Helping children develop self-awareness from an early age is helpful for memory development.

Research has demonstrated that very young children can recall memories with specific details. However, there must be a developed sense of self and personal identity for declarative memories to become autobiographical, or rather, part of the child’s life story and real to them. Having a sense of self, the “I” separate from others, gives a place for memory to be organised and develop personal meaning.

Once the sense of self is established, children are more likely to remember information related to themselves. This is known as the “self-reference effect” on memory, and it emerges early on. It occurs because items linked with the self, such as “my teddy”, attract additional attention and memory support within the brain, ensuring that potential use to the self is not lost.

Routines can help children form memory. By repeating behaviours, children’s knowledge base increases and becomes more organised. Through repetitive routines, children can recall and more fully process information. Responses are remembered and become more automatic. A young child’s brain is still undergoing major development, especially the part of the brain that can plan ahead and make predictions about what will happen. A routine helps children practice making these simple predictions and understand concepts such as “before and after.” Routines also help children develop self-control and self-regulation because they know they must wait until a certain time to do a particular activity. A regular schedule also fosters responsibility and independence because children will perform more activities independently if they have done the same activities many times before in the same environment.