Mindful Monday: Working Memory (Part 3)
Wait… why did I just walk in here?
Oh shoot, I had something I wanted to say. Oh well, maybe it will come back to me.
These scenarios are working memory in action— or should we say, inaction?
More specifically, working memory doing its best but running out of steam.
We’ve talked about how much information the brain’s “waiting room” can hold, now we’re talking about how quickly that information disappears if we don’t keep it fresh.
The Clock is Ticking
Crazy fact: most people can only hold new information in working memory for about 20 seconds.
Yep. You read that right. Twenty.
That’s it—unless we’re doing something on purpose to keep it there.
Let’s say it’s 1997 and you’ve just looked up the pizza place phone number in the Yellow Pages. Stick with me here. You read it, walked to the phone on the wall, and dialed.
You probably repeated that number out loud (or under your breath) over and over again on the way to the phone—“555-1284, 555-1284”—you probably made it.
That’s rehearsal.
If you had read it once and relied on your brain to hang onto it without the rehearsal? There’s a good chance it slipped out of your mind before you even touched the receiver.
This isn’t a flaw. It’s just how working memory works.
What’s Happening Here?
Working memory isn’t a long-term computer hard drive. It’s more like a mental dry erase board—temporary, limited, and easily (or accidentally) wiped clean by distractions, fatigue, or the next task that takes up too much space.
You know the game musical chairs? There is one less chair than people playing and when the music stops, anyone without a seat gets kicked out?
That’s your working memory waiting room. If there aren’t enough chairs for all the pieces of information, the pieces get bumped out the exit!
There are two main reasons information fades from working memory:
Decay: If you don’t rehearse or manipulate it, it naturally fades after a short time.
Displacement: New information pushes out old information—especially when there’s too much coming in at once.
This is especially true for our kids.
If your child forgets what you said two minutes ago, or loses track of multi-step directions halfway through a task, this isn’t laziness. It’s neuroscience and natural developmental levels.
The Real Work of Working Memory
We often wonder why working memory struggles, if it is just about holding information.
“Just remember you need your backpack while you run to your room to get it!”
But here’s the truth: holding it there takes effort.
The brain has to actively keep that information “online” while doing something with it—following steps, solving a problem, managing a task. That’s a heavy load.
For kids with developing brains, ADHD, DLD, or other neurodivergent wiring, that load is even heavier. Their brain is wired uniquely different. And while that comes with some wonderful gifts, it also means executive functioning skills don’t wire “naturally” into their brains.
It’s why your child may seem to “know” something in one moment but not the next.
They did know. But the information slipped out before they could finish using it.
That doesn’t mean they aren’t trying. It means their brain needs more support to carry the load.
From Waiting Room to Filing Cabinet
So what happens when we want information to stick around longer than 20 seconds? Those things we need to know forever?
We move it into long-term memory.
This process—called consolidation or encoding—is how we “save” information in a way that makes it retrievable later.
And here’s the cool part:
With the right strategies, we can help our kids, and ourselves, strengthen that revolving door between working memory and long-term memory. That back-and-forth movement is where efficient learning happens.
Strategies That Make It Stick
Want to help your child keep information in their brain a little longer?
Here are a few brain-friendly, evidence-backed ways to strengthen working memory and boost encoding:
Rehearsal
Visualization
Teach it Back
Chunking
Movement
Emotional Connections
Context & Curiosity
A Gentle Reminder
If your child struggles with working memory, it’s not because they aren’t paying attention.
It’s because their brain is juggling a lot—and they might need a few extra tools to help them hold on.
They’re not behind.
They’re learning.
You’re showing up.
And every time you support your child in these small, brain-based ways, you’re building skills they’ll use for the rest of their life.
Next Week
We’ll be digging into the big signs and symptoms that your child, or someone you love, is struggling with working memory. What are the things we see every day that people are labeling defiance, laziness, distraction.. but they are actually a distress flag being waved frantically by the frontal lobe?
Until then, keep noticing. Keep connecting. Keep making room for the kind of learning that sticks.
You’re not just teaching your child to remember. You’re helping them build a brain that works smarter, not harder.
Warmly,
Tara Roehl, MS, CCC-SLP 💛
Heads-up, amazing paid subscribers!
Tomorrow’s Working Memory Bootcamp drop is coming your way—and it’s a good one! You’ll get a printable PDF with game pieces and a tool you can use from any phone or tablet. It’s simple, fun, and secretly packed with brain-boosting power.
Can’t wait for you to try it with your kids!
Im hoping you’re going to give examples of the ways to help working memory (the bold list at the end- chunking was one. You can see how well my working memory isn’t working)