Simple Visual Memory Games That Boost Reading Skills

Understanding Reading Challenges

Facing reading comprehension difficulties can feel overwhelming for children, parents, and teachers alike. There are many reasons why kids struggle to understand what they read, and one key factor lies in how they memorize what they see.

The Role of Visual Memory

Some children learn better through auditory skills, but most benefit from engaging their visual skills. That’s why picture books are so important to developing readers. It also explains why you might remember where you left off in a book or recall a bolded definition from a textbook.

Visual memory plays a bigger role in reading than many realize. Fluent readers can easily track text and skip irrelevant parts, but children with weak visual memory skills may struggle to retain what they see, making reading and comprehension especially difficult.

With low stakes practicing, your child can work on their visual memory skills at home and begin to see their ability to focus and retain information develop.

Imagine trying to understand a sentence without being able to memorize how words look or sound, then being expected to recall the meaning. For children with visual memory challenges, reading comprehension can feel overwhelming because they're exerting so much mental energy trying to decipher the words that they're not focusing on the meaning of the words at all.

If you’re noticing these difficulties in your child, it may be time to help them hone their visual memory and the good news is, the best way to do that is with games!

Games for Visual Memory

There are a couple of fun, easy ways to challenge your child’s visual memory without it even feeling like a task. 

• Memory Tray Game: Lay several familiar items (books, keys, cards, action figures, pencils, etc.) on a cookie sheet, give your child a few seconds to look over the sheet and then throw a towel over all of the items, having your child repeat what he or she observed. For an extra challenge, have your child close their eyes while you remove an item and then have them tell you which item was removed. Be sure to keep it fun (and not stressful) by using a developmentally appropriate amount of items.

• What's Missing Game: Play this easy game before bed. Have your child close their eyes while you remove one prominent item from the room. Then have them open up and tell you what went missing. Work your way down to small, less noticeable items for an extra challenge.

• Memory Card Game: Play the Memory card game to help them work on their skills of where matching cards are placed.

• I Spy: Play I Spy when you have a few moments of free time. “I spy something red that begins with the letter b.” Having your child use their auditory and visual skills is an important piece of the puzzle for comprehension.

With low stakes practicing, your child can work on their visual memory skills at home and begin to see their ability to focus and retain information develop. Overcoming challenges in childhood will strengthen their confidence, help them see their ability to face difficulty head on, and help them see you’ll provide extra support whenever they need it. They’ve got this. You do too.

Put It Into Practice

Ever played Spot It?

This fun, fast moving game is the perfect tool for building visual memory skills, and it comes in a variety of themes. You may want to move slowly as you first begin to play with your child, but as time goes on, they’ll begin to see how matches are identified more quickly. The best part, you’ll both have fun!

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