A fun way to learn the states and capitols

Mnemonics are devices or techniques (such as a short rhyme) that help you remember lists, formulas, rules and other information. For example:

“Thirty days hath September,

April, June and November.

All the rest have 31,

Excepting February alone.

And that has 28 days clear,

And 29 in each leap year.

One particularly effective technique, chain imagery, has proved to also be quite fun for students. With chain imagery, you link two or more positive, colorful images together to make them easier to recall. The images should be humorous, exaggerated, moving and in 3D whenever possible to make them even easier to recall.

For Denver, Colorado, draw of a woman putting a fur collar on a doe. The woman walks into the DEN carrying a FUR and puts a COLLAR on a DOE.

Need another example? For Augusta, Maine, draw a horse whose main is blowing in the wind. A GUST OF wind blows across a horse’s MANE.

If you want to make things even more interesting, give your child paper, markers and a list of states and their capitols and encourage them to create their own mnemonics for each. Give them a set amount of time to practice then quiz them and see how many they remember. Don’t forget a small prize for extra motivation!