Two experiments evaluated the effects of mnemonic training upon 5- and 10-year-old children's learning and retention of patterns at varying intervals. Subjects were 172 middle class children evenly distributed across the two age groups. Experiment I investigated the effects of individual strategies (perceptual exploration, organization of distinctive features, or verbal cues) and reinforcement on retention by children of both age levels after a 3-minute interval. Experiment II investigated the effects of a constant sequence of all three strategies (perceptual exploration, organization of distinctive features, and verbal cues, in that order) and reinforcement on retention after 3-minute, 1-week, and 1-month intervals. Item recognition and reaction times were recorded for all recognition tests. The results indicated that training in both individual strategies and a sequence of strategies facilitated 5- and 10-year-old children's retention of patterns at all intervals. Reinforcement at the time of training was found to be effective in the retention of patterns. Item recognition diminished with lengthening intervals, but decreases were smaller for trained groups. The 10-year-old children had shorter reaction times than did 5-year-old children. Implications for classroom learning are noted briefly. (Author/MS)