Remembers significant events or experiences from weeks or months ago

Your child will have been able to remember things that are part of a routine and people they see regularly. You might have noticed that they have started to remember things that happened a bit longer ago and now they will remember things that are important to them from weeks or months ago. 

Memory 

Finding out about memory in babies and young children can be difficult, as they cannot always tell you what they remember. When your child was younger you might have started to notice them responding with excitement to people or places and this might have been one way that they showed you what they could remember. Memory that involves responding with an action rather than a conscious recollection is known as ‘implicit memory’ and researchers have different points of view about how this develops. Some suggest that babies demonstrate well developed implicit memory and others suggest that this develops over time. 

You might notice now that your child is able to talk to you about what they remember, this is known as ‘declarative’ or ‘explicit memory’ and involves conscious recollection. It is thought that the development of declarative memory continues into adolescence. [1] The development of memory is supported by other developments including, increase in knowledge, use of effective strategies to help them remember and recall information and more awareness of their memory system. [1] Your child is more likely to remember events or experiences that were significant to them, this might be a trip to a new park or a time when they fell and hurt themselves. Chatting to your child about the things you have done together can help them to recall and share the things they remember.  

Memory and brain development  

Researchers in cognitive neuroscience have studied the relationship between changes in the brain and the development of memory. Different areas of the brain develop at different times and the development of the frontal lobes continues into early adulthood. This area of the brain is involved in executive functions such as control of attention, self-regulation, planning and organisation. These aspects support us to organise, encode and retrieve information and to use memories alongside our experiences to solve problems, that is to use our working memory. Another area of the brain that is important in memory is the hippocampus, this is particularly important in short term memory. [2] Research in cognitive neuroscience suggests that the development of memory is linked to the development of different parts of the brain, and that different areas of the brain work together to organise, store and retrieve memories.   

Your child’s brain develops as a result of their experiences and interactions, and repetition is known to strengthen connections in your child’s brain. Researchers have found that having responsive relationships with adults and opportunities to make choices and complete activities with just the right amount of adult help supports brain development. [3] This means that playing with your child, giving them time to get involved and offering them help when needed but also letting them try to work things out themselves can support the development of their memory and other cognitive skills.  

What next? 

Your child’s explicit memory will continue to develop, and they will be able to talk about events from the past. They will remember events for longer and might begin to remember more, not only those events that are particularly significant to them. They will also develop the skills to describe their memories in greater detail.  

References 

[1]  Eysenck, M.W. (2015) Memory in childhood. In Baddeley, A., Eysenck, M.W. & Anderson, M.C. (Eds.) Memory, 381-410. London: Psychology Press.  

[2] Schneider, W. & Ornstein, P.A. (2019) Determinants of memory development in childhood and adolescence. International Journal of Psychology, 54 (3), 307-315.  

[3] Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University (2011). Building the Brain’s “Air Traffic Control” System: How Early Experiences Shape the Development of Executive Function: Working Paper No. 11. http://www.developing child.harvard.edu