This page is a round up of several articles & resources to help you understand why memorization is essential to a rich elementary school education.
Memorization is one key component of the first stage (called the “grammar stage”) in a classical education.
I have been reading about and living in the grammar stage of classical homeschooling for several years, and it’s been such a surprising blessing to our family. I’ve also observed kids ages 4-18 in our homeschooling communities and seen numerous benefits of using classical methods.
This roundup of resources focuses specifically on the memorization component of the grammar stage.
If You’re Brand New to Classical Education or Skeptical of the Method
If you’re 100% new to this idea, I strongly recommend reading The Core. Grab Morning Time: A Liturgy of Love too.
These 2 books have really helped me understand the principles behind the Grammar Stage of the classical method & why it works.
You don’t have to go whole hog classical to benefit from the method either. Lots of homeschool families take an eclectic approach – our family included! Classical & Charlotte Mason philosophies have lots of overlap and are often combined.
Benefits of Memorization
The brain is designed to work. When you work to memorize something, the brain creates new neural pathways. It categorizes new information, makes connections, and synthesizes conclusions.
Often, all of that happens without you knowing it. There have been many studies done to examine the positive effects of memorization on the brain!
Here are some interesting articles:
- 5 Surprising Reasons to Memorize in Your Homeschool
- Memorization is Not a Dirty Word
- Why Memorization is Mentally Liberating
- What Good is Learning If You Don’t Remember It?
- The Importance of Rote Learning
- In Defense of Memorization
Musical Memory – Complete Program
On this site, I mostly focus on helping new homeschooling families simplify & focus on what matters… And that includes a rich memorization program!
We are in the early years of writing a comprehensive Grammar Stage Memorization Program that is 100% set to music.
All the songs are short, sweet & catchy. Snag 2 weeks of our program for free.
The program works for individuals, cooperative communities, or classical schools! It’s extremely customizable too. (You can contact me here to discuss options to customize the program for your community.)
Math
Here are some articles that explain how the skip counting songs work to build long-term math understanding at a deeper level. The principles in these articles can be applied to any subject area.