How to Support Working Memory at Home During the Winter Months
- Monarch
- Feb 10
- 7 min read
Winter is a unique season for families. The colder temperatures, shorter days, disrupted routines, and long stretches indoors all shape the rhythms of daily life. For many neurodiverse children—those with ADHD, autism, learning differences, language delays, sensory processing needs, or executive functioning challenges—winter brings both new opportunities and new obstacles. One area where this shift is especially noticeable is working memory.
Working memory is the brain’s ability to hold, use, and manipulate information in real time. It helps kids remember multi-step directions, keep track of materials, follow conversations, complete homework, and organize their thoughts. When working memory is taxed, you might see:
Forgetting what they were supposed to do next
Losing track of materials
Getting stuck on step one of a multi-step task
Difficulty following storylines or lessons
Trouble transitioning between tasks
Incomplete chores or schoolwork
Emotional frustration or overwhelm
And during the winter—when routines intensify, daylight decreases, sensory needs shift, and school demands remain high—working memory can become even harder to manage. This guide offers a compassionate, practical roadmap for supporting your child’s working memory at home throughout the winter months. Whether your child is in elementary school, middle school, or high school, and whether they are formally diagnosed or simply show executive function challenges, these tools will help strengthen memory skills while reducing daily stress.
Understanding Working Memory Through a Winter Lens
Before diving into strategies, it helps to understand why winter can be a particularly challenging time for working memory—even for neurotypical children, and especially for neurodiverse ones.
1. Shorter daylight hours change the brain’s rhythm.
Less sunlight affects mood, sleep cycles, and energy levels. When a child is tired or sluggish, working memory naturally decreases.
2. Holiday breaks disrupt consistency.
Routines that were becoming steady get thrown off by travel, gatherings, late nights, or new environments. A child who relies on structure may need weeks to recalibrate.
3. Indoor life increases cognitive noise.
Crowded spaces, extra screen time, cabin fever, and busy family dynamics can overload a child’s sensory system, leaving fewer mental resources for working memory.
4. Winter clothing adds complexity.
Hats, gloves, boots, jackets, layers—these are extra steps in the day, and each step is another memory demand.
5. Academic expectations climb mid-year.
By winter, schoolwork becomes more complex. Students are expected to follow longer assignments, manage more materials, and work more independently.
When you understand these seasonal pressures, supporting your child becomes more realistic, gentle, and effective. You’re not “fixing” anything—you’re helping them navigate predictable changes.
How Parents Can Support Working Memory at Home in Winter
Below are research-informed, neurodiversity-affirming strategies you can begin using right away. You do not need to implement all of them. Choose the ones that fit your family, your child’s energy level, and the realities of winter life.
1. Strengthen Predictability With Visual Routines
Working memory thrives when the brain doesn’t have to constantly remember “What’s next?” In winter—when routines shift—visual supports become especially important.
Try creating winter-specific visual supports:
Morning routine chart (including winter gear)
After-school routine chart
Homework steps checklist
Bedtime routine card
Weekly schedule board
Visuals for where winter items belong (hooks for coats, baskets for gloves)
For visual thinkers, autistic children, and kids with ADHD, this written or picture-based predictability offloads the burden on working memory.
Tip: Keep visuals simple. If it's too cluttered, the brain ignores it.
2. Use “Single Step + Support” Instructions
Multi-step directions often fall apart because working memory fades by step two or three. A winter example: “Put on your socks, then your boots, then your coat, then your backpack”
This is virtually guaranteed to overwhelm a child with working memory challenges.
Instead, try:
“First socks.”
Then wait for success.
“Now boots.”
Then wait again.
This is not “babying.” This is scaffolding—the same support architects use to build structures safely. Scaffolding makes success easier, which reduces frustration and improves confidence.
To enhance this:
Pair steps with visuals
Use the same sequence every day
Keep your voice calm and neutral
Repetition + consistency = stronger working memory over time.
3. Practice Winter-Friendly Memory Games
Working memory improves with practice, but traditional “memory training” apps often fall flat for kids. Instead, use playful, natural activities woven into winter life.
Game ideas for winter days:
“Snowman Says” Winter-themed Simon Says—joyful, movement-based, and memory-boosting.
“What’s Missing?” Winter Table Edition Place winter items on a tray: mitten, scarf, cocoa packet, small ornament. Let your child look for 10 seconds, then remove one and ask what’s missing.
“Hot Cocoa Sequence Game” Give your child three steps:
Get the mug
Grab the cocoa packet
Put it on the counter
Then increase difficulty slowly.
“Winter Walk Memory Hunt” On a winter walk, say: “Let’s find something red, something sparkly, and something round.” The brain must hold and manipulate information.
“Snowball Toss Words” Write words or cues on paper “snowballs” and toss them back and forth, saying the last one you caught.
Games like these strengthen working memory without feeling like work.
4. Reduce Cognitive Load by Simplifying Environments
When a child’s environment is cluttered, inconsistent, or buzzing with sensory input, working memory becomes less efficient. Winter often creates extra clutter—boots piled near doors, holiday items, winter gear everywhere.
Ways to simplify:
Create a designated “winter gear zone”
Use clear bins or baskets with picture labels
Reduce excess toys or materials in high-use spaces
Keep homework areas calm and minimal
Store holiday items promptly once the season ends
Keep morning supplies in the same place daily
Environmental simplicity leads to cognitive clarity.
For many neurodiverse kids, less visual noise = better working memory.
5. Break Homework Into Manageable Winter-Sized Chunks
In winter, kids often arrive home more tired than usual. This naturally reduces working memory capacity.
To support success:
Break homework into 5–10-minute chunks
Use timers (visual timers work best)
Provide frequent movement or sensory breaks
Help them preview tasks before starting
Use checklists for multi-step assignments
Start with the easiest task to build momentum
Helpful script:
“Let’s do just one small part right now, then take a break.”
The goal is not to “push through.” The goal is to maintain a calm nervous system so memory functions are accessible.
6. Expect Forgetfulness—and Plan for It Compassionately
In winter, kids forget more. It’s not laziness. It’s not oppositional behavior. It’s cognitive science.
Children with working memory differences may forget:
Gloves
Lunchboxes
Finish steps of a chore
Bring home homework
Where they put their boots
Upcoming events
School materials
Instead of reacting with frustration (which is understandable!), try building gentle support systems.
Memory support tools:
Put checklists near the door
Use backpack “check-out” stations
Create a winter gear re-check each morning
Keep duplicates of easily lost items (gloves, hats, pencils)
Use phone reminders for older kids
Pair “check your stuff” with a sensory cue—like a deep breath or button press
Children aren’t trying to forget. They’re trying and forgetting. Support helps both of you regulate.
7. Use Verbal Scaffolding to Help Kids Hold Thoughts Longer
Verbal scaffolding means narrating thinking steps to support your child’s working memory.
Try saying:
“I can help you hold the first step while you do the second.”
“I’ll remember the next step for you.”
“Let’s pause and think about what we were doing before we got interrupted.”
Together, you’re acting as their “external working memory,” which is developmentally appropriate and incredibly supportive.
Over time, kids internalize this structure and learn to guide themselves.
8. Lean Into Sensory Support During Winter
Cold weather impacts the sensory system. When sensory needs are unmet, working memory decreases significantly because the brain is prioritizing comfort and regulation.
Consider:
Weighted blankets or lap pads during homework
Warm drinks for calming input
Movement breaks every 15–30 minutes
Access to fidgets
Noise-canceling headphones for indoor days
Body socks or stretchy bands
Warm baths in the evening to regulate the nervous system
When the body is regulated, the brain has more bandwidth for memory.
9. Use Routines as Memory Prosthetics
Neurodiverse kids often thrive when routines do the remembering for them.
Winter-friendly routines:
Boots always placed in the same spot
Coats always hung on the same hook
Homework always done at the same time
Backpacks checked in the same order each night
Lunch packed in the same sequence
Bedtime steps identical each night
The more your routines repeat, the less your child must rely on working memory—and the more successful they feel.
10. Teach Kids How Their Own Brain Works
This is one of the most powerful (and often overlooked) tools.
Children benefit tremendously from understanding:
“Working memory is like your brain’s sticky note.”
“Sometimes the sticky note falls off.”
“Everyone’s working memory works differently.”
“Your brain might need extra supports—and that’s okay.”
Self-awareness builds emotional resilience and reduces shame.
Helpful phrases:
“It’s not a problem with motivation—it’s a working memory difference.”
“Your brain forgets when it’s overwhelmed, and that’s not your fault.”
“We’re learning strategies together.”
This transforms forgetfulness from a character flaw into a brain-based challenge that can be supported.
Winter Is Not Just a Challenge—It’s an Opportunity
Winter offers unique opportunities for strengthening working memory in ways that feel natural and even cozy.
This season allows for:
More indoor family time
Opportunities for games and routines
Chances to build skills slowly
Extra opportunities for connection
Time to practice calmness
More one-on-one time
Opportunities to simplify life
Think of winter as a “training season” for working memory—not through pressure, but through steady, predictable supports.
Supporting Memory Means Supporting the Whole Child
Working memory doesn’t improve by force. It improves through:
Emotional regulation
Predictable environments
Repetition
Visual supports
Movement and sensory input
Connection
Low-pressure practice
Patience
Compassion
Most importantly, supporting working memory means supporting your child’s nervous system, confidence, and sense of capability. If your child forgets things this winter, needs repeated instructions, struggles with multi-step tasks, or requires extra scaffolding, it doesn’t mean they’re not trying. It means their brain needs your partnership—and every time you support them with warmth and patience, you are shaping not only their skills but also their sense of self.
Your child is learning. Your child is growing. Your child is trying. And you are doing an extraordinary job helping them navigate a season that is both beautiful and complicated.
ADHD - Autism - Executive Functioning - Learning Disorders
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