Imagine trying to remember a phone number while following directions, listening to someone speak, or solving a maths problem in your head.

That's working memory in action.

⭐Your mental workspace

Think of working memory as your brain's mental notepad.

Unlike simply memorising facts, working memory is your brain's ability to hold, process, and actively use information in the moment.

That's why strong working memory plays such an important role in learning, organising, confidence, independence, and everyday performance.

What can stronger working memory help with?

Working memory supports many of the things we do every day, often without even thinking about it.

• Staying on track – keeping several steps in mind and knowing what needs to happen next.

• Taking in new information – making it easier to process, connect and use what you're learning.

• Making sense of what you read – holding onto information long enough to understand the bigger picture.

• Being more organised – keeping track of belongings, appointments, tasks and commitments.

• Following conversations – remembering what has been said while thinking about how to respond.

• Managing time – judging how long things take, planning ahead and keeping to a schedule.

• Thinking before acting – giving the brain more opportunity to consider what to do next.

💡 Why does this matter?

When working memory is overloaded, even straightforward tasks can feel surprisingly difficult. Strengthening it can help make learning, organisation and everyday thinking more manageable.

We rely on working memory every day, often without even noticing it. It helps us hold onto information while we're doing something with it.

Working memory helps us to:

✓ Follow instructions → remembering a sequence such as "get your book, turn to page 20 and answer questions 1-5."

✓ Learn new information → holding onto something new long enough to understand it and connect it with what you already know.

✓ Read and understand text → remembering the beginning of a sentence or paragraph while making sense of what comes next.

✓ Solve maths problems mentally → keeping numbers in mind while calculating the next step.

✓ Stay focused in busy environments → keeping track of the task even when there's noise, movement or other distractions around you.

✓ Plan, organise and prioritise → holding several tasks in mind while deciding what needs to be done first.

✓ Remember appointments and belongings → keeping track of where you need to be, what you need to take and what you need to do.

✓ Hold conversations → remembering what someone has just said while thinking about your response.

✓ Manage time effectively → keeping track of what you're doing, what still needs to be done and how much time you have available.

✓ Think before acting → holding the goal or instruction in mind long enough to pause and choose an appropriate response.

💡 Why does this matter?

From a child learning to read or follow classroom instructions to an adult juggling work, appointments and family life, working memory helps us keep track, stay organised and get things done.

Working memory difficulties can affect people of any age.

They can occur on their own, but they also appear in conditions such as:

• Dyslexia

• ADHD

• Dyspraxia (DCD)

• Stroke

• Reading and spelling difficulties

• Math difficulties

• Other conditions affecting attention and executive functioning like certain age-related cognitive decline

Improving working memory isn’t a cure, but it may help reduce some of the associated challenges and improve performance.

Effective cognitive training isn't simply about doing more exercises. The design and selection of each activity, level of challenge, schedule and frequency of training and overall programme structure all matter.

Cogmed brings these elements together in a carefully structured programme informed by cognitive neuroscience and psychology. The activities adapt as ability develops, creating an accessible training experience that is appropriate for children and adults.

⭐Clinically proven

Cogmed is a clinical tool built on decades of cognitive neuroscience research and backed by more than 120 peer-reviewed scientific studies.

Whether you're a young child, a teenager or an adult, the aim is the same: to strengthen working memory through a series of carefully designed, adaptive cognitive exercises that increase your brain's ability to hold, process, and use information more efficiently.

Research shows Cogmed can help many people improve their attention, concentration, and mental stamina.

⭐Every programme is personalised

No two people complete exactly the same training.

Cogmed continually adapts the design of the exercises and the level of difficulty based on each user's performance, ensuring every session is appropriately challenging and tailored to individual progress. Unlike many brain training games and apps, this adaptive process in combination with the clinical oversight from your Cogmed coach helps to ensure the exercises are working to strengthen the brain’s processing capacity and avoid the user simply learning how to do better at a particular exercise.

⭐ Keeping adults and children motivated

Both Cogmed Light and Cogmed Standard include optional reward activities, such as building on Cogmed Island. These are designed to celebrate progress and help maintain motivation throughout the training programme.

The rewards are separate from the cognitive exercises - they're simply a fun way to recognise and reward effort and consistency.

Each session includes a variety of interactive exercises that automatically adjust to your performance. As your skills improve, the tasks become more demanding, keeping you challenged without becoming overwhelming.

The exercises target a range of cognitive skills, including:

👁️ Visual memory - remembering what you see

📍 Visual-spatial memory - recalling locations and spatial information

👂 Auditory memory - retaining and processing information you hear

➡️ Forward sequencing - remembering information in the order it was presented

⬅️ Backward sequencing - recalling information in reverse order

💡 Why is sequencing so important?

Many Cogmed activities involve remembering information in a particular order because this is an essential part of working memory that underpins skills such as:

• Following multi-step instructions

• Organising thoughts

• Reading and spelling

• Mental arithmetic

• Planning ahead

For people with weaker working memory, keeping information in the correct sequence can be especially challenging. Regular practice helps the brain become more efficient at managing and connecting information, making everyday learning and thinking easier.

What to expect:

• Approximately 5 weeks of guided training*

• Sessions completed from home

• Interactive exercises that adapt to progress

• Ongoing support from a qualified Cogmed coach

• Progress tracked throughout the programme

*Where appropriate, training can be spread over a longer period to better suit individual learning needs and schedules.

🧸 Cogmed Light

Designed for:

• Younger children

• Individuals with limited language skills

The activities are age-appropriate and engaging, helping children build working memory in a fun and accessible way.

🎯 Cogmed Standard

Suitable for:

• Children aged 8+

• Teenagers

• Adults

This version offers a wider range of cognitive exercises that become progressively more challenging as performance improves.

💼 Cogmed Focus

For adults or returning users who want a streamlined experience, Cogmed Focus provides the same evidence-based training without the game-style reward elements.

It's a popular choice for annual "brain tune-ups" or those who prefer a more direct training format.

Technology requirements:

For the best experience, you'll need:

✔ A reliable internet connection

✔ A desktop or laptop computer

✔ A modern web browser

✔ A handheld mouse (recommended)

Although Cogmed can run on a range of devices, we generally recommend using a desktop or laptop computer. The larger screen and more precise controls help minimise distractions and make the training more comfortable and effective.