When someone tells us a story about an event that happened, a picture begins to form in our mind. We start by visualizing the person we are talking to. We fill in the picture as they relate what happened. Who were they with, what they were doing, where they were. 

As we fill in the details the picture becomes a movie and we see the action in our mind. As we listen to the story we think about what we already know about the person using our social memory and knowledge base. If there is missing information we make smart guesses and ask questions to fill in what we need to know. We ask when the event occurred or how long they were at the event.  

We begin to wonder how the person felt in that situation and how we might feel if we were in that situation. We 'see' the facial expressions and body language of the people in the movie in our mind. We 'hear' their tone of voice and language.

We realize that not everyone thinks the same way or has the same experiences. We try to match the picture in our mind with the story that's being told so we understand what happened. We also do this when we read a book or when we listen to the teacher in the classroom. It's part of how we understand someone else's point of view.  _________________________________________________    

Tips and Tools 

Concept of the Month: Social Memory 

We are continually learning information about others and filing it an organized way in our brain, to recall at a later time. It could be positive information i.e. This person was friendly to me so I'll say hello to them. It could be negative information i.e. That person wasn't nice to me so I'm going to walk away from him.   

Activity #1: What do you think I did today?

Have your child make smart guesses about what each family member did during the day based on what they know about each person i.e. What does mom/dad usually do during the day? Where do sister/brother go during the day? How do you think each person felt? What did they do next? What do you think they will do later? 

Activity #2: Making Smart Guesses

While watching TV, a movie or reading a book discuss the story with your child. Ask them to make smart guesses about what the characters are feeling. What are their motivations and intentions. Ask them to predict what they think will happen next based on what they already know.