How to improve attention span in children
For children to learn to develop their attention, parents play a very important role, so we must dedicate time to help them.
Many parents come to the consultation of the psychopedagogue complaining about the lack of attention in children when studying, something that makes it extremely difficult for them to learn new content. They say that they have tried everything but do not know what may be happening that their child is so inattentive. In many cases, the causes are often too daily and are overlooked.
A poor diet, bad daily habits, watching television too long, playing video games, not receiving parental attention, lack of interest in things around you or apathy due to emotional problems can be some factors that should be taken into account when looking for the best solutions and that children are able to improve attention.
Index
ATTENTION IN YOUNG CHILDREN
There are child development experts who say that, on average, a 4- or 5-year-old should be able to stay focused on a 2-5 minute task depending on how old they are. For example, a 4-year-old may have the ability to concentrate between 4 and 20 minutes, and even longer if the task motivates him.
But as in everything, children ‘s ability to concentrate will depend on the situation since this ability has to be contextualized. The concentration that a child can have first thing in the morning, at noon, before nap or before going to bed is not the same. As in adults, the ability to concentrate is elastic and will depend on the context and characteristics of children.
TAKE CARE OF YOUR CHILDREN SO THAT THEY PAY ATTENTION
The amount of attention a child pays on an assignment or when they need to study has a lot to do with whether or not the child is enjoying that activity. Many children have a hard time when asked about something they don’t want to do, often having trouble paying attention and concentrating. Children when they enter school must do structured, repetitive, academic and in many cases, boring tasks.
It is necessary that for children to pay attention to the tasks they are developing they are motivated in what they do and age must also be taken into account. For example, a 5-year-old child may spend 30 minutes playing with cars but not more than a few minutes writing his name on a piece of paper and sitting down (instead in sand or other more attractive material he may spend more time enjoying the activity ).
Children need attention from their parents to realize how fun an activity can be and even study, they will need your guidance to be able to learn and internalize the knowledge and make it their own.
CREATIVITY CANNOT BE LACKING
It is necessary that for children to improve their attention span , creativity is taken into account , since it can turn the most boring activity into a very fun and satisfying one. For example, instead of repeatedly insisting on writing the letter “A” with a pencil in the book, you can encourage him to write it with chalk, shape it with plasticine , and so on.
For example, in young children, books can be too overwhelming, it is much more fun to cut out pictures from magazines and find all the letters that contain the letter A , or to paint them on a blank paper with finger paint … there is! so many ways to get them to pay attention and also improve their fine motor skills! Children if they have fun and have a good time, will have no problem focusing their attention on what they are doing. But in this case, it is the duty of the adult (and not the child) to make learning become games, fun and have a good time adults and children to strengthen knowledge. Once you do this, you will realize how learning cannot be boring.
If a child in his first years of school does activities that motivate him and make him feel good, it is very likely that he can have a good link with knowledge . Thus, as you grow older and the concepts become somewhat more complicated, you will feel that it is not an obligation and that learning new things is something motivating and fun. This will create a healthy relationship with learning that will help you succeed.
THE POWER OF THE FAMILY FOR IMPROVEMENT
Board games and memory games strengthen attention muscles , so it is interesting that parents take quality time daily to point out the details of their environment and spend time playing. For example, if they are going for a walk, parents can stop and point to the colors of the flowers they see or talk about clouds or the shape and feel of rocks or grass.
But for children to pay attention, parents must also pay attention to them and what they do on a daily basis. A father who does not pay attention to his children or who prefers to do other things than help them for example with homework , will make the child feel that he is not important and this will make him scatter often.
If an adult frequently scatters his mind, we cannot expect a child to be able to do so whenever we demand it. The best way to get a child to pay attention is to be physically close to the child and not yell at them about things to do from the kitchen or living room. Or in the case of teachers, tell the whole class what to do without knowing for sure if all the children have understood the steps to be carried out or if they need a somewhat simpler guide.
Children need closeness and the adult should stand in front of the child, make eye contact, get at eye level, touch him on the shoulder and speak to him directly when you have asked him to look you in the eye so he can listen to you.
Dr. Tabriella Perivolaris, Sara's mother and fan of fashion, beauty, motherhood, among others, about the female universe. Since 2018 she has been working as a copywriter, always bringing to her articles a little of her experience and experience as a mother and woman.