Question for veterans who did memory work with their kids

[EKT]

If you did memory work with your children and they are now graduated, did the memory work stick long-term? (If you called up your 20-year-old son today, could he recite something for you still?)

 

I've been doing light memory work with my kids so far and my oldest still retains most of what she memorized in first grade, but I'm not yet convinced the work will be retained for years and years to come. I'm considering really stepping up our memory work in the next year (memorizing things like the preamble to the Constitution--stuff like that), but a tiny part of me questions how much of it actually sticks long-term. I'd love to hear your experience with memory work over the long haul (good or bad). Thanks!

Edited May 24, 2016 by EKT

[J-rap]

I did just a little memory work with my kids.  But what I see is that the ones who are into that type of thing and just naturally remember things, remember everything to this day.  The ones who were never really into memory stuff (even if they kind of enjoyed the challenge at the time), don't remember a thing!

[Hobbes]

We did a lot of memory work as kids, mostly Bible passages, some poetry. I can recite a lot of it now, though often imperfectly. But it really has stuck with me and shaped my thinking and language patterns (memorized pieces come to my mind quite often).

Edited May 24, 2016 by indigoellen@gmail.com

[HomeAgain]

Yep.  And, I even remember the memory work I did as a kid: the Gettysburg Address, the Preamble, poems, speeches..

[lllll]

I had no idea, so I asked a couple of my kids.  Here's one of their replies (college dd in her 20's).

 

Hmm...Well, my memory is not the best in general.  But I have found that a form of the things we memorized remains.  For the stuff we repeated a lot, I could probably review it once or twice and then be able to recite it/correctly take a test on it.  For example, certain Latin declensions I cannot accurately recall right now, but if someone gave me a chart to look at for about two minutes and then asked me, I could probably recite the ones we learned best.  

 

For things we only memorized once and then never repeated thereafter, I can barely remember them, and would probably have to start all over from scratch.  Calculus formulae are an example of this for me...

 

For things we repeated a lot, and then reviewed off and on up to the present day (for me, that is Bible verses and Russian things mostly), I can probably accurately recite most of it.  

 

And overall, if we memorized things as well as understanding them, then I generally remember the ideas, though the exact wording escapes me frequently.  A lot of science concepts are like this for me.  I cannot name all the systems of the body or the principles of physics, but I still remember how they work and what they do (for the most part).

 

So, to sum it up, the best way to retain information (at least from my experience) is to 1) repeat it many times in the initial memorization process, 2) understand it thoroughly, and 3) periodically review/reinforce/use it.

[katilac]

My kids are 15 & 17. They can recite some things they learned long ago, but not necessarily specific things on command. Some random comment the other day got them both started on, "William the Conqueror in 1066, said to his men I mean to affix, England to Normandy..."

 

They remember quite a few Latin sayings and quotes. They get excited when they recognize a bit of Shakespeare when reading or watching a play. 

 

And definitely a lot of things return to mind quickly if they get a refresher. 

 

I would definitely use memory work again if I were starting over. Many of the facts and concepts remain even when the entire 'work' does not, and it got them in the habit of 'learning things by heart,' which has been helpful in many high school and college courses. They are accustomed to the memory work that is sometimes needed to master difficult subjects, whereas many other kids balk at the tedium of having to memorize important vocabulary, rules, and so on.

 

I know some people say their kids internalize these effortlessly, but I think that is more uncommon than not. Of course, memory work is never the whole story, but it's an important aspect. 

 

People who have a different educational philosophy overall may have no use for memory work, but I think the ancient Romans nailed it: Repetitio mater studiorum est. Repetition is the mother of all learning. 

 

 

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

I had to learn a lot of quotes while a cadet at the Air Force Academy (age 18).  I can remember them to this day.  I can remember Bible verses I had to memorize for Sunday school as a very small child.  I can remember poems I learned as a child.  

 

I'm 33 now.  

 

I am a person who remembers things relatively easily.  

[mumto2]

Dd in particular loves memorizing. When she was about seven we did poetry in great quantity. The last time I checked for fun she could still recite most of them especially if given the first line the first time.

[LindaOz]

If you did memory work with your children and they are now graduated, did the memory work stick long-term? (If you called up your 20-year-old son today, could he recite something for you still?)

 

Yes.

 

It is good to revise every now and then, but YES.

[EKT]

Well, as my dd watched her fiance die, she recited every Bible verse she knew, and that was a lot of them! She told me once that the only reason she could climb out of the canyon that day was Psalm 23. That was probably not the information for which you were looking.  

 I "liked" your comment, but one second after I did so, it felt wrong somehow, so I wanted to clarify that my "like" in this instance means, "Thanks so much for sharing that, it means a lot." 

 

I'm so sorry for your family's loss. ::hugs::

[lllll]

Here's an email from another of my kids about the memory work.  She's also in her 20's, in college, does excellent, and actually enjoys all the college stuff (unlike one of her sisters).

 

 

Generally speaking, the more interesting the subject, the more I remember about it. Thus, I remember almost nothing of historical dates, but remember the little bit of Russian I studied very well. 

 

In terms of advice for someone debating whether or not to overload their kids with rote memory work, it seems that in the long run teaching them how to analyze arguments, reason, and just generally think for themselves would be much more useful than forcing them to memorize historical dates and such. Obviously some memorizing would still be necessary, and if they love memorizing then she could certainly take advantage of that. Those are my opinions on the matter.

[GailV]

DD age 16 recently recited the entire "am is are was were" (long-play/helping-verb version) chant for SWB at our homeschool convention.  Other than impressing visiting celebrities, dd says she used the chant during dual enrollment English class.

 

What I've noticed with my kids is that they've developed a keen ability to memorize new things.  Older dd was able to "rescue" her church youth group when they needed someone to quickly take over a role in a performance, for example.

 

And younger dd ... well, she grew up thinking that memorizing things was a skill that everyone had and that she needed to develop.  She is now crazy good at memorizing -- she learned the role of Dorothy in the RSC version of Wizard of Oz in a breathtakingly short time, she can nail down a Shakespearean sonnet easily, and in general she no longer really thinks about "memorizing" scripts.  This has given her more time to ponder the actual acting portion of being in theater (she is also very good at the bodily memorization of blocking due to years of dance), which helps her performance, which is leading her to consider a career in acting.  The dark side of her ability to memorize is that when she was learning to play the piano she simply memorized everything rather than actually learning to read the music -- it took a LOT of work to correct that.

 

As for me, I can tell you about elements needed for plant nutrition via C HOPKNS CaFe, Mighty Good (with a side helping of By Mine CuZn Clyde Moe, or else Clara's Zany Cup).  Do you know how many decades it's been since I actually needed that information?  Yet there it is, stuck in my head. But I suppose mnemonics are a whole other (extremely fun) thread.

 

Edited to add:  Memorizing things is a skill.  Once you learn how to do it, you free up time and mental power for other things like synthesizing information, analyzing, forming arguments.

Edited May 25, 2016 by GailV

[J-rap]

Well, as my dd watched her fiance die, she recited every Bible verse she knew, and that was a lot of them! She told me once that the only reason she could climb out of the canyon that day was Psalm 23. That was probably not the information for which you were looking.  

 

I just feel so sad every time I read about what your dd had to go through!

 

I do know about being able to recite Bible verses and prayers by memory, however, and how that can be extremely helpful.  I used to think the push to memorize Bible verses and prayers was kind of a weird emphasis.  But when I went through our horrible family trauma six years ago, I could find no words of my own, I was so distraught.  Being able to just recite the Lord's Prayer and some Bible verses I knew kept me going.

[2_girls_mommy]

I am 40 something :) ... I can recall my memorywork from middle school: I can recite Edgar Allen Poe's poem, Annabel Lee after just a short refresher.  I can chant my linking verbs and a song my teacher used for us to say the English tenses of any verb she gave us. I can sing songs from elementary school that were used to help us remember things like the states in alphabetical order and one about Tom Sawyer, LOL.

 

So yes, I carry on memorywork with my kids.  We recite the presidents.  We recite speeches and poetry and scripture and lists like the books of the  Bible.  We chant latin lists like declension endings and conjugation endings and lists of adverbs.  We chant the same English chants to the tunes I learned in middle school with one awesome English teacher.

[katilac]

 I'm considering really stepping up our memory work in the next year (memorizing things like the preamble to the Constitution--stuff like that), but a tiny part of me questions how much of it actually sticks long-term.  

 

fwiw, I'm 50, and I can still sing the preamble to the Constitution, lol. 

 

 

(twangy music in background)

We the people,

In order to form a more perfect union,

Establish justice, insure domestic tranquility,

Provide for the common defense,

Promote the general welfare and

Secure the blessings of liberty

To ourselves and our posterity

Do ordain and establish this Constitution

for the United States of America.

 

Rock on, Schoolhouse Rock. 

[Laura Corin]

Calvin still remembers some of the poems and is grateful that I made him learn them.

[BlsdMama]

Well, as my dd watched her fiance die, she recited every Bible verse she knew, and that was a lot of them! She told me once that the only reason she could climb out of the canyon that day was Psalm 23. That was probably not the information for which you were looking.

It is valuable information and encouragement to me. Thank you.

[maize]

I still remember most stuff I memorized as a kid. A poem I learned when I was maybe 4, lots of songs learned over the years, other stuff. I'm convinced that stuff learned before adolescence in particular is never lost. The older I get the harder it seems to be to get stuff into long term memory.

 

If you watched TV as a kid, do you remember advertising jingles or opening songs for shows you watched? Most people do.

 

Memory work is the same, especially if put to music (which we do with most of ours).

[maize]

Oh, since you mentioned the preamble to the constitution: we memorized that in fourth grade public school. I can still recite it.