Learning Games to Improve Memories of Learning - Disabled Students

Source : Alison Williams , ehow.com
 

Students with learning disabilities sometimes have poor auditory and visual memory skills. This has an impact on their ability to learn. Auditory memory is vital to learning the two skills necessary for reading: decoding and comprehension. Students with poor memory skills also have problems following verbal instructions. Poor visual memory can impact both reading and math skills, giving students problems with the practical aspects of learning such as copying from the board. Developing your students' memories through enjoyable games and activities will help them improve these skills as well as other classroom issues such as remembering rules, routines and timetables and having the correct equipment for lessons.

 What's in the Tray?
 

Fill a tray with random objects. Have your students look at the objects for a short time. Tell them to close their eyes while you remove one item from the tray, and then have them look again. Ask them to tell you which item is missing. Play this game several times, giving each student a chance to answer. You can also move an object in the tray, and then ask them which one has been moved or cover the tray and have the students try to remember as many objects as they can. Tell the students to close their eyes, and then add a different object. Can the students tell you what has been added? 

The Suitcase Game

  

Begin the game by saying: "I am going on vacation and I am putting sunglasses in my suitcase." Have the first student repeat what you have said and add another object. Have the next student repeat what the last student said, and then add a third object. Keep going with the list of items getting longer and longer and more difficult to remember. Remember to keep this game light hearted. The students may feel pressure when it is their turn, so remember to emphasize that the game is fun and praise them when they remember items, even if the items are not necessarily in the right order.
 

Listen to the Beat
 

Give all of your students either a drum or something they can use as a drum, e.g., an upturned bowl, plastic container or anything else that they can play a beat on. Play a simple rhythm of a few beats on your own drum. Have the students listen very carefully so they can copy the rhythm you have played. You can make this as simple or as difficult as you feel your students can manage. Let your students take turns playing simple rhythms for you and the other students to copy. 

Silly Stories  

Select a well-known story that your students are familiar with. Read it to them several times before trying this activity. Read the story again, changing some of the words to make the sentences silly. For example, if you are reading "Little Red Riding Hood," you might change "the big, bad wolf" to "the big, bad mouse." Have your students listen carefully and tell you when you have used a wrong word, and also tell you what the correct word should be. To do this, they will need to remember the original story. 

Building Blocks
 

This activity should be done in several stages. First, create a shape out of building blocks. The complexity of the shape you build will depend on the ability of the students you are working with. Let your students look at the shape. They can even pick up and feel the shape if it helps. Take the shape away and have them build it themselves out of blocks. Next, show them some pictures of shapes or draw some shapes on the whiteboard. Again, give your students a chance to look at the shapes, and then take the pictures away and have them build the shapes out of blocks. Extend the activity by giving the students verbal instructions to build shapes out of blocks.