Five things on a tray

4–5 years · Cognitive · 10 minutes

What you need

How to do it

Put five objects on a tray and let your child study them for twenty seconds. Encourage them to name each one quietly — saying it helps hold it.

Cover the tray. Ask them to list everything they can remember, in any order.

Uncover and check together. Then swap roles and let them set the tray for you, which is harder than it looks.

Why it works

Recalling a set without cues loads working memory harder than recognising a missing item does. Naming each object while studying is a rehearsal strategy, and children who discover it here start applying it to other remembering tasks.