One of the best strategies to teach students material that requires memorization is through online games. Interactive activities take away tension and boredom, and substitutes learning that is primarily fun.
There are many websites that offer games online free of charge, like Sheppard Software, where educators and students will find interesting and well-crafted science games, including periodic table games, element matching activities and quizzes. All these games are at different levels of difficulty, ranging from 'learning' to 'master' level.
When it comes to memorizing the periodic table of elements, learning songs and songwriting play a major role in learning. Singing is not only fun, but it also allows students to understand that science does not need to be a stern discipline.
Many instructors use songs available online, particularly on YouTube, to help students memorize the elements. Many students are often inclined to write their own lyrics and share their songs with their classmates.
Students, sometimes, prefer more standard memorizing techniques, which include the use of flash cards. Many educators often encourage their students to make their own flash cards, which helps them memorize the elements as they prepare the flash cards.
Many students, however, do not have the patience or the time to prepare flash cards. There are websites, like Jefferson Lab, which offer free printable flash cards to help students memorize the elements and their respective symbols.
Like songwriting, many educators encourage their students to work on creative writing assignments that will help them explore the properties of the elements. These assignments often are short stories or poems on specific elements, and even comic books.
As students develop the plot and their characters, which are the elements, they usually show inclination to do more research on the elements they are writing about so they can write the stories properly.