The Memory Line

This introductory activity game is from our Children’s Participation in Eye Health and the Promotion of Good Vision resource book for teachers and educators. Read more about the book and download it now!

This is a fun way for children to learn the ten Eye Health and Vision topics (this can be adpated for other topics/messages too!).

As the programme develops, you can use this same activity to help them memorise and repeat the messages in a supported group way. Not all the children are able to remember all ten topics after the first session, but if you make it something you do at the start of each session each time you do the memory line; they will learn the topics better. When they have learnt all the topics, then you can use this method to get the group to memorise the messages too!

Preparation

Print (or write) out this list of ten topics so you can give one topic to each child in your group.

1. How to Keep Eyes Healthy
2. Understanding Our Eyes
3. Eye Health Personnel
4. Signs of Vision Problems in School Children
5. Signs of Vision Problems in Young Children
6. Take an Eye Test
7. Improving Vision
8. Supporting those with Vision Problems
9. Seek Help for Injured Eyes
10. Eye Infections

Steps

1. Give each child a piece of paper with one topic to memorise. If there are more than 20 students in the group, repeat topics as needed.
2. Ask them to find another child with the same topic and form pairs or threes (if there is anuneven number of children).
3. Ask them to form a circle with the pairs standing side-by-side.
4. Ask each pair to take turns coming into the circle and saying their topic out loud. The wholegroup repeats it after them.
5. Tell the pairs that it is easier to remember the topics when actions are added.
6. Ask children to create actions to go with their topic and practice saying the words with theactions.
7. Demonstrate an action for Topic 1, Understanding Our Eyes. Point to the head when you say the word, Understanding. Point to the eyes with both hands when you say the phrase, OurEyes.
8. Ask children to create actions to go with their topic and practice saying the words with the actions.
9. Repeat the group work where each pair comes into the middle, and then the group repeats it.
10. Ask the group to stand in a line with the pairs facing each other.
11. Rearrange the line so that the ‘Topics’ are arranged in the correct order.
12. Ask the first pair to say the topic with the action and then the whole group repeats.
13. Ask the second pair to repeat the first topic and then add their topic.
14. The whole group repeats Topics One and Two.
15. Continue down the line until the whole group has repeated all the Topics with the actions.