Mind Mapping For Your Children
The mind mapping technique is a concept that has been around for many years. It is a technique used throughout many schools; you may even remember a mind map when working on an essay or research paper in high school or college. It is a way to see your thoughts and ideas on paper so you can better organize them. Many teachers are using mind maps during brainstorming activities. However, you can give your child a head start by teaching them this technique at home.
Mind Maps are simply a combination of pictures as well as words. Memory works in children through association; they record the visual connection between different things. Through mind mapping, it helps increase your child’s creativity as well as the flow of ideas. You will find once your child has begun the process of mind mapping, they will generate more thoughts, organize them and recall them.
Once your child can read and write, typically around age 5, they will be able to learn this technique. However, you do not have to introduce it to them as mind mapping, instead introduce it as a fun activity that you can do together. When they become accustomed to using mind maps, they should be encouraged to use them at every opportunity, when they are in class, taking notes etc.
Here are two sample mind mapping methods:
- Take a drawing/picture of the main topic it and place in the middle of a blank sheet of paper. Let us say the topic is Egypt then you could use a picture of the pyramids and place it in the center of the paper.
- Draw any number of lines that branch away from the center picture (each in different colors if you wish) and these lines will then make up the sub-topics and begin the idea creativity.
- Create smaller branches that come off the main branches making them a variety of colors, be as creative as you like. Remember, there are no limits on how big you can make the mind map.
- You and your child together can think of the main ideas around your topic. Draw pictures or add some keywords above the branches. If there are buildings, people, or vehicles involved with your topic your child may wish to draw little representations of them (which is encouraged).
- Think about the sub-topics that can relate to the keywords on the branch. Staying with the topic of Egypt some small topics may include mummies, pharaohs, people who built the pyramids and so on.
- As stated before the size of the mind map does not matter just continue until all the ideas that you and your child wish to represent are on the map.
Another method to use once your child becomes accustomed to the computer, is mind mapping software or other similar software. Be sure to view the attached mind map to get an idea of what this type of software can do.
Accelerating your child’s learning process and fine tuning their memory will keep your child ahead of the rest. Your children may feel like this is a game initially. It will turn out to be something that will stay with them, and they will hopefully pass to their children.

