The Memory Palace technique, also known as the “Loci Method” (which means method of places in Latin), is a mnemonic procedure that takes advantage of the brain’s natural way of acting to train human memory . It is not a new technique, since its origin is attributed to nothing more and nothing less than Simonides of Ceos in the year 556 BC However, it is true that it has become popular today thanks to the advances of human science and some programs of television or series and movies, such as “The Silence of the Lambs.” Also, in the series “The Mentalist”, starring Simon Baker in the role of Patrick Jane, we can see this character constantly using this ability in the series to remember and recreate crime scenes through mental images.
But then, how could this method help us to work in the education of children? Well, let’s take a closer look at what this technique is about and some tips to put it into practice in the learning of the little ones.
What is the Palace of Memory technique?
The so-called Memory Palace technique is a memorization technique that consists of relating new information to be memorized with objects or codes already memorized or learned and that are recorded in memory. Association and visualization are two skills to put into practice.
The technique proposes that a person build a mental palace in his memory, with rooms and objects that he can easily remember , so a good idea is to use the house itself to build the palace. The way to relate one thing to another is free, a way that children really like is to tell a story with the objects that have to be learned and that need to be memorized, to speed up and make the task more fun.
For example, if the children are learning the capitals of certain countries, a good idea is to associate each capital with an object and place that object in a place in the house that allows them to be memorized. For example, Paris could be related to the Eiffel Tower and placed on the main table in the house, Rome could be related to pizza and placed in the kitchen… all in a certain order. Subsequently, with a physical tour of the house (you go “touring the palace”), it will be easy to visualize and remember all the relationships and all the names learned. If later the child is not at home and needs the information, it will be necessary for him to make a visual tour (also exercising his spatial memory) so that he remembers everything stored in his head and his memory.
Tips for exercising the Palace of Memory
- Build the Palace of Memory on a place you already know, like your home, so that visualizations and associations can be made easily .
- Highlight different objects from each room in the memory palace so as not to be confused.
- If children have difficulty creating images with which to associate information, help them create more visual information. This can be done by doing a lot of art work or visiting museums and galleries with which you can improve your ability to create mental images. In addition, any building can be used to create a Palace of Memory, keep that in mind.
- Any activity, in this sense, that can serve to develop and enhance the visual imagination , will work well. Provides coloring pictures, techniques to draw your favorite characters … etc.
- Have the little ones look at a picture and then “remake” it in their imagination. Learning to “see” in the mind is a skill that can be developed over time relatively easily.
- The places traveled can also be associated with smells. In this way, the smells can also help to relate familiar objects to new ones to memorize in the same mental image.
- Practice relaxation. Allow your child to tell you about the things he has memorized and worked on . Remember that imagination and memory skills are much more intense when we are relaxed.
In any case, we must bear in mind that the Palace of Memory is just one more resource for learning, and not the only or the best. It is simply a matter of applying this and other activities so that learning can be done in a dynamic and varied way , with new challenges and interesting methods . It is a technique, moreover, that is not only useful for the learning of the little ones, but for all people in general, since it can even serve us to retain in our head things as simple as the shopping list and help me to remember useful and truly practical things every day.
Exercising your memory doesn’t have to be boring, and it will always have short- and long-term benefits for our lives. For this reason, the mnemonic images that we create when we work with children at the Memory Palace must be fun and interesting so that they “stick” in your brain. Put it into practice!
I loved it because it is very interesting because it teaches children and adults to remember things like where my keys are, thanks I needed it for a task