, such as memory matching games. Have your child locate matching upside-down cards, or find a chosen object hiding underneath a cup or bowl.

These games are simplistic, but they’ll help your child build their own memory.

All board and card games can be good for working memory. At the beginning of the game, you have to learn the rules. Have your child pay close attention to you when you’re reading the rules aloud.

If possible, make the rules accessible to them if they forget.

When the game gets started, it’s normal for your child to forget some of the rules. That’s okay. As the game goes on, your child will start to get the hang of it and remember what they need to do.

Your child will be having fun while building working memory skills. This works for almost any board game you can find at the store, so try to find one that your child will find engaging.

Even video games can be helpful for working memory, however. If your child loves games, use that love to improve their skills.

Use Memory Helpers

When it comes to memorizing boring information, it can be a real challenge for children with (or without) ADHD. This is why so many teachers come up with fun songs, phrases, poems, and other mnemonic devices to help children memorize.

These devices make information easier to access and recall. The child doesn’t have to remember an entire paragraph’s worth of information. They just have to remember the cues n the mnemonic device.

Prioritize Routines

Routines are so beneficial for building executive functioning skills for ADHD. Routines keep children focused and on track.

Combine routines with visual aids and written guides for even better results.

Have your child write down their routine for the day every day, even if it’s not going to change. Eventually, your child won’t have to do this anymore. At first, writing the routine is giving your child something to refer to if they lose track of what they’re doing.

When your child maintains a routine, they’re doing the same thing over and over again. They will eventually remember the order in which they’re supposed to do things. It will feel natural to them.

You can have large daily routines or break routines down into parts. For example, if your child’s day-to-day routine is always different, you can still establish morning and night routines that are consistent.

Routines might seem like a “crutch,” but they’re incredibly beneficial for people with ADHD.

Make Sure Everything Has a Place

Does your child leave things in places they don’t belong? It’s not because they’re lazy. It may be because they simply forgot to put their things away.

Make sure that everyone in your home has a place. If necessary, you can put labels on all of those “places.” This can be helpful for things that belong in your child’s room.

For example, label all of your child’s clothes drawers so your child remembers to put their clean clothing away after the laundry is done.

This may seem silly, but those labels are acting as visual cues. They’re reminding your child that they have a task to complete. Eventually, they’ll associate the labels themselves with a need to put things away and complete the task on their own.

Limit Distractions

Does your child get distracted while they’re trying to study or do other tasks? This is normal for all children, regardless of whether or not they have ADHD. You can help by limiting distractions when possible.

Your child is working hard to commit things to memory, but that’s difficult when other things in the room are more interesting. Even children who are trying to focus can struggle.

Give your child a quiet and private place to study, read, and do homework. Remove all unnecessary devices.

Often, the biggest distraction is in the child’s head. It can be helpful to set time limits for reading and studying so your child knows that the light is at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. This will help them focus for the time being.

Try to minimize noise. If someone needs to make noise in the house, consider giving your child noise-canceling headphones or calming white noise.

Have Your Child Become the Teacher

One of the best ways to encourage your child’s working memory skills is to have them teach you something they learned. This forces them to recall information and say it out loud. They’ll have an easier time remembering it later.

At first, you may want to do this every day after they do their homework. Ask them to teach you one thing they learned that day.

Some days, your child may not have anything to share. Don’t chastise your child for this. Instead, use this as an opportunity to bring up something from a previous day.

This works for everything from schoolwork to learning new skills, like art or sports.

That’s How to Help Children With ADHD With Working Memory Skills

It’s not easy to figure out how to help children with ADHD with working memory skills, but it’s worth it. Through games, visual aids, and a lot of effort, your child can develop stronger and more effective memory skills that will help them both in and out of the classroom.

Your child’s memory struggles don’t have to hold them back!

Are you looking for extra help for your child? Why not invest in an academic coach? Academic coaches can help your child strengthen the skills they need to excel in school.

Contact us to learn more about our academic coaching options.