Children have a great capacity to store and learn new knowledge. While they are young, you will be surprised at the amount of information they can pick up. Children can also memorize and process information relatively fast. You can help them along by formulating simple games that will exercise their minds and make it far more enjoyable for them.

The same theory works for improving a child's short term memory. If you conceptualize memory activities as a game, they will be eager to participate, not knowing that all the while they are acquiring new knowledge and honing their memory.

The Memory Game - Many of us have attempted such versions of this card game, 'Memory'. Put the cards face down and flip it over, two at a time. If they form a pair, they remain as they are facing up and the game continues. Should the cards be different, they will be covered once more and the next player gets to try his hand.

This game is a great example of training yourself to remember something ' in this case, in order to win the game. When it is repeated consistently, it is useful as it improves your short term memory. Children will happily play this game, never realizing they are improving their short term memory. You can decide to use the normal playing cards, or unique deck of cards from toy shops, or even make your own deck containing knowledge you want them to absorb. Before long, you will find that their short term memory has improved when you see that they can recall the position of the right cards.

Auditory Cues - Auditory short memory can also be improved in children using some basic exercises. By making it fun and enjoyable, the young enhance their capacity to remember things in the short term without much fuss.

You can read off a list of items such as colors or objects and make it into a game. Read the list to the young and then get them to recall and pen the list down, in the order that you read it. You can add to the number of items whenever you play this. Over time, the children will be able to repeat the list, in the exact order, without any trouble. Such games are effective in improving short term memory in the young and they are also interesting, and can be played anytime, at any place without much hassle.

To create an incentive when trying to increase a child's short term memory, implement a reward system for the games you are playing. A child will instinctively try harder to win a game when they know there is a reward involved.

Simple gifts, toys, stickers and stamps are relatively cheap and useful when motivating the young to participate in games that stimulate the capacity for short term memory. When children pit themselves against other children, such positive rivalry can help improve short term memory.