Visual Memory Fun: Visual Memory puzzles for pre-schoolers

by Sue Whiting, Deakin Brook (Illustrator)

This book of photocopiable puzzles, that may be used in the classroom and at home, is the result of a request from the World Memory Sports Council (WMSC), the governing body for the World Memory Championships (WMC), to create an international memory competition for pre-schoolers. I decided from the outset that it needed to be fun, stress-free and independent of not only for the young pre-reading age children but also for the parent/teacher guiding them. Visual memory training is nothing new. The Ancient Greeks valued it highly but until recently it seems to have been seen as less important. Nowadays it appears increasingly to be a key skill, necessary for academic success. I know from my own experience, when I set a new world record for the Random Images discipline in the 1995 WMC, that visual memory is trainable. Latest neuroscience research indicates it may be advisable to guide all children to develop their visual memories. Working memory is now considered a better predictor of academic success than IQ. There are four photocopiable groups of these puzzles to be completed over a four week period. For maximum benefit to the child, we strongly recommend that one group is completed every week, in a few short sessions. Due to their immature executive control part of the brain, young children are not able to switch from one task to another e.g. from drawing a circle around an object and then to stop doing the circles and switch to drawing lines from one object to another. This part of the brain, controlling task switching, does not mature until they are about five years old. The lay out in the book has therefore been designed with the young child in mind by arranging similar puzzles together. If a child wishes to do further puzzles once he has finished a particular set, it is recommended that he takes a short break. He will otherwise find it very difficult to switch to the second task. The competition may be found at //www.worldmemorychampionships.com/. Once registered, participating pre-schools and nurseries will supervise the 'competition' and have the option of awarding certificates to their children. I am very grateful to Michael Thomas Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience and Director of The Centre for Educational Neuroscience (CEN), London University for all his advice concerning the development of a child's immature executive function of the brain. Sue Whiting

132 pages, Paperback

Published April 4, 2016

About the author

A former primary school teacher with a special interest in literacy education and children’s literature, Sue Whiting has worked in the publishing industry for almost twenty years, both as an author and editor of books for children and young adults.

Sue has written numerous books in a variety of genres: fiction and nonfiction, picture books through to YA, and is published in Australia and internationally. Her middle grade novel Get a Grip, Cooper Jones and nonfiction picture book, Platypus were both named CBCA Notable Books, and her picture book, A Swim in the Sea, illustrated by Meredith Thomas, was the Speech Pathologists’ 2014 Book of the Year. Her latest books include, Missing a mystery/suspense novel for readers aged 10+ and the picture book Beware the Deep Dark Forest, illustrated by Annie White.

Sue was Publishing Manager and Senior Commissioning Editor at Walker Books Australia for ten years, before leaving in 2016 to concentrate on her writing and to work from home as a publishing consultant, freelance editor, writing coach and mentor.