The Reading / Listening - Babies' Memories - Level 4

Most of us cannot remember being a baby. However, some people say they can. Researchers in the United States studied why people have no recollection of things that happened in their earliest years. The researchers investigated whether babies formed memories. A researcher suggested babies may not be able to form memories. He said: "Babies' brains have the capacity for forming memories, but how long-lasting these memories are is still an open question."

The research suggests that babies could store some memories. They used a special scanner to look at activity in an area of babies' brains called the hippocampus. This is where memories are created. The research found that babies could form memories from the age of two months. They could find patterns in faces, language, and daily routines. However, memory which allows babies to recall events may not occur until the hippocampus is more mature.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Babies' Memories - Level 5 or  Babies' Memories - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/29/why-cant-we-remember-our-early-years-do-babies-make-memories-at-all
  • https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00855-0
  • https://www.science.org/content/article/pioneering-study-scans-babies-brains-they-form-memories


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. Most of us
  2. being
  3. some people say
  4. people have no
  5. things that happened
  6. investigated whether babies
  7. brains have the capacity for
  8. still an open
  1. in their earliest years
  2. forming memories
  3. a baby
  4. question
  5. recollection
  6. cannot remember
  7. formed memories
  8. they can

Paragraph 2

  1. babies could store
  2. They used a special
  3. look at activity in an area
  4. This is where memories
  5. form memories from the age
  6. daily
  7. memory which allows babies
  8. until the hippocampus is
  1. of two months
  2. of babies' brains
  3. routines
  4. more mature
  5. to recall events
  6. some memories
  7. are created
  8. scanner

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Most of us cannot (1) ________________________________________________ baby. However, some people (2) ________________________________________________. Researchers in the United States studied why people (3) ________________________________________________ of things that happened in their earliest years. The researchers investigated whether babies formed memories. A researcher suggested babies may not (4) ________________________________________________ form memories. He said: "Babies' brains have the (5) ________________________________________________ memories, but how long-lasting these memories are is (6) ________________________________________________ question."

The research suggests that babies (7) ________________________________________________ memories. They used a special scanner to (8) ________________________________________________ in an area of babies' brains called the hippocampus. This is where (9) ________________________________________________. The research found that babies could form memories (10) ________________________________________________ of two months. They could find patterns in faces, language, and daily routines. However, memory which allows babies (11) ________________________________________________ may not occur until the hippocampus (12) ________________________________________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Mostofuscannotrememberbeingababy.However,somepeoplesaythe
ycan.ResearchersintheUnitedStatesstudiedwhypeoplehavenorecoll
ectionofthingsthathappenedintheirearliestyears.Theresearchersinv
estigatedwhetherbabiesformedmemories.Aresearchersuggestedba
biesmaynotbeabletoformmemories.Hesaid:"Babies'brainshavethec
apacityforformingmemories,buthowlong-lastingthesememoriesar
eisstillanopenquestion."Theresearchsuggeststhatbabiescouldstore
somememories.Theyusedaspecialscannertolookatactivityinanarea
ofbabies'brainscalledthehippocampus.Thisiswherememoriesarecre
ated.Theresearchfoundthatbabiescouldformmemoriesfromtheageo
ftwomonths.Theycouldfindpatternsinfaces,language,anddailyrouti
nes.However,memorywhichallowsbabiestorecalleventsmaynotoccu
runtilthehippocampusismoremature.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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