Helping children to remember important details

[Eleanor ace]

How are your children with remembering important/relevant info? For those who have had success in helping their children to learn details such as address, phone number etc, any tips?

I'm trying to help DS (7) learn important details in case of an emergency and others just because they "should" know them at this age.

Phone numbers- I'd like him to learn my phone number in case he gets lost. We've had no success.
How to call 999- he is pretty confident.
Parents names- he confidently knows mine & DH's first and last names.
Address- he knows our street & usually can tell you our house number. Can't remember our postcode unless we practice multiple times a day (which we did for nearly a year).

I'd like DS to know his full name (first, middle, middle, last) which he doesn't know; he knows the name he goes by and can usually remember his actual first name with prompting and he knows his last name. Sometimes he can tell you his middle names with prompting (e.g saying the first sound) but usually not. We have been practicing his name regularly (at least twice a week) since he was 3 and I'm not sure why he can't get it.

DD1 (5) has a good memory and knows all of the above except for my phone number. She knows her siblings, parents, grandparents etc full names and DS gets very frustrated that he can't seem to remember his.

 

[SarahBear]

I guess try to make it visual? Is there a special meaning behind his middle name? If so, what is it? Maybe people here can help think of ways to make it visual.

I wouldn't worry about post code... just street and town would probably suffice. As for phone number, that's tricky because it's straight memorization of random numbers. Do you have it posted in large font in a prominent location in the house? Could you color code it so that it isn't just a uniform mess of numbers? Maybe you could chunk the numbers into small easy to memorize chunks and then make each chunk a different color. Or you could make the first number red, then the next one orange, then yellow, green, blue, purple, et cetera.

 

[lau86]

I only know hubbies number as it’s been the same for so many years!! I don’t think my kids could remember a phone number. When that time comes I will probably just buy them a cheap phone.

 

[LilFooshFoosh]

I started saying our full address in a singsong way and that helped ds remember it. For the postal code I used the phonetic alphabet because he had an easier time remembering the words than just the letters.

 

[MissWaiting]

My mum made a game of it i have issues with short term memory so it takes me so long to remember things but it's part of my dislexcia, she would make a game out of it or if it was stuff I had to do like go upstairs to get something I had a little voice recorder key ring I would say what I was going to get and that helped also writing things down really helps me. This is all stuff my mum did that to be fair I still use some of it now as an adult because my memory is still rubbish

 

[SarahBear]

I only know hubbies number as it’s been the same for so many years!! I don’t think my kids could remember a phone number. When that time comes I will probably just buy them a cheap phone.

Of course they can! If you want them to, that is. Remember, the alphabet is a 26 character long string of nonsense and kids still learn it. Maybe come up with a song or something. I haven't thought about this for a while, but I need to teach my phone number to Violet...

 

[babyrough]

My son is 6 and he knows his name, his date of birth, our address, and my full name. He doesn't know my phone number, but to me I don't see that as an issue.. I don't know anyone's phone numbers off by heart.
I've also wrote all our details down and put it above his desk in his room in case there is ever an emergency at home.

 

[Eleanor ace]

It's really reassuring to know that other peoples children of a similar age don't know all of these details! DS is the only child in his class who doesn't know the above details, they learned them as part of their 'emergency services' theme one term in Year 1 and I've been trying to help DS learn them since. I felt like we were the only ones failing here. It doesn't help that the other parents I asked for tips just said that their children practiced and learned it .
Making it more visual is a great tip! And the dictophone idea is genius, that would definitely help DS.
Sarah, DS's middle names are his Gramps's name and another family name. He knows this but just doesn't seem to remember.

 

[MissWaiting]

Yea it really helped me as I say my memory was awful to the point mum would ask me to get something from upstairs and I wouldn't even get to the top of the stairs before I forgot. She also put my full name and the house phone number on all my stuff so inside my glasses case in my school bag and that helped me remember that beucase every time I went for my glasses I would see the phone number and my full name. I learned better and still do now when it becomes more physical and fun so if it's something that peaks my interest Im set mum did loads with me and my sister but I was by far the worse. My memory isn't as bad anymore thanks to the stuff mum did and also the support I got in school because of the dislexcia

 

[SarahBear]

Sarah, DS's middle names are his Gramps's name and another family name. He knows this but just doesn't seem to remember.

What I would do is write out his first name and then put a picture of his grandpa, and then his last name. Have him "read the name." once he can do this smoothly, cover the picture and ask him his name. If he needs a hint, briefly flash the picture. Periodically bring it up without the visuals around to encourage him to work on the recall without the visual. You could prompt him by asking him about the picture.