One of the easiest and funniest way to exercise, stimulate and build your memory functions is to play simple mind games.

Trivia

The great thing about this game is that you can select not only the number of people to play, where you play, but how long and what topics you want to work with. You can even play the game by yourself. Simply read the questions and answers and check in an hour to see how many of them you do recall.

Memory/Concentration

One classic version of this game is played by taking a deck of cards and placing them face down on the table. The first person turns up two cards. If they match you take them off the playing surface. That same player gets to go again. If the two cards do not match, return them face down to the game area, and the next person takes his turn. Play continues until all the cards are gone. The player with the most pairs wins.

The Picnic

There are countless variations of this game. You have to play with two or more people. The first person puts an imaginary object into the basket. He starts by saying “I am going on a picnic and I am taking a pie. The second person would then repeat the phrase I am going on a picnic then adds their own item and the first person’s item. Play goes back and forth with each person adding an item to the basket and repeating in order the other objects already stated. The game ends when one person is unable to remember an item or gets the order incorrect.

The List

When you first get up in the morning write down on a piece of paper ten things. Then throughout the day when you get a moment try to recall in order exactly what was on the list. You can try increasing the number of things on the list each day or play using a specific room or topic. The variations are endless. At the end of the day write down what you do remember and compare it to the morning list.

The game that you select is not important. What is important is that you choose a game that not only helps you to focus but forces you to use your memory skills. These games do not have to take a lot of time, only five or ten minutes a day. However, like any exercise the more you work at it the better you will get.

In this exercise you are going to try to remember ten different things you might need to buy at the grocery store. The list of things that you might need would look similar to this:

1 eggs
2 milk
3 bread
4 lettuce
5 shampoo
6 dog food
7 dish soap
8 toilet paper
9 mustard
10 butter

The Room Method

In this exercise you need to have a good imagination. You start by visualising a room that you are very familiar with. This room might be your kitchen, your office or bedroom it really does not matter. Now you are going to slowly look around the room and carefully place each item on the list somewhere in the room.

Lets say you were planning to use your kitchen. You might picture the eggs in the fridge. The milk might be sitting beside the eggs. the bread you can see on the counter. Place the dog food on the floor next to the door because you want to take it downstairs. Place each item into the room. The more you practice this method the better you will become at it. What you are trying to do is associate the new items with things that are permanent.

Long Term Memory Technique

The next technique is better suited to trying to remember things that basically have to be memorised, and kept for a much longer period of time. This method is especially good for people who are a taking a course or trying to learn a new skill.

Many students try to cram all the information given in a course into their heads the night before their final exam. But by using this technique you are going to work at learning and creating long term memories that will remain with you by only studying a few minutes each day.

First gather and organise the facts that you need to know after going to a couple of classes. Write them down in point form. Review the list. Reading the list over should not take more than 3 or 4 minutes, tops. Then in about five or ten minutes review them again. Repeat this step three more times on the first day. Do this twice on the second day and twice on the third day. By the fourth day when you read them you should have created a long-term memory of the information.

If you look at the total time you spent reading the list over the four days it should not be more than an hour. And you only have to do this for a couple of minutes each day. By gathering together even the information given in a course over a week you can greatly increase your memory and understanding of the subject, and keep it for the long term. Finally, no more cramming or last minute anxiety.