Age differences in multitrial free recall were examined by administering three instructional conditions to Ss in Grades I, V, and IX: ( a) standard instructions; ( b) overtly rehearse during picture presentation; ( c) “chunk” the items by establishing mediational links. Recall, organization, and S-units (subjective groupings) increased with Grade. At Grade I, type of instruction had no effect on recall or organization but S-units increased under chunking instructions. All performance measures, at Grade V, were facilitated by chunking instructions. An adultlike performance pattern, a slight improvement under chunking instructions and a small decline with rehearsal instructions, was obtained at Grade IX. The discussion considered: the relation between age and memory mechanisms; the productional, mediational, and retrieval aspects of children's organization.