{"id":21506,"date":"2025-01-10T01:47:12","date_gmt":"2025-01-10T01:47:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/?p=21506"},"modified":"2025-05-02T01:10:03","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T00:10:03","slug":"parent-child-reminiscing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/parent-child-reminiscing\/","title":{"rendered":"Parent-child reminiscing: Supporting children\u2019s memory skills"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_79_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"cursor:pointer\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #121c4e;color:#121c4e\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #121c4e;color:#121c4e\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/parent-child-reminiscing\/#Key_takeaways_on_parent-child_reminiscing_for_caregivers\" >Key takeaways on parent-child reminiscing for caregivers<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/parent-child-reminiscing\/#What_are_parent-child_reminiscing_and_elaborative_style\" >What are parent-child reminiscing and elaborative style?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/parent-child-reminiscing\/#Parents_elaborative_style_might_also_help_support_other_aspects_of_childrens_memory\" >Parents\u2019 elaborative style might also help support other aspects of children\u2019s memory<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/parent-child-reminiscing\/#Studying_parents_elaborative_style_and_childrens_deliberate_memory\" >Studying parents\u2019 elaborative style and children\u2019s deliberate memory<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/parent-child-reminiscing\/#How_can_parents_support_childrens_autobiographical_and_deliberate_memory_skills\" >How can parents support children\u2019s autobiographical and deliberate memory skills?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/parent-child-reminiscing\/#Recommendations_for_early_childhood_educators\" >Recommendations for early childhood educators<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Key_takeaways_on_parent-child_reminiscing_for_caregivers\"><\/span><strong>Key takeaways on parent-child reminiscing for caregivers <\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>When parents talk with their children about experiences they shared \u2013 from new encounters to routine events \u2013 they support children\u2019s autobiographical and deliberate <a href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/cognitive-development-language\/\">memory skills<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Autobiographical memory is a person\u2019s ability to recall and discuss their own experiences.<\/li>\n<li>Deliberate memory is a person\u2019s ability to use strategies to store information in their <a href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/adolescents-lower-income-brain-tests\/\">memory<\/a> and to later recall and report this information. This is an important skill to develop during the transition to formal school, when children are expected to quickly learn new information.<\/li>\n<li>Parents can support children\u2019s autobiographical memory skills by making time for parent-child reminiscing conversations as they engage with <a href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/how-parents-can-support-math-learning-at-home\/\">daily routines<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Parents can support children\u2019s deliberate memory skills during <a href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/benefits-of-conversations-with-toddlers\/\">conversations<\/a> about shared past events; they can do so by:\n<ul>\n<li>Asking open-ended and yes-no questions<\/li>\n<li>Reinforcing information provided by the child<\/li>\n<li>Relating the event to other experiences<\/li>\n<li>Referring to children\u2019s thinking or remembering (metamemory talk)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In this guide to parent-child reminiscing and memory, we will be exploring:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>What are parent-child reminiscing and elaborative style?<\/li>\n<li>Parents\u2019 elaborative style might also help support other aspects of children\u2019s memory<\/li>\n<li>Studying parents\u2019 elaborative style and children\u2019s deliberate memory<\/li>\n<li>How can parents support children\u2019s autobiographical and deliberate memory skills?<\/li>\n<li>Recommendations for early childhood educators<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_are_parent-child_reminiscing_and_elaborative_style\"><\/span><strong>What are parent-<\/strong><strong>child reminiscing and elaborative style?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Consider the following conversation, in which a mother and a child are discussing a shared experience:<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Mother: <em>Remember when we went to visit Grandma and Grandpa at the cabin?<br \/>\n<\/em>Child: <em>Yeah<br \/>\n<\/em>Mother: <em>Who came with us?<br \/>\n<\/em>Child: <em>Auntie Chrissy, Uncle Kurt, Joey, and Ellie.<br \/>\n<\/em>Mother: <em>I forgot about that! I forgot Ellie came, too \u2013 great memory! Ellie\u2019s a good dog, right? What did we do when we were at the cabin?<br \/>\n<\/em>Child: <em>Um\u2026.we\u2026.we fished!<br \/>\n<\/em>Mother: <em>That\u2019s right \u2013 Who caught a fish?<br \/>\n<\/em>Child: <em>Joey and Grandpa. They caught a trout.<br \/>\n<\/em>Mother: <em>Yes, and then what did we do with the trout?<br \/>\n<\/em>Child: (No response)<br \/>\nMother: <em>Did we do something special with it?<br \/>\n<\/em>Child: <em>Oh! People ate it!<\/em> (yuck noise)<br \/>\nMother: <em>Did the fish taste good? No? Yeah\u2026 maybe we won\u2019t fish anymore since people didn\u2019t really eat it (laughing). Maybe next time we go to the lake, we\u2019ll go swimming. <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>These conversations, referred to as <a href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/parent-child-reminiscing-emotional-development\/\"><em>parent-child reminiscing<\/em> conversations<\/a>, have been observed in multiple cultures across the globe. The topics of these conversations can range from mundane routines, like visiting the local park or grocery store, to <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/j.1467-9507.2005.00312.x\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">emotionally salient events<\/a>, like traveling somewhere new or experiencing something traumatic.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_21507\" style=\"width: 2570px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21507\" class=\"wp-image-21507 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/pexels-mikhail-nilov-6972784-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/pexels-mikhail-nilov-6972784-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/pexels-mikhail-nilov-6972784-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/pexels-mikhail-nilov-6972784-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/pexels-mikhail-nilov-6972784-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/pexels-mikhail-nilov-6972784-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/pexels-mikhail-nilov-6972784-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/pexels-mikhail-nilov-6972784-356x237.jpg 356w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/pexels-mikhail-nilov-6972784-700x467.jpg 700w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/pexels-mikhail-nilov-6972784-50x33.jpg 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-21507\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Parents can support children\u2019s autobiographical and deliberate memory skills when reminiscing about shared past events. Photo by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/healthy-couple-love-laptop-6972784\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mikhail Nilov<\/a> on Pexels.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>How parents reminisce with their children varies, especially in terms of their <em>elaborative style, <\/em>or the way they guide their children through these conversations. Parents\u2019 elaborative style may vary by the type of event being discussed or the broader cultural context.<\/p>\n<p>For example, in M\u0101ori culture, mothers use a highly elaborative style when discussing their <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/j.1467-8624.2007.01114.x\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">children\u2019s birth stories<\/a>, whereas Chinese mothers use this type of style when talking about their children\u2019s appropriate (or inappropriate) <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/j.1467-9507.2005.00312.x\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">behavior in social interactions<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Regardless of the topic under discussion, a highly elaborative style is characterized by frequently asking open-ended questions (e.g., \u201cWhat did we do when we were at the cabin?\u201d), confirming or correcting information provided by the child (e.g., \u201cThat\u2019s right\u201d), commenting on the child\u2019s thinking or remembering (e.g., \u201cI forgot about that \u2013 great memory!\u201d), and relating the event to other experiences (e.g., \u201cMaybe next time we go to the lake, we\u2019ll go swimming.\u201d). These elaboration techniques are important for supporting children\u2019s memory skills from an early age.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Parents_elaborative_style_might_also_help_support_other_aspects_of_childrens_memory\"><\/span><span data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\">Parents\u2019 elaborative style might also help support other aspects of children\u2019s memory<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Parents\u2019 elaborative style has been frequently associated with children\u2019s <em>autobiographical memory skills<\/em> \u2013 or the ability to recall and describe one\u2019s experiences to others. Experimental studies have confirmed that when parents are taught how to reminisce with their children using a highly elaborative style, their children provide <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/j.1467-8624.2007.01058.x\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">more accurate, detailed autobiographical memories<\/a> and deliver <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/10409289.2010.481552\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">higher-quality narratives<\/a> about their own and others\u2019 experiences.<\/p>\n<p>Because young children\u2019s exposure to a highly elaborative reminiscing style can positively affect <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1037\/bul0000211\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">other cognitive outcomes<\/a> \u2013 such as early <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/15248370903155825\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">emotion understanding<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/0142723713493347\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">theory of mind<\/a> \u2013 we were interested in exploring if parents\u2019 elaborative style was also associated with another specific component of children\u2019s memory: <em>deliberate<\/em> <em>memory skills <\/em>\u2013 or the ability to work to remember new information with the intention to recall it later.<\/p>\n<p>We hypothesized that the development of each type of memory might be supported in similar ways, such as through adult-child talk, because they share the same general <a href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/cognitive-development-theory-2\/\">cognitive processes<\/a> \u2013 identifying information (encoding), holding this information in one\u2019s mind (storage), working to recall this information (retrieval), and verbalizing this information to another individual (reporting).<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Studying_parents_elaborative_style_and_childrens_deliberate_memory\"><\/span><strong>Studying parents\u2019 elaborative style and children\u2019s deliberate memory<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/15248372.2023.2225620\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Our study<\/a> included 51 children entering kindergarten and their primary caregivers in the southeastern United States. We focused on the transition to elementary school because this developmental period can be characterized by <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/0963721419855661\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">great variability in children\u2019s memory skills<\/a>. Most primary caregivers were mothers (92%), 4% were fathers, 2% were grandparents, and 2% were other types of caretakers.<\/p>\n<p>We use the word <em>parents<\/em> in this post to refer to all primary caregivers in the study. In terms of the ethnic-racial composition of the children in our study, 65% were White, 19% multiracial, 8% Asian\/Pacific Islander, and 4% African American; 4% declined to report. In terms of the educational background of caregivers, 96% had completed a bachelor\u2019s degree or higher.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_21508\" style=\"width: 2570px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21508\" class=\"wp-image-21508 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/pexels-ketut-subiyanto-4473774-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/pexels-ketut-subiyanto-4473774-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/pexels-ketut-subiyanto-4473774-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/pexels-ketut-subiyanto-4473774-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/pexels-ketut-subiyanto-4473774-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/pexels-ketut-subiyanto-4473774-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/pexels-ketut-subiyanto-4473774-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/pexels-ketut-subiyanto-4473774-356x237.jpg 356w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/pexels-ketut-subiyanto-4473774-700x467.jpg 700w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/pexels-ketut-subiyanto-4473774-50x33.jpg 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-21508\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Young children\u2019s exposure to a highly elaborative reminiscing style during parent-child conversations can positively affect other cognitive outcomes. Photo by <span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/photo-of-woman-and-girl-talking-while-lying-on-bed-4473774\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ketut Subiyanto<\/a> <\/span>on Pexels.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<p>At the beginning of the kindergarten year, we instructed parents to think of two specific past events to discuss with their children that (1) were new, (2) were shared between parent and child, and (3) occurred over the past summer. Then we sent home audio recorders and instructions for primary caregivers and their children to reminisce about the selected events and record their <a href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/benefits-of-conversations-with-toddlers\/\">conversations<\/a>. The conversations lasted 5 to 30 minutes.<\/p>\n<p>Next, we transcribed and coded these conversations for specific <span data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\">components of parents\u2019 conversational style:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><em>Elaborations<\/em><\/strong>: The parent supplied or requested additional information about the event (e.g., \u201cRemember, Dad was there.\u201d or \u201cWho went with us?\u201d)<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Associations:<\/em><\/strong> The parent connected the event to the child\u2019s other experiences (e.g., \u201cRemember, we went last summer, too?\u201d) or related knowledge (e.g., \u201cFireflies are only around in the summer.\u201d)<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Confirmations<\/em><\/strong>: The parent reinforced information about the event provided by the child (e.g., \u201cOh yeah, it <em>was <\/em>raining so hard!\u201d)<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Metamemory talk:<\/em><\/strong> The parent commented about the child\u2019s thinking or remembering (e.g., \u201cWow, I can\u2019t believe you remembered that!\u201d)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Research suggests that these components support children\u2019s deeper understanding and recall of personally relevant (autobiographical) memories. We wanted to see if they also supported children\u2019s ability to work to <a href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/infant-nap-time\/\">remember <em>new<\/em> information<\/a> (deliberate memory).<\/p>\n<p>To understand how parents\u2019 elaborative reminiscing style related to their children\u2019s deliberate memory skills, we assessed children\u2019s use of sorting strategies to remember new information during a card-sort task.<\/p>\n<h3><strong><em>Measuring deliberate memory through a card<\/em><\/strong><strong><em>-sorting activity<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>At the start of kindergarten, we gave children 16 drawings on notecards from four unique categories (e.g., types of fruit, sports, seasons) and told them to \u201cwork to remember\u201d the object pictured on each card as best they could (Round 1). While children were \u201cworking to remember,\u201d we observed them to see if they used any sorting strategies \u2013 such as grouping the cards by category. Then, a research assistant taught the children how to do just this: group the cards by category to remember them better.<\/p>\n<p>After about 15 minutes, we gave children a new set of cards and once again observed their strategy use \u2013 but this time, our goal was to see how well they applied the strategy training by the research assistant (Round 2). We followed up with children at the end of the school year to see if they still applied the strategy they had been taught during the sorting task (Round 3).<\/p>\n<h3><strong><em>Strategy use sets the stage for later recall ability<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>We focused on children\u2019s strategy use more than their accuracy in recalling the objects because strategy use and recall performance are <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/0022-0965(84)90076-6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">not closely related to one another in early childhood<\/a>. Some children act very strategically when working to remember, but do not benefit from these strategies until their later elementary school years. Thus, children\u2019s ability to learn new strategies and understand when to use them appropriately sets the stage for their ability to master more complex strategies in the future.<\/p>\n<p>Children with highly elaborative parents \u2013 or parents who used the four conversational components listed above more frequently \u2013 did not initially demonstrate <em>more<\/em> sorting strategies for remembering new information (Round 1). But they were more successful than their peers in <em>learning<\/em> how to strategically sort the cards and applying this new strategy themselves (Round 2).<\/p>\n<p>By the end of the school year (Round 3), parents\u2019 elaborative style was <em>unrelated to children\u2019s memory performance on the card-sort activity<\/em>. This suggests that other factors (e.g., the <a href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/motivational-exercise-mathematics\/\">classroom<\/a> environment) may play a role in maintaining these techniques as children progress through the school year.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Making time for parent-child reminiscing conversations during children\u2019s daily routines can give them frequent practice retrieving information from their memory and reporting it in narrative form to others.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>These findings are important for understanding how parents can prepare their children to enter formal school, where they are expected to quickly learn strategies for solving problems and remembering new information. The adjustment to kindergarten can be challenging, so practical ways to support children\u2019s learning during parent-child conversations before or during this transition can be useful.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_can_parents_support_childrens_autobiographical_and_deliberate_memory_skills\"><\/span><strong>How can parents support children\u2019s autobiographical and deliberate memory skills?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Parents are children\u2019s first teachers. By frequently engaging in conversations about the past, parents can <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/0963721416655100\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">model how to structure narratives, foster identity, and demonstrate how memory works<\/a>. In the United States, children attending formal school are expected to independently answer questions about their experiences (e.g., \u201cWhat did you do over the summer?\u201d) in narrative form.<\/p>\n<p>Making time for reminiscing conversations during children\u2019s daily routines can give them frequent practice retrieving information from their memory and reporting it in narrative form to others.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_21510\" style=\"width: 1716px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21510\" class=\"wp-image-21510 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/pexels-mikhail-nilov-8317799-scaled-e1729278724737.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1706\" height=\"1164\" srcset=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/pexels-mikhail-nilov-8317799-scaled-e1729278724737.jpg 1706w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/pexels-mikhail-nilov-8317799-scaled-e1729278724737-300x205.jpg 300w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/pexels-mikhail-nilov-8317799-scaled-e1729278724737-1024x699.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/pexels-mikhail-nilov-8317799-scaled-e1729278724737-768x524.jpg 768w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/pexels-mikhail-nilov-8317799-scaled-e1729278724737-1536x1048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/pexels-mikhail-nilov-8317799-scaled-e1729278724737-356x243.jpg 356w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/pexels-mikhail-nilov-8317799-scaled-e1729278724737-700x478.jpg 700w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/pexels-mikhail-nilov-8317799-scaled-e1729278724737-50x34.jpg 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1706px) 100vw, 1706px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-21510\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Reminiscing with your child helps ensure they are frequently practicing retrieving information from their memory. Photo by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/an-elderly-woman-in-white-shirt-talking-to-her-granddaughter-while-lying-on-the-bed-8317799\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mikhail Nilov<\/a> on Pexels.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Additionally, the occurrence of metamemory talk \u2013 while infrequent \u2013 is important for children\u2019s growing understanding of their own cognition. In addition to asking children \u201cWho was there?\u201d \u201cWhat did we do?\u201d and \u201cThen what happened?\u201d \u2013 all of which are elaborations \u2013 parents can try sprinkling in references to the memory process, such as, \u201cWow, I forgot about that!\u201d \u201cYou have a great memory!\u201d or \u201cHow did you remember that?\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Recommendations_for_early_childhood_educators\"><\/span><strong>Recommendations for early childhood educators<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Early childhood educators may also enjoy engaging in adult-child reminiscing conversations. An emerging area of research focuses on reminiscing conversations <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/10409289.2019.1689772\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">in early childhood settings<\/a>; this is another context in which children may have opportunities to recall and report information about their own experiences to others.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Early childhood educators can support families from different cultural backgrounds by collaborating with members of these communities to support children in culturally relevant ways.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>With deliberate memory development in mind, we encourage early childhood professionals to make time for adult-child reminiscing conversations as part of existing curricula and use the same elaborative style that we recommend caregivers use.<\/p>\n<p>Not only can reminiscing conversations in this context be important for children\u2019s readiness for formal school, but early childhood educators can also help promote parent-child <a href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/the-benefits-of-reminiscing-with-your-child\/\">reminiscing<\/a> as an accessible way for parents to bolster <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC4682347\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">children\u2019s school readiness<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>This may be particularly relevant for families from certain cultural backgrounds \u2013 such as Indigenous communities in the United States and Central America \u2013 in which it is <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/bs.acdb.2015.10.008\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">uncommon for adults to &#8220;quiz&#8221; children <\/a>(i.e., ask children to provide an answer to a question the adult already knows).<\/p>\n<p>These adult-to-child questions become increasingly common during the transition to formal school, and early childhood educators can support families from different cultural backgrounds by collaborating with members of these communities to support children in culturally relevant ways.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key takeaways on parent-child reminiscing for caregivers When parents talk with their children about experiences they shared \u2013 from new encounters to routine events \u2013 they support children\u2019s autobiographical and deliberate memory skills. Autobiographical memory is a person\u2019s ability to recall and discuss their own experiences. Deliberate memory is a person\u2019s ability to use strategies [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":314,"featured_media":21509,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[435],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21506"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/314"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21506"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21506\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22003,"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21506\/revisions\/22003"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21509"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21506"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}