Memorization Tips

As middle school counselors, we notice that certain problems or issues tend to reoccur more frequently than others. Because of this, we have developed a series of tips that we offer both to students and parents that we hope will help you resolve some of these problems together. Middle School students typically want to do things on their own, but they also need guidance from the adults in their lives. Here are some suggested strategies for a few common middle school issues.

Memorization Does your child struggle to memorize information, spelling words, or lists?

Encourage your child to try one or several of the following strategies to memorize:

1. Take a few minutes to read over the information as often as possible—reading it out loud will help even more!
2. Try to make the information more meaningful by using one of these strategies:
   • Create a rap song using the information—practice singing it as often as possible.
   • Write a poem or rhyme which includes the information and recite it to anyone who will listen.
   • Create a funny story using the information and picture it in your head as you tell it out loud.
   • Sing the information to the tune of the A,B,C’s or another melody you know well. Connecting new information to a tune you know well helps you remember it.
   • Use the first letter of each word in a list to form another word or sentence. For example, HOMES helps us to remember the five great lakes.

Always feel free to ask your child’s teachers, principals or school counselors for additional suggestions!