When I try to think about my childhood beyond the age of three, I honestly don’t remember much. Is there anyone who can actually recall their memories from when they were one to three years old? I sometimes wonder if maybe kids can grasp everything happening around them, but they just don’t find it worth remembering specific details. Maybe they store it all as experiences rather than memories.
As adults, we often force ourselves to memorize things, but maybe that’s not always the best way. Sometimes, when I do casual reading - like reading something for fun or watching a movie - I notice that I remember more naturally than when I sit down and try hard to memorize facts. Before I even learned about memory techniques or hacks, I found that casual learning helped me more.
I believe children actually have amazing memories. But when I try to teach 13 to 15-year-olds, I notice that only about 1% of them can memorize things really well. I try to analyze myself and ask, “Was there something I did as a kid that helped me remember things better?” If I can figure that out, maybe I can teach others a more efficient way to learn. But honestly, when I talk about these ideas with people around me, they just look at me like I’m saying something weird or stupid.
From what I’ve noticed, there are a few circumstances that really affect memory and learning:
1. Environment – Kids learn the most from their parents first. I’ve seen parents who beat their small kids just because they don’t perform well in studies. But seriously, do they think that after getting beaten, the kid will suddenly turn into Einstein? Some parents always praise other kids instead of their own, comparing them all the time. Are children supposed to be gods who can do everything perfectly? Before judging, maybe parents should ask themselves, “Can I do that too?” If they can’t, how can they expect their kid to do it under pressure?
2. Loneliness – I don’t think loneliness is good for kids, but I’ve noticed that some children who don’t talk much or spend time alone often become very thoughtful. They make friends with books instead of people, and sometimes that helps them develop a stronger verbal memory and deeper thinking habits.
Some kids cry or feel sad, and instead of giving them time or attention, parents just hand them a phone to keep them quiet. Then those kids grow up watching Instagram, YouTube Shorts, Facebook, or even adult content from a very young age. Because of that, their imagination and creative thinking slowly fade away.
In my own childhood, my family didn’t even have a phone, so I never really used one until I was in 10th grade. Maybe that’s why my imagination and focus stayed stronger. The environment kids grow up in matters a lot - if they spend time with others who are always glued to screens, they start becoming like them too.
There are no bad kids or good kids; it’s the habits they form that can be good or bad.
When I got my first phone, I explored all sorts of things that could be considered bad habits: adult content, battle royale games like PUBG and Free Fire (all the kids around me played them, and if you wanted to be friends, you had to play too), and reading lots of comics. But over time, I realized something about myself: whatever I do, I try to master it. That has been both my strength and my weakness.
If I’m playing PUBG, I don’t stop until I become one of the best. If I try speed typing, I don’t stop until I’m excellent at it. So, if I channel this drive into bad habits, it can be destructive - but if I direct it toward positive activities, it becomes a powerful strength.
Exploring these “bad habits” actually taught me something important. I learned to recognize what was truly worth my time and energy, and what was just a distraction. I realized that if I hadn’t tried these things, I might have always wondered what I was missing in life. Experimenting, reflecting, and learning from mistakes taught me far more than simply avoiding them ever could.
Even beyond phones and games, I spent most of my free time on activities that truly challenged my mind: playing chess, doing mental calculations, and solving brain games like Sudoku from the newspaper, crosswords, or anything that made me think. Those simple habits trained my mind more than any app or gadget ever could.
As I think about it more, I feel like loneliness, if handled right, can turn into curiosity. When there’s no distraction, the mind starts asking questions, trying to explore new ideas on its own. That curiosity can lead to deep learning and creativity if guided positively.
3. Curiosity and Interest – I’ve realized that when kids are genuinely curious about something, they remember it for a long time. It’s not about how hard they study, but how much they want to know. When learning feels like a fun discovery rather than a boring task, memory just happens naturally. I remember when I was a kid, I didn’t memorize things for exams, but if something caught my interest - like how machines work or why the sky changes color, or knowing hundreds of pi digits - I could recall every detail even years later. So maybe curiosity is the real fuel for memory.
4. Pressure and Fear – This one destroys memory faster than anything else. When someone studies out of fear - fear of punishment, judgment, or comparison - they might remember things temporarily, but it never stays for long. I think fear shuts down the part of our brain that’s supposed to enjoy learning. I’ve seen students forget even simple things right after an exam just because they were studying under stress.
5. Consistency – One more thing I’ve noticed: the brain needs regular activity. Just like muscles, if we don’t use it, it gets lazy. Kids who read or play brain-stimulating games often seem sharper. It’s not about studying all the time, but about using the brain every day in small ways - observing, questioning, analyzing. That keeps the memory alive and active.
In the end, I think memory isn’t just about techniques or practice - it’s connected to emotions, environment, curiosity, and the way we experience things. Maybe when we grow up, we start memorizing things the wrong way, focusing on pressure instead of passion. If we can bring back that childlike curiosity and freedom to learn without fear, maybe we can all remember a lot better.
I’d love to hear from you, too - what memories from your childhood shaped the way you learn today? Or maybe you’ve noticed something similar in kids around you. Share your experiences and thoughts in the comments - let’s start a conversation about how we can learn, grow, and remember better, together.
As adults, we often force ourselves to memorize things, but maybe that’s not always the best way.
You are going around in circles in my opinion. Forcing yourself to learn something is not a learning method any more than forcing yourself to do pushups is a training method. If you advocate for casual learning vs forced learning wouldn’t it be better if you defined those learning methods first and showed how they compare if used to memorise the same learning material? The examples you gave look more like a comparison of different learning materials than that of different learning methods.
I believe children actually have amazing memories.
Compared to adults? How have you come to that conclusion?
But when I try to teach 13 to 15-year-olds, I notice that only about 1% of them can memorize things really well.
That sounds to me that 99% of those children don’t have amazing memories in your own estimation.
But honestly, when I talk about these ideas with people around me, they just look at me like I’m saying something weird or stupid.
I can imagine that those people are confused about what it is you are trying to say; You have not provided even a single example of something you did to remember better as a child.
1. Environment …
I hope you can appreciate my reflection on this paragraph. You are complaining about the behaviour of some parents instead of saying anything about how the environment affects memory and learning. It is not even clear to me if these maltreated children perform better or worse in school in your experience.
3. Curiosity and Interest … I remember when I was a kid, I didn’t memorize things for exams, but if something caught my interest - like how machines work or why the sky changes color, or knowing hundreds of pi digits - I could recall every detail even years later.
I am at a loss trying to figure out what you are comparing here and what conclusions you are arriving at. What does not studying for an exam have to do with being able to remember hundreds numbers of pi? Did you never study for an exam because you were lucky to find everything interesting (as in without the exams you would also study) or you didn’t study at all due to lack of interest but you somehow managed to pass the exams?
When someone studies out of fear - fear of punishment, judgment, or comparison - they might remember things temporarily, but it never stays for long
I don’t understand how you can make such a bold claim about the influence of pressure and fear on memory persistence. It seems to me that any kind of ceteris paribus comparison is almost impossible to make. If you don’t like mathematics but you have to pass a mathematics exam in highschool, you are more likely to study out of fear (angry parents if you fail the exam perhaps) than someone that loves mathematics. How can you possibly know how well the student that dislikes mathematics would have done without pressure or fear?
Kids who read or play brain-stimulating games often seem sharper.
Do you claim to know what students that you teach are reading and/or playing brain-stimulating games and you have discovered that in some measurable way they are more intelligent or that they can memorise better?
what memories from your childhood shaped the way you learn today?
I hope you forgive me if I articulate that I don’t understand the question. I thought the title of your post referred to what you can or can’t remember of your childhood. Are you now referring to memories about using certain learning methods in (high)school?
What I meant is that kids might take in a lot of experiences, but they don’t always form those experiences into clear, conscious memories like adults do. It’s like they absorb everything around them, but it’s not always something they can easily recall or explain later. So, I was thinking more about how it’s stored differently in their brains.
Fair point! I get what you’re saying. I should’ve been clearer about casual vs. forced learning, and how they relate to memorization. Let me break it down with some examples.
Casual Learning:
This is learning for fun or out of curiosity - when you’re exploring things you enjoy or are interested in. It’s relaxed, and because it’s driven by genuine interest, the information tends to stick better without the pressure.
Example: As a kid, I had explored world maps and memorized all 650+ districts (country > states > divisions > districts) in India, also all the countries of the world, learn the atomic numbers, and properties of elements in the periodic table without any techniques. I also memorized the flags of all countries just for fun, also the math table till 30, pi digits until 1000, and I could recall them years later without even doing spaced repetition daily. I didn’t go to the best schools, and I didn’t have a phone. I wasn’t forced to learn these things; I just thought they were cool, and they stuck with me because I was genuinely interested. As a kid, I was able to memorize anything that I was told, see, and read. If there is a strong physical person that have to train someone, if he used to be strong in childhood, didn’t he follow some specific routine, and try to analyze his childhood and just tell his kids, if you do it, you get better physically. I was able to memo, so I thought if I had done some specific exercises, I might put that into teaching. Let me know if you are curious at this point, I would write a detailed, long post, about what I memorized as a kid in each standard, not because I have to, I just used to think knowing many things around me is cool. So I was curious about learning always.
Forced Learning:
This is when you’re learning because you have to - like studying for exams under pressure. It’s about meeting obligations, not curiosity. It can work in the short term, but it usually doesn’t stay long in memory because it’s based on repetition, not understanding.
Example: When I had to memorize math formulas, I could remember them for the exam, but I’d forget most of them afterward. I wasn’t interested; I was just trying to survive the test.
Here’s another situation: imagine you don’t know English (or the language your exams are in), but you have to take tests written in it. You might understand the subject perfectly in your own language, but since you can’t express it in English, the only option is to memorize everything word-for-word. That’s exactly what I had to do.
I didn’t know proper grammar or translation until 11th grade, so to pass exams, I had to memorize full answers, line by line, punctuation included. Even after I learned advanced memory techniques later on, I couldn’t match that same level of memorization I had back then-it was pure necessity that pushed me.
My teachers always told me not to “rote learn,” but I’d explain that I did understand the topic first - I just had to memorize it exactly, because exams don’t care how well you understand something if you can’t write it the “right” way.
And honestly, that’s what happens to most students here. If you don’t get good marks, you can’t get into the top universities. Unless you’re from a rich family that can afford expensive coaching or private tutors, you’re stuck. Let’s say someone has a mentor like Alex Mullen personally guiding them - of course, they’ll learn faster. But if you’re trying to crack India’s toughest exams all by yourself, it’s a completely different story.
People often say “marks don’t matter,” but in reality, they do - especially when it comes to getting into a good university or building a stable career. Not everyone can start a business or come up with a million-dollar idea. Most people have to depend on education, and that means they have no choice but to study, even if it feels forced. So, for many of us, forced learning isn’t about choice - it’s about survival.
Yeah, good question! I didn’t mean that kids have ‘better’ memories than adults in every way, but more that their minds seem fresher and more open to absorbing new things. They’re constantly learning through curiosity, play, and observation, without overthinking or filtering like adults do.
From what I’ve seen - both in myself as a kid and in students I’ve taught when I was doing my university and teaching kids - children can remember things that truly interest them for a long time, even without trying. Adults, on the other hand, often have too much stress, multitasking, or distractions, which makes it harder to retain things naturally. So when I said ‘amazing memory,’ I was referring more to their natural potential to absorb and retain what excites them, not necessarily that their memory is stronger in every way.
Just a simple question: can you become the next Magnus Carlson? Best Soroban Mental Calculator? I am talking about an experience that you will not. You have to do it since childhood, literally. Even as a 20-year-old, there is still some chance, but when you are 25+, there is no hope. Even benjamin if you know him , ususally do mind math, told me once, that he can’t become the best mental calculator since it’s too late for him, you have less age. You have that potential. So that’s how I said children have basically great potential to learn anything. If I think I will become the world’s best gymnast? And add one more point to that, too, without a single tutor, since again you can’t afford it. And let me know if you find a detailed, great source about how to become the best mental calculator, top 1% level. I can try by self-study.
Yeah, I get your point. I didn’t mean 99% of kids have a bad memory. It’s more like most of them never really get the chance to use it the way they could. Every kid has that spark - that natural ability to learn and remember - but things like pressure, lack of interest, or their environment slowly kill that spark.
When I said only 1% memorize really well, I meant the few who still keep their curiosity alive and use it naturally. The rest could do the same if they had the right guidance or motivation. It’s not that their memory is weak - it’s that the system, pressure, or even fear stops them from realizing how strong their minds really are.
When I first started teaching, I was super shy. I didn’t know how kids would see me, how to start, or what exactly to teach. My first class was 4th standard. Now, here’s the thing: when I was a kid in 1st standard, I already knew 1–30 times tables and could do things like 299 ÷ 3 in my head. But in that 4th-grade class, half of the kids didn’t even know 1–5 tables properly, and the rest could only do bits and pieces. If I asked something like 3 × 6, they’d start counting from 3 × 1, 3 × 2, and so on, instead of knowing it instantly. Many didn’t know multiplication, division, or even Roman numerals - and these were 4th graders!
Does that mean they have a bad memory? No. I worked with each student, explained things differently based on how they understood best - for example, some girls related better to stories I told, some boys to games or Marvel examples. Slowly, they could grasp and memorize better.
What I mean is: everyone has the potential to memorize and learn fast, but most kids don’t know how to use it. The environment, the teaching style, and the system often block them. And if you walk into a class expecting all kids to be eager learners, it’s almost impossible - unless you know how the atmosphere really works, which is hard to explain unless you’re a native Indian dealing with these challenges.
Yeah, I get why they might look at me like that. I didn’t give any examples at first, so it probably sounded weird or abstract. But if I tell them the stuff I actually did as a kid - like memorizing 650+ districts in India, all the digits of pi up to 1000, the whole periodic table, country flags, or even all the leaves I collected and stuck in my notebook - they might think I’m just showing off. And that’s why I usually don’t talk about these things much, only to a few close people, and just once. But if I do explain, it makes sense why I had a better memory back then. I wasn’t doing it for school or exams; I just thought it was fun, and that’s how I naturally remembered things better.
Yeah, I get what you’re saying. I did get a bit carried away talking about some parents’ behavior, but the real point is how the environment affects memory and learning. From what I’ve seen, kids who are constantly pressured, criticized, or ignored struggle more in school - not because they’re not smart, but because their environment kills curiosity and confidence. Kids in supportive, stimulating environments pick up things faster and remember better. It’s not just intelligence; it’s about how their surroundings shape how they use their memory.
For example, a kid recently moved nearby. He’s just 3, and his parents beat him if he doesn’t study. In India, don’t expect world-class explanations at poor schools (that cost less), or better guidance at home; often, parents are illiterate and can’t teach. At home, they scroll through Instagram, and the child just follows along. When teachers scold kids in class, parents get angry at them, too. That’s exactly the kind of environment I mean.
Even then, I know not everyone will understand or agree - especially if you haven’t experienced it firsthand. And honestly, I’ve learned that you can’t always make everyone happy.
Yeah, I get why that might sound confusing. What I meant is that my memory worked best when I was genuinely curious about something. I didn’t memorize hundreds of digits of pi or other things for exams - I did it just because it fascinated me.
Of course, I still had to study for exams, but that was mostly forced learning, and honestly, I hated it. It was boring, and the whole system felt messed up. The only reason I did it was seeing my parents happy when I got good marks - it gave me motivation. Until my 10th standard, I always got 90%+, even though everyone kept saying marks don’t matter.
Then lockdown happened, and everything changed. I lost a year in my village, and the next year I didn’t have the same drive. I missed my chance for JEE and ended up applying to a tier-3 university, literally studying just one day per subject before the exam. I still remember someone telling me straight to my face in front of my parents, “Your whole life is done; a boy with such low marks can’t enter our prestigious university.” I was angry, but I thought, fine, I’ll do it again and prove them wrong. Still, I didn’t really want to go to that university anyway. So I didn’t do the exam again. Why prove myself? I know in the end only need to memorize rote, so not worth wasting another year.
Back then, I didn’t have good schools, so I mostly self-studied. I remember being shy but still asking my math teacher, “Where do we apply this in real life?” He paused and gave some vague answer about how he was taught this and is now teaching me. I thought, “Wow, his teacher fooled him, and now he’s doing the same to me.” I always had curiosity - I liked learning because it felt cool, like I could walk around and calculate everything like a math genius.
And now in university, there’s even more rote memorization than my entire school career combined. I dropped out anyway.
Yeah, I get what you’re saying. You’re right - it’s impossible to know exactly how someone would’ve done without fear or pressure. I can’t make a perfect comparison. What I meant is more based on observation and experience: when I see kids studying mainly because they’re scared - punished, judged, or compared - they often cram just to get through it. They might pass, but long-term retention usually isn’t there.
It’s not a hard rule, just a trend I’ve noticed. Someone who genuinely enjoys a subject often remembers it longer and understands it better, even if they study less “officially.”
Yeah, I get what you mean. I’m not claiming that I’ve scientifically measured whether the kids I teach are more intelligent or can memorize better because of what they read or the brain games they play. Honestly, it’s hard to measure that precisely.
Look at memory athletes or people who play memory league - there’s no concrete proof that it scientifically improves memory for everyone. But here’s what I noticed from experience: when a child feels that something can improve their memory, they start believing in themselves. That confidence itself often makes a big difference - they think, “I can do this,” instead of “This is too hard for me.”
For example, I first learned memory techniques in 11th grade, starting with acronyms. At first, I felt like I’d discovered a superpower. I could memorize many things I never thought I could. Later, I tried teaching it to some kids. Some of them couldn’t do it at all, which made me realize it’s just a simple technique—not magic. It works if you use it properly and have the right mindset, but it’s not going to make anyone memorize everything instantly.
Even without full scientific proof, people still play memory league or try other memory exercises- sometimes just because it’s fun or because it gives them confidence. The belief and motivation often matter more than the technique itself.
As I said, I’m still thinking about it. I mean, who really remembers childhood from ages 1 to 3? Even after that, most incidents are pretty fuzzy. Honestly, if someone asked me how I memorized stuff as a kid, I wouldn’t really remember. I mean, I’d probably suggest using memory palaces today, but how I actually did it back then… even I’m surprised. I still know hundreds of digits of pi, and I don’t recite them daily, but if someone asks, I can tell them really fast - as if I memorized it word-for-word back then.
Lastly, sorry if I’m not the right person to answer these questions. I tend to follow what feels right to me, rather than what’s strictly logical or scientifically proven and that’s just how I approach things.
You said I didn’t mention examples, but if I included examples for everything I say, the topic would turn into a giant essay like this post.” (Anyway again, we can’t make everyone convince or wanting too.)
I am still constantly learning, and not perfect. I hope you forgive me because of my lack of knowledge. I would love to learn your experience and how a professional person with valid claim writes, I had like to learn by seeing it. I am not able to explain my pov because of language barrier, you might make it better, for many people, also I will be the first reader.
Neurologists are fascinated by infantile amnesia - people in general can’t remember before an age of about 3. The best progress they have made so far seems to be that the brain is forming memories from about 12 months, but they’re still working on why we can’t retrieve those memories.
I’ve read various references to studies on the memories of children 3 years old and younger. Apparently it’s a physiological. If it is a point of real curiosity you can read the research.
The initial post is confused and contradictory. It seems to make no distinction between the memory of logical sequential data (a story, history, etc.) and lists of things like pi or the periodic table. Clearly anyone can recall sequential data with higher accuracy. In memory work this is “linked” or “storied” information with a built-in utility for recall. Random and unrelated information like the capitals of the states is simply not the same task.
I’m a writer of memoir and my memories of youth are spotty because the mundane and seemingly irrelevant was never really stored to begin with. Obviously the exciting, frightening, or other emotionally charged experience have more mnemonic “hooks” to plant it firmly, and regular review fixes it more solidly.
I want more raw material for writing and have noted that using a mind palace from the many places my family lived as a child has been an efficient method of storage for memorization. But in addition to that. I find lingering in these locales, during both storage and retrieval of items (e.g., a deck of cards), sometimes provides “perpheral memories.”
I have begun experimenting with simply sitting in these aged virtual locales, eyes closed, and trying to evince idle memories. Where were the rugs, what color were the drapes, what might have laid on the coffee table or the chair? If my brother is in the room, what might he be doing? It’s not really concentration—just the opposite, it’s really relaxing and sort of keeping my ears open, waiting.
The more time I’ve spent in these places. the more frequently specific memories arise. It’s very helpful.
There is some mention above about using “imaginary” places for mind palaces, rather than real places. Once again, I disagree (as I do at almost every point of the original post). I have repeatedly heard recommendations to use places “one knows well” for placing loci. In one book there is a casual reference to the writer spending a great deal of time in old neighborhoods, and public buildings locking memories about the distinctions of these locales in his memory for future use as mind palaces.
Your self determination seem to be properly nurtured. Many of your reflections resonate with me except some.
I also remember many things by just casual read. That is why I sometimes consider memory techniques too much work. I however have integrated memory techniques in my regular reads like visualization, organization etc.
I used to think of childhood memories but not so much now. They have become less important to me now.
My latest philosophy has been “Learning is to ACT” as Jiddu Krishnamurti says. I just read materials. Do i understand it on the first go? No. Do I feel that I need to be able to remember details on first few reads? No. People say that you need to understand but my own experience says that understanding comes later. Chunking is also naturally occurring phenomena.It happens afterwards. Conscious execution of them is possible but feels to much work as of now.
Even these experiences that I have had seem to trivial to share. @erikfromholland As you have rightfully critiqued, these are emotional writings and nothing more. I take these reads to reflect upon what the writer has in his mind. Many of his claims can be directly challenged. He might not have proper technical words to communicate it but I feel for him in a sense that I have been in that mindset.
I have a memory of doing something quite silly and embarrassing when I was 1-2 years old, and another one of laying out my nappy (so definitely <3 years old). That would be around 1985. I also remember (maybe age 4-5?) picking up a spider and asking my mother what type it was, to which she responded “it’s a standard spider” which I assumed was an official name
Not a lot of memories, and quite episodic and very low-detail.
In Marvin Minsky’s book “The Society of Mind”, he proposed a few interesting theoretical models of how various elements of cognition might work. One of them regarding memory was called k-lines, which was a sort of association network where similar concepts tend to share the same lines… something like that anyway.
He made an interesting argument that when we recall memories, we’re reconstructing a previous “state of mind”, and because our minds and brains change so much in the early years, this is why it’s extremely difficult to recall any memories from early childhood. It seemed plausible to me, but then I’m a computer scientist, not a neuroscientist.
What method will you suggest a person today if he asks you he wants to remember table of upto 30 and square root and cube root up to 30 in least amount of time
What method will you suggest a person today if he asks you he wants to remember the table of up to 30 and square root, and the cube root up to 30 in the least amount of time?
I wouldn’t suggest memorizing in a traditional sense. Well, I don’t know about ur surroundings, here mostly where I grew up, when I ask them about math tables, they say 2 one is 2, 2 twos are 4, 2 threes are 6, and so on…
If I ask them what is 2 times 8, children will sing that table again and when reach at 2 times 8 is 16, they will say that time. So first thing I would suggest is to memorize it in a way so that even if someone asks at any given point, like 9 times 7, we can able to say 63 much faster.
First - Math Tables.
1 to 10 tables are easy, we can skip the last 0 and 5-digit numbers like 10, 20, 30.
Half of the tables are basically the same, like 4 times 5 = 5 times 4
So if we practiced 4 times, 5 is 20, then if someone asks what is 5 times 4, that should be easy.
I would suggest try to find patterns , you would end up with much less data to memorize that way.
Second - Square and Cube roots.
Let me give you some examples,
Square root of 4096
First select the last 2 digits as part 2 and remaining as part 1, so it would be 40 (part 1) and 96 (part 2)
from last part we will guess the last digit of our square. 96 here last digit is 6 , we have to guess which square ends up with 6 . (it’s 4 or 6 since 4 square is 16 and 6 squares is 36, both ends with 6)
from first part we will identify which square comes close to that number , 40 in our case.
it’s 6 square 36, 7 squares 49 is bigger. so our answer is 6.
Now from our both parts we identified our answer either is 64 or 66
Now there is a simple trick to find the squares of digits that ends with 5. we will mostly use that in finding squares and cube roots.
Square of 65.
6 * (6+1) | always 25 in the end
4225 (now check is 4225 bigger or smaller than 4096 since it’s bigger we knew it’s not 66 since 65 squares is 4225, 66 squares will be even more bigger. 64 is the correct answer.
In finding cube roots we will do the same thing, just break 3 digits instead of 2 in the end and do the same thing.
Cube root of 15625
15 (part 1) | 625 (part 2)
2 (2 cube is 8, closest is 2) | 5 (since 5’s cube ends with last digit 5)
answer is cube of 25 is 15625.
