From the year of life, the ability to remember evolves unstoppably. There are some techniques, such as repetition, that help the baby exercise different types of memory.
Certain mental functions, such as memory, have an earlier and more alive appearance than we usually suppose. In reality, children have memories before their first birthday. To understand it, you have to distinguish the different types of memory there are.
Recognition memory
Babies recognize faces, and also objects and situations. That is why towards the eighth month of life the fear of strangers arises, whom they do not recognize. This is the so-called “recognition memory”, which consists of recognizing things that have already been seen before.
Memory of evocation
It is one more step and appears later. It consists of being able to remember things that are totally absent.
– At ten months a baby can already find a hidden object seconds before.
– After twelve months the child can find things that he has not seen for a long time, even days.
– And above all the appearance of language makes it possible that, by naming them, things that are not in sight can be evoked. The capacity for symbolization, which is characteristic of the human being and makes possible our intellectual and cultural development, is being consolidated.
How to stimulate it?
1. You can hide an attractive toy under a cushion or sofa and ask your child to start looking for it when the bell rings. While finding it, try to distract the child with games and conversations. You will check how the child interrupts the game or the talk to talk about the toy and point out where it is hidden. It is your strategy to remember and not forget.
2. Put three objects on the floor and cover each one with a cloth. Ask your child what is underneath each cloth before lifting it up. If you still speak little, name the object you are looking for and check if it is correct.
Imitation memory
– At nine months a baby can imitate adult actions just by seeing them.
– From the first birthday, children can imitate the actions they have seen even after several days have passed. These imitation activities have to do with memory and at the same time are the first symbolic games, that is, games in which activities are simulated.
Autobiographical memory
At around two years of age, children begin to use the word “I”, they locate themselves in the events they remember and create narratives with fragments of their own lives.
How to feast it?
1. It is a good time to talk to our son about the things that happen to him every day. This strengthens the notion that you are a unique person with unique experiences.
2. Family photos and videos are very useful in these talks and feed visual memory.
3. We also stimulate auditory memory if we put the child on the phone when talking to family members. Showing your photos at the same time will help you know who you’re talking to.
4. If the child receives gifts from these people, it will be good when you play with them to remind them of who gave them to them.