Sensory Impairment Service (SIS): Activities for Home, Auditory Memory - NNC and WNC

What is Auditory Memory?

Auditory memory is one aspect of auditory perception. It involves being able to remember what is heard and recall it later. It is important and needs to be developed so the child can understand what they hear and follow directions and instructions.

Activities That Help Develop Auditory Memory

Bingo

Have pictures or words on their bingo board. Do not show them what you call - only say the word out loud. They have to use their auditory memory to know which square to cover. You can make this as easy or challenging as your child needs. You can describe the object or thing, and they have to listen to figure out what square you are referring to.

Recorded Sounds

Record different sounds around the house. If you have a pet, record their sound, or the dishwasher, blow dryer, etc. Play those recordings for your child and have them identify what the sound is. This allows them to think back to what they already know and remember to recognise the different sounds.

Treasure Hunt

Hide something your child enjoys, whether it’s a treat or a toy. Then, tell them clues as to where to find their treasure. The goal is to give multiple instructions at the same time, so it is harder to remember.

Sing a Song

Have your child learn a new song. Then ask them to sing it for you. You can also learn some new nursery rhymes or a poem. This activates their auditory memory as they try to remember the lyrics.

Sequence Memory

List items and have your child tell you them in the correct order. It could be numbers, words, etc. Start small and see how many they can get in a row. This also will help their sequential auditory memory.

Drawing

Pick something for your child to draw. Tell them each step to draw the picture successfully, sometimes adding 2-part instructions. Verbally tell them the instructions, so they work on their listening skills and remember the order of your instructions.

Examples:

• Draw a house on a hill
• Draw two windows on the house and add a red roof
• Draw two clouds in the sky

Chain Games

This is another fun auditory game to play with your child. Start by saying, “I went to the shop and bought…” and add one item. Your child then repeats that phrase, the item you bought, and adds another item to the list. Keep adding items until one of you forgets an item. This helps them strengthen their auditory memory as they try to remember a long list of items. Make sure only to list items they know.

Expanding Sentences

This is similar to chaining games, but you add information to each other’s ideas. You could make some interesting stories. When it’s your turn, you have to recap the sentences that have been generated so far and then add a new piece of information.

Take Messages

Ask your child to take messages to other people in the house. Say something like, “tell Johnny that I need him to pick up his green socks.” See if your child relays the message correctly and includes every detail.

Remember What You Heard

Before doing an activity or playing a game, tell your child a word or phrase that he already knows and ask him to remember it. Then play an activity. This can be any activity, such as playing with Play-Doh or playing a board game. After the activity, ask your child to tell you what the word or phrase was. This activity helps to develop long-term auditory memory.

Story Time

Reading is a simple activity but has great value. Read a story out loud. See if your child can remember parts of the story as you go along. At the end, see if they can remember what happened at the beginning of the story. Ask questions about specific details to develop thinking skills.

Shopping

Set up a pretend shop with a set of food pictures (or real food) and ask your child to buy items for you. For example: “Buy a carrot, an apple, and some beans.” Then increase the list to four items. Give your child three to six items to remember as you shop at a supermarket. Encourage your child to visualise the items as you are saying them. This helps later recall.