Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Recommended Resources Improving Working Memory

Does anyone have any recommended resources for improving working memory? Not test prepping or anything but workbooks/activities/computer programs whatever that would help improve a child's working memory and attention. Thanks for any recommendations!

Isn't that what the classic memory game is for? hasbro memory game
Spades, chess, go fish, sudoku

I could be wrong, but I think working memory is the short term memory where you hold little details until you piece it together to make a decision. If that what you're working on then that's what family game night is for. How old are your kids? PBS kids has online games that are cartoon and fun but with built-in Skill boosters.
Eta:
If processing input is also part of working memory then encouraging retelling of stories could help. They Always want to tell you what you just saw on tv even though you just saw it. I should probably quit now because I don't what you're trying to work exactly. I think that's how they're enlarging their working memory, by talking outloud.

Chess in particular. We played that the new player could swap sides at any time.
The card game 'concentration.' Having a word of the day that everyone tries to work into general conversation flow.

Hangman

Even tic tac toe for young children...anything where you have to keep track of stuff.

Another approach is to work on how to develop systems that decrease the demand for WM. My recent blog post have been all about that. Basically when info gets so well learned that it goes into long term memory as one chunk you can handle lots more without going over thw WM limit. For example a n area code may be 3 digits but it only occupies 1 chunk once it becomes familar.

You can teach kids to develop their own routines and monitor and refine then. What a life lesson!

Smiles
Grinity

There are some video games for that, like this:
http://cseweb.ucsd.edu/~ckanan/FluidIntelligence.html

OMG! I'm so glad to hear you say this. ha! My husband and I are always wondering if other kids do this. It drives us crazy, but we try to just listen. Then we laugh about it later. We're thinking, "yeah, I know, just watched it with you!"

Working memory is the cognitive function responsible for keeping information online, manipulating it, and using it in your thinking. It is the way that you delegate the things you encounter to the parts of your brain that can take action. In this way, working memory is necessary for staying focused on a task, blocking out distractions, and keeping you updated and aware about what’s going on around. you.http://www.cogmed.com/about-working-memory

According to his WISC IV scores my son's working memory is low (it is often low in ADHD/ADD kids although my son has not been diagnosed . So, I am reading "The Mislabled Child" book and Eides talks a bit about how thiscan be improved greatly. It also explained certain annoying behaviors of my son's. Now, since he's been diagnosed with a the vision problem I believe and am told that such a problem affects attention and working memory and both will improve once the vision problem is treated (something like b/c his vision is deficient and b/c his brain has to work so hard on just seeing and seeing properly it affects the power going to the function of his working memory and attention.) However, it is soooo correlated with success in life and school I would love not to just wait for vision therapy to help but do excercises/games to specifically improve it.

I have to say I never played many of those games you mentoned LOL ... I have great worjing memory.

I found some computer games that are suppose to work it! Eides gives some ideas too. And I was just wondering if anyone hear could recommend any! Thanks!

Also that link I linked is an entire system suppose to help improve the WM in ADHD kids etc. But it is too expensive for us right now!!!

In a bit of a hurry here, but thought our experience might hold out some hope for folks! Our 2e ds scored relatively low in WM on his initial WISC in 2nd grade, and we'd hoped to somehow work on improving it... but got so caught up in accommodating/remediating dysgraphia and also attempting to get him appropriate intellectual challenge in school that we never did do anything specific to target WM. In spite of that, his WM scores did in fact improve quite a bit when he was re-tested with the WISC at the end of 5th grade. His neuropsych told us that WM is one area that can improve and many times does improve just with maturity.

polarbear

eta - fwiw, I still have working on it as a goal for ds if we ever find the time!

Whatever it's worth, we are talking about the same thing.  

La Texican - yes, I realize that. When you couched your response in "I could be wrong..." I looked up and gave the more scientific definition for you (and others). I should have mentioned, I guess, that I realize that you are right and that you basically said the same thing. Sorry.

Thanks for the suggestions all! I will incorporate them into our "game night" (when we actually have that - we try but between work, therapies, soccer, homework, stories, bath, etc. etc. we often don't get around to doing 'game night' on a consistent basis). The computer games that help are handy b/c I can give those to DS to play while I cook dinner for example or do dishes. Or workbook type acivities I could slip into homework, etc. Also verbal games that we play while drving in the car are handy. Like yesterday during our 20 minute drive to the pool I tried a verbal game Eides suggested (which is just listing numbers and seeing if the kids could give the list back to me in backwards order). They got into it being a "game."

Thanks, Grinity, I will check out your blog.

Polarbear - I hear you! I am glad to hear that it does also improve with maturity. Thanks for sharing that. Apparently, it was once thought to be fixed (according the Eides book). But research is showing that playing certain games, ect. have a big impact. It is good to know (and a relief) that maturity also plays a factor (it also makes sense). A lot of the complaints that I and teachers have about DS I realize now are directly related to his poor working memory. I just want to find a way to work on it over the summer and hope to see some improvement in the fall when he starts school.

Thanks again all!