How to Memorize Using the "This Old Man" Technique

Expert Author Moses Vandenberg

The "This Old Man" Technique can be a helpful tool to help you memorize many seemingly unrelated items or ideas. Type my essay for me about The "This Old Man" Technique connects the items or ideas we want to remember to the numeric rhymes and key words in the children's song. The principles of this memory technique have been confirmed by recent hemispheric brain research. This technique associates ideas or items together with the rhyming numbers and key words of the song, just like our brain file folders do. If we take the time to organize new information in same way as our brains, we can improve our retention of that information.

Directions

The trick is to associate the items you want to memorize with each key word in the song in a memorable way. As much as possible, relate each key word to each other to form one connected visual. Substitute concrete objects for any key words that are too abstract to remember well. If you need to memorize more than ten key words, simply start over with a second set of ten, etc.

To refresh your memory, here's the first verse of the song:

"This Old Man"

This old man, he played one.

He played knick-knack on my thumb.

With a knick-knack paddywhack, give a dog a bone.

This old man came rolling home.

The key words are "one" and the rhyming "thumb." Not an exact rhyme, I know; however, I didn't write the song. The song continues on with a new verse for numbers two through ten.

Here is the list of the verse numbers and their key words, with a few more concrete substitutions, that I suggest using from "This Old Man."

one-thumb

two-shoe

three-knee

four-door

five-hive (picture a bee hive)

six-sticks

seven-heaven (picture an angel or fluffy white clouds and say "up to heaven")

eight-gate

nine-spine

ten-hen (better than "again")

Let's say you have a list of fruit to purchase for a nice summer picnic. The list includes the following:

one-lemons

two-oranges

three-watermelons

four-grapefruit

five-bananas

six-cherries

seven-raspberries

eight-red apples

nine-green grapes

ten-yellow pairs

Using the "This Old Man" Memory Technique, you associate the key words of the song with each of the fruit you wish to purchase. Develop a mental picture that connects each item.

one-lemons-You are standing outside of your front door with a lemon stuck on your right hand-thumb

two-oranges-and an orange on top of your right-shoe

three-watermelons-with a slice of watermelon on your right-knee.

four-grapefruit-You are pushing the grapefruit doorbell next to your front-door

five-bananas-because you are trying to get inside your house, away from a swarm of angry bees buzzing around a banana placed on top of their-hive

six-cherries-which is in the front yard cherry tree, propped up by a cluster of branches-sticks.

seven-raspberries-In front of the tree stands a statue of an angel outlined with raspberry-shaped lights illuminating the-angel

eight-red apples-who stands behind a white picket fence, with a row of red-apples stuck on the pickets of the-gate.

nine-green grapes-Attached to the angel's back is a chain of green grapes running down its-spine

ten-yellow pairs-to two eggs in a nest, on the ground next to the gate. The eggs look like two yellow pairs, guarded by a nearby clucking-hen

Now prompt yourself to remember each object by singing the song with each of the objects serving as the focus of a verse. Works well, doesn't it? A little rehearsal will place these facts into your long term memory.

Memorizing using the "This Old Man" Technique will enable you to retain the memory of many seemingly unrelated items. Useful for upcoming tests, speeches, shopping lists? Yes, and for your singing voice, as well.