Children's Earliest Memories: A Narrative Study

Abstract

This article explores the concept of children's autobiographical memory that is evident from the age of four onwards. Recent findings on the construction of memories, the development of narrative ability and the impact of culture on memory are discussed in relation to an exploratory study of children's earliest memories. Although no conclusion could be made as to whether children's memories are co-constructed or spontaneous, findings show that earliest memories were of atypical events that had occurred in the child's life. Implications for learning and teaching of young children are included.