Can your kid focus the attention on tasks, chores or studies?
For most kids, it is difficult to focus for more than a few moments on any task, and that’s quite natural, due to their curiosity, exuberance and energy.
However, concentration and focus are essential for studying, for homework and for the completion of any task.
Grown up people can improve their concentration with special exercises, however, with children, one needs to use different strategies.
You can help your child increase his or her concentration in various ways. These ways, will teach the child certain habits and rules, which would make it easier to focus and become less restless, while doing homework or carrying out tasks.
10 Tips to Help Increase Your Child’s Concentration
1. Divide a Big Task into Small Tasks
A big task requires too much concentration and discipline, so it would be a good idea to divide it into smaller tasks. This could be applied to homework, housework and learning new skills.
Carrying out small projects, which lead to the completion of a major project, makes the project less intimidating and easier to focus on, and it also bestows the feeling of progress and movement.
A big task that requires time, dedication and focus, might seem intimating and overwhelming, and can awaken reluctance and procrastination. A small task seems easier to carry through, and it creates less resistance.
2. Reducing Distractions
Unless engaged in something they really like, children might find it difficult to screen out distractions. You need to keep the environment where they learn, study or carry out tasks, as distraction-free as possible.
Be especially wary of television, loud music, noises, and anything else that might distract the child’s attention.
3. Television and Cell Phones
It is not a good idea to watch TV while doing homework, since this distracts the attention. Text messages and the social media also interrupt the concentration. Encourage and teach your child not to read text messages or use cell phones, while studying and doing homework.
4. Doing Homework at the Same Hour Every Day
Repeating the same activity every day at the same hour, eventually, turns it into a habit. If a child sits down for homework every day at the same hour, after a while, when the hour comes, there will be less effort required to focus. The mind will know that the time for homework has arrived, and would be more willing to study.
5. Give Them Enough Physical Activity
Some physical activity, like playing, running or some sports, between study and tasks, would supply a way to vent out extra energy. This would help the child to be less restless, offset boredom, and make it easier focus.
6. Let Children Have Play and Fun
Giving children too many tasks and involving them in too many activities can be overwhelming and tiring for their brains. As a parent, you should allow them enough time for pleasure and fun, so they don’t feel too pressurized.
7. Enough Rest
Ensure that the child gets enough sleep at night, and also, some rest during the day.
8. Set Time for the Completion of a Goal
Set the time for completing a goal, like ten minutes, twenty minutes, etc. This can force the kid to focus, so as to finish the goal within the time limits. However, you should be careful with this, since some children might find setting time limits too pressurizing, and this could cause them anxiety and disturb their focus.
9. Let Them Play Games that Require Focus
You can train and strengthen a child’s ability to focus by playing games that require thinking. There are a lot of such games, which you can find in stores selling games for children.
Playing games that require focusing, planning and the use of memory combine fun with concentration.
10. Allow Some Time before Beginning a New Task
When your child is busy, tell him what he has to do next, but allow a few minutes of rest, between finishing the task and starting the new one. This would prevent tension and inner resistance.
If you wish to get better results, you need to set a personal example.
You need to improve your own focus. Then, you will be in a better position to teach.
You can find all the instructions, guidance and exercises for strengthening this skill in our book about this topic.