30-second briefing
The Junior Memory Championship is a national learning competition for children in Years 5 and 6. Now in its 15th year, it provides schools with everything they need to teach and train their children’s memory and learning skills – then put them to the test.
It’s a great way to encourage learning-to-learn, and it offers a wide range of benefits to children’s academic and personal development, helping to turn them into ambitious, creative, confident learners.
1 | The JMC helps children to learn
The most important thing about the JMC is that it improves learning. Year after year it proves just how much children can gain from boosting their memories and strengthening their learning skills.
They discover how to engage with whatever they’re learning, highlight key information, organise it efficiently, and then commit it to memory in creative ways.
They discover age-old learning methods that are more relevant than ever in our fast-moving, information-filled world. And as they master the core strategies, they also strengthen their concentration, focus and resilience – so they’re developing the right habits to be lifelong learners.
2 | The JMC promotes metacognition
Metacognition – thinking about thinking – has been shown to have a powerful impact on academic success. The JMC encourages children to consider how the human brain works – and how to get more out of theirs!
The teaching resources explore memory and learning in general, but they also help each child to discover which methods work best for them. Their teachers can then discuss not just “what to learn” but also “how to learn,” in lessons every day.
3 | The JMC boosts confidence
Many teachers have told us about the confidence-boosting impact of the JMC. Children who’d previously been nervous under pressure or unsure about taking part in group activities have gained new assurance and self-belief.
Memory training has given them a different opinion about what they can achieve, and made them want to show off their skills. Have a look at the project’s website and you’ll see some of the incredible learning achievements recorded by JMC competitors over the years.
4 | The JMC improves organisation
So much of academic success comes down to organisation: knowing what to learn, gathering everything you need, having effective ways to learn and practise – and then being ready to put your knowledge to use when the time comes.
The JMC helps children to learn with focus and efficiency. It also shows them how memory skills can help them to be more organised in general, to manage their time, remember their stuff, and get where they need to be – all vital skills for the step up to secondary school.
5 | The JMC is exciting and fun!
For most children (and many teachers!) the memory techniques revealed by the JMC are new and fascinating.
In just a few minutes they find that they can memorise a list of words, numbers, facts, names… learn instructions… remember passwords, jokes, poems, scripts… and get more out of every learning experience.
It all happens when they switch on their imagination, make memory fun, and embrace the competitive challenge.
And the online tests add an extra buzz to their training, allowing them to get recognition in school – and maybe even make it to the Final!
Key points
- The Junior Memory Championship is a national learning competition, now registering primary schools for its 15th year.
- When you sign up, you’ll receive a full set of resources to teach your children how to use tried-and-tested memory and learning techniques – helping them to achieve their potential, both in and out of school.
- In-school training is quick, straightforward and fun. And when the children are ready, they get to test their new learning skills in a series of online challenges. This online competition will be run in the month of May.
- The top performers from around the UK are invited to take part in the JMC Final – held online at the end of June – to compete for prizes and the coveted title of Junior Memory Champion. Visit juniormemorychampionship.com for details of the prizes.
Full details about the JMC are available at juniormemorychampionship.com. The project is supported by The Learning Skills Foundation. Find out more about their values, aims and wider activities at learningskillsfoundation.com.
