New research at The Australian National University (ANU) will explore how sleep can affect learning in young children.

Dr Emma Axelsson of the ANU School of Psychology said the research would focus on three year olds and memory. She said the results could help inform parents as well as policy makers.

"There's a lot of strong opinions when it comes to sleep in early childhood. Not everyone is aware of how important sleep is when it comes to learning," Dr Axelsson said.

"Existing studies show that a child's memory is actually being enhanced after a period of sleep. Even just a short nap can lead to memory improvements," she said.

The study will use a technique known as fast mapping, a method of learning where children pick up new words through the process of elimination.

Dr Axelsson said participants will then be split into two groups of children, with one group taking a short nap while the other stays awake. The goal is to measure the affect a short sleep has on memory retention.

"We want to find out if they are they actually remembering the new words they are learning, and what affect sleep has," she said.

"It's exploratory, we don't know if we'll find anything but it's possible."

The study will look at three-year-olds (30-38 months) and the research team is currently seeking volunteers.

Study participants will take a 30 minute word-games session at the ANU and a home-based quiz later in the day to see how much new information they have remembered.

"Children usually enjoy these types of activities, so we hope people will have fun," she said.

Anyone who has a three-year-old child and would like to take part in the study, please contact 02 6125 0788 or email childcog@anu.edu.au.