Memory Challenges

Pick a list worth knowing by heart. Each one works the same way, the way the infographic Remember It on Purpose lays out: Encode a few items at a time and make them vivid, Space the reviews out on day 1, 3, 7 and 21, and Retrieve them from your head instead of rereading. Progress stays on this device, for whoever is signed in as the learner. No streaks, no scolding: come back when you can.

Trainers

Deck of cardsMemorize a shuffled deck (or 10, 20 or 26 cards), then rebuild the order. PAO and journey help. Digits of piThe first 1,000 digits in chunks, typed back with live checking. Also e to 100 decimals. Memory gamesMemory Palace Builder, Chunk It, Story Chain, Card Pairs and a daily warm-up.

Science

Common thinking traps (cognitive biases) 12 items · ages 12+12 biases with long research records. Not started Element symbols that come from old names 11 items · ages 10+11 elements. Not started Elements 1-18: the first three rows of the periodic table 18 items · ages 9+18 elements, periods 1 to 3. Not started Elements 19-36: period 4 18 items · ages 11+18 elements, all in period 4. Not started Elements 37-54: period 5 18 items · ages 12+18 elements, all in period 5. Not started Elements 55-86: period 6, with the lanthanides 32 items · ages 13+32 elements, all in period 6. Not started Elements 87-118: period 7, with the actinides 32 items · ages 13+32 elements, all in period 7. Not started Famous laws of science 22 items · ages 12+22 laws. Not started Major organs of the human body and what they do 16 items · ages 8+16 major organs and organ pairs. Not started The dwarf planets, in order from the Sun 5 items · ages 8+The five dwarf planets the International Astronomical Union recognizes. Not started The eras of geologic time 10 items · ages 12+Ten eras in three eons (the Hadean has none). Not started The four eons of Earth's history 4 items · ages 10+Four eons. Not started The periods of the last 539 million years 12 items · ages 10+Twelve periods of the Phanerozoic eon, oldest first. Not started The phases of the Moon, in order 8 items · ages 6+Eight phases in a cycle of about 29.5 days. Not started The planets, in order from the Sun 8 items · ages 5+Eight planets. Not started The ten brightest stars in the night sky 10 items · ages 9+The ten brightest stars after the Sun, by apparent magnitude (smaller and negative numbers are brighter). Not started The ten main cloud types 10 items · ages 8+The ten genera of the WMO International Cloud Atlas. Not started

History

Major wars in U.S. history, 1754 to 1991 11 items · ages 10+11 wars, from the French and Indian War to the Gulf War, with dates and the main sides only. Not started Major wars in world history, 499 BC to AD 1988 20 items · ages 10+20 wars, from the Greco-Persian Wars to the Iran–Iraq War, with dates and the main sides only. Not started Presidents of the United States, in order 47 items · ages 8+47 presidencies, 45 people. Not started The Gettysburg Address 20 items · ages 10+About 270 words in three paragraphs, split into 20 phrases to learn. Not started

Civics

The 27 amendments to the U.S. Constitution 27 items · ages 10+27 amendments. Not started The Preamble to the Constitution 9 items · ages 7+One sentence of 52 words, split into 9 phrases to learn. Not started The seven articles of the U.S. Constitution 7 items · ages 9+7 articles. Not started

Geography

Countries of Africa and their capitals 54 items · ages 9+54 countries, all UN members. Not started Countries of Asia and their capitals 48 items · ages 9+48 countries, counting the State of Palestine, a UN observer state, and Türkiye, Kazakhstan, Cyprus, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, which some maps place partly or wholly in Europe. Not started Countries of Europe and their capitals 44 items · ages 9+44 countries, counting the Holy See (Vatican City), a UN observer state, and Russia, which spans Europe and Asia. Not started Countries of North America and their capitals 23 items · ages 9+23 countries: Canada, the United States and Mexico, the seven of Central America and the thirteen island nations of the Caribbean. Not started Countries of Oceania and their capitals 14 items · ages 9+14 countries: Australia, New Zealand and the island nations of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. Not started Countries of South America and their capitals 12 items · ages 9+12 countries. Not started The 50 states: capitals and statehood, in order 50 items · ages 8+50 states, in the order they joined the Union. Not started The seven continents and five oceans 12 items · ages 5+7 continents and 5 oceans, each in order of size, largest first. Not started

Math

Exact metric conversions 12 items · ages 11+12 conversions. Not started Math formulas, level 1: shapes and solids 12 items · ages 9+12 formulas from elementary and middle school. Not started Math formulas, level 2: algebra and geometry 12 items · ages 12+12 formulas from middle and high school. Not started Math formulas, level 3: identities and rules 15 items · ages 14+15 rules from algebra, trigonometry and logarithms. Not started Metric prefixes, from tera to pico 12 items · ages 10+The 12 most used of the 24 SI prefixes. Not started Roman numerals 13 items · ages 7+13 symbols: the 7 letters (I, V, X, L, C, D, M) and the 6 standard subtraction pairs (IV, IX, XL, XC, CD, CM), in order of value. Not started

Language

The Greek alphabet 24 items · ages 8+24 letters, the standard alphabet since Athens adopted the Ionic letters in 403/402 BC. Not started

Scripture

Books of the Bible (66-book Protestant canon) 66 items · ages 6+66 books: 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New. Not started Books of the Bible (73-book Catholic canon) 73 items · ages 6+73 books: 46 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New, in the order and with the names used by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Not started

Everyday

The NATO phonetic alphabet 26 items · ages 7+26 code words, one for each letter, with NATO's official spellings: Alfa and Juliett are spelled that way on purpose, so that speakers of many languages say them correctly. Not started U.S. customary units: how many in one? 15 items · ages 8+15 facts, all exact by definition (NIST Handbook 44). Not started

More ways to practice

The Memory Ladder: short lessons on how memory works and the six techniques, from first principles.
Vocabulary flashcards and language flashcards, with spaced review.
Brain Games: Mosaic Memory, Coin Match, Numbers in Order and more.

Each list is printable from its page: a study sheet and a blank practice sheet.