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Your 8 3/4-year-old: Memory games

Your 8-year-old now

Having strong memory skills will serve your child well in his school years. He'll be better able to learn and retain key concepts and will feel more confident about his work.

Kids can boost memory skills in simple ways. Teachers often have children this age memorize poetry, for example. Memorizing multiplication tables is also good practice.

Certain games employ memory, such as those that require you to match cards facing down. Word games in which players repeat and add onto a continuing list are good: "I'm going to the store and will buy an apple, a banana, a cat, a diaper…"

Encourage your child to give detail when talking about his day: What did you eat on the field trip? Who sat next to you on the bus? What was the most important thing the guide told the class? What questions did the kids ask?

You can also teach your child tried-and-true memory tricks, like the spelling rule "I before E except after C." Show how you can tell the left hand because when you extend the forefinger and thumb, they form a letter "L."

Your life now

What can you do when you dislike an item of clothing your child adores? Sometimes kids get gifts from friends or relatives that rub parents the wrong way. Or they covet an item you can't stand in a store or catalog. Maybe it's a top that seems a tad too racy for an almost-9-year-old or a T-shirt with an inappropriate slogan.

If you're feeling torn, remember: You're the adult here. If you don't like it, you don't have to buy it. You may also want to reserve veto power on items bought with allowance or birthday money – even over gifts or hand-me-downs. Your guidelines now help shape your child's taste. Don't make a scene over "off" clothes; calmly explain what you don't like and look for ways to compromise if possible ("You can wear it to bed but not to school").

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