In a series of experiments, Wammes, Meade, and Fernandes (2016) asked adults to remember lists of simple words — like apple, truck, or pear. Some participants were told to write each word repeatedly. Others were asked to draw a quick picture of the word instead. Afterward, everyone tried to recall as many words as possible.
The result? The drawers consistently outperformed the writers, sometimes remembering almost twice as many words. Even when researchers varied the instructions (like adding shading or labeling), the “drawing effect” held strong.
Why does this happen? Because drawing makes the brain work on multiple levels. To draw something, you must think about what it means, picture it in your mind, and then recreate it on paper. That combination of visual, motor, and semantic processing turns learning into an active experience instead of a passive one.
Psychologists call this kind of productive challenge a desirable difficulty. A small effort that helps information stick.
Try it at home:
When your child is learning new vocabulary, ask them to draw each word. If they’re learning Spanish, give them nariz (nose) or orejas (ears). They can sketch the picture, label it, and say the word out loud.
By connecting images, words, and sounds, your child’s brain builds stronger memory links — and they’ll enjoy the process too.
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- Wammes, J. D., Meade, M. E., & Fernandes, M. A. (2016). The drawing effect: Evidence for reliable and robust memory benefits in free recall. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 69(9), 1752–1776.
- Bjork, R. A., & Kroll, J. F. (2015). Desirable difficulties in vocabulary learning. UCLA Bjork Learning and Forgetting Lab.
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