Drawing and Working Memory: Holding a Picture in Mind

Drawing exercises working memory because kids have to hold an image in their head while their hand moves. In grid drawing, they look at a square, remember what was in it, then find the matching square and draw it. That small hold-and-use moment is working memory at work.

Working memory is the brain's sticky note. It holds information for a short time so we can use it, like remembering a phone number long enough to dial it or keeping a math problem in mind while solving it. Kids use working memory constantly at school: following multi-step directions, doing mental math, writing a sentence while remembering how to spell each word.

The hold-and-draw moment

Every time a child looks at a picture and then looks at their own paper, they have to carry something across. "The line starts at the top left, curves down, and stops near the middle." If they can hold that, the line goes in the right place. If they forget, they look again. Either way, they are practising.

Why grid drawing is great practice

Grid drawing makes the hold-and-draw moment small and repeatable. Instead of remembering a whole face, the child only needs to remember what is in one square. That is a manageable load, and it repeats square after square. Over a whole picture, they practise dozens of times.

Draw by Grid: Goofy Faces is a fun place to start. The funny expressions keep kids motivated, and seeing a silly face appear square by square is a great reward.

Tips to support working memory while drawing

• Look, then draw. Encourage a good look before each line, rather than constant glancing.
• Say it out loud. "Curve down, then across." Talking helps hold the idea.
• Make the squares bigger. Larger grids reduce the load for younger kids.
• Point as you go. A finger on the current square helps keep track of place.

Working memory beyond drawing

You can stretch working memory with simple drawing games too:

• Memory drawing. Show a simple picture for ten seconds, hide it, and draw it from memory.
• Add one more. Draw a creature together, each person adding one part and remembering all the parts so far.
• Direction drawing. Give three instructions at once: "Draw a circle, put a hat on it, add two feet."

Be patient

Working memory develops slowly through childhood. If your child has to look back often, that is normal. Keep the tasks small, celebrate progress and let the drawings be fun. For more on memory, see does drawing help kids remember.

More in brain and learning, or browse all 217 posts on the blog.