False memories

Okay kiddo, let me explain what false memories mean to you. Imagine you went to the park yesterday with your family and played on the swings. Today, you tell your friend all about how you climbed the monkey bars too! But wait, did you really do that? Sometimes our brains can get mixed up and we might think we did something that we actually didn't. This is called a false memory.

Think of it like a puzzle. Your brain takes little pieces of information that it gets from your senses, like what you see, hear, touch, and smell, and puts them together to create a memory. Sometimes, your brain can add extra bits of information that you never actually experienced, like climbing the monkey bars, and you might believe that it really happened.

False memories can happen to anyone, but they are more common in kids because our brains are still developing and our imagination is very active. Just remember to double-check with trusted adults if you're not sure about a memory, and don't be too hard on yourself if you can't remember something perfectly.