Remember ten things
You will look at ten objects for twenty seconds and then recall them after they are covered. Noticing how objects relate can give you more ways to retrieve them than a quick glance.
- Brain
- Explorer
- About 15 minutes
Grown-up needed: yes for selecting safe materials and supervising the setup
What you need
- A tray
- Ten familiar safe household objects chosen by a grown-up
- A tea towel
- Paper and a pencil
- A timer
The rule
Look for 20 seconds. Then cover it.
How to do it
- Ask a grown-up to choose ten objects without sharp or tiny loose parts.
- Arrange them on the tray where you can see each one.
- Look for twenty seconds using the timer.
- Have the grown-up cover the tray with the towel.
- Name or write the objects you remember.
- Uncover the tray and compare the list with what was there.
Why it works
Remembering involves taking in information and later finding a way to retrieve it. Grouping objects by a feature or linking them in a short story can provide retrieval cues. Those strategies may help, but they do not guarantee perfect recall for every person or tray. Looking carefully at each object also matters because something unnoticed cannot simply be recovered later. The uncovered tray supplies a check of this attempt rather than a general score for intelligence or memory ability.
Make it harder
- Try grouping the objects by a chosen feature.
- Compare a story strategy with your first approach.
- Explain which cue helped you retrieve one previously missed object.
Ask Taz
- Why can grouping help me remember?
- Why does a story provide retrieval clues?
- Why is one tray not a measure of all my memory?
For grown-ups
A grown-up selects safe objects and keeps the setup stable. Avoid keys, coins or other small pieces when unsuitable; larger familiar objects work. Accept missing items without pressure and compare strategies rather than children. Ask at dinner: “Which object did a connection help you remember, and what was that connection?”
Taz is an AI and can be wrong, so stay close by. Read how safety works on Taz.
Show us yours
Film your hands and what you made, not your face or name. Ask a grown-up before posting anywhere else.
Questions parents ask
Is a wrong answer a failed activity?
No. Keep the first answer and compare it with the revealed objects, timing or rule. That comparison tells you what to change next. The activity offers one observation of a strategy, and it does not provide a general score for intelligence or ability.
How can a grown-up help?
Prepare the safe space and agree the rule before starting. Ask the child to describe the clue or strategy they used, then check the actual result together. Offer a shorter adapted version if needed and say clearly how it differs from the original challenge.
Should we share the result?
Sharing is optional. A discussion at home is enough, and the privacy line above applies to any online post.
More to try
See all Taz Challenges, or look through the science labs. One place for every why. Ask for early access at aitaz.com