How Drawing Can Boost Your Child’s Memory
It has been found that kids perform better academically when they learn by drawing. This is because it improves memory and encourages children to process information visually, semantically, and kinesthetically. Psychologists call this the “drawing effect”.
The reason drawing works as an effective memory tool is because it pushes kids to put on their thinking caps and recreate what they’ve learned in a way that is understandable to them. It doesn’t even matter if they’re not artistically inclined.
An experiment had been conducted where participants had been asked to remember 30 different words. These participants were divided into 2 groups. Those belonging to one group were asked to write each of these 30 words and spend 40 seconds on each word. Those belonging to the other group were asked to draw images corresponding to each of those 30 words, and were given the same amount of time to do so. Once both groups had completed the task, they were told to engage themselves in some irrelevant activities.
It was observed that when both groups were later asked to recollect what they had learned, those who drew the words could remember the words twice as effectively as those who wrote them repetitively.
How can you incorporate drawing into your child’s learning routine?
- Just like in the study above, ask your child to revise new information by drawing it. This is specifically useful while trying to expand their vocabulary.
- Another way to add in a more visual component to their learning is by creating flashcards. Once they’ve finished doodling images that represent a few words, ask them to match these images with your flashcards. This can teach them about various perspectives that drawing creates.
- A fun game of Pictionary is again a great way to incorporate drawing into your child’s learning routine. Drawing games for kids also helps develop a healthy competitive spirit.
Osmo’s interactive drawing games for kids like Masterpiece and the Super Studio series allow your child to hone their drawing skills in the most creative way possible. These games not only make creative drawing for kids easy, but they also develop problem solving skills and enable your children to embark on exciting adventures with various virtual characters!
