These Techniques Can Improve Your Child’s Concentration Skills
Some people just have problems concentrating. The inability to focus effectively can be a short-term or a long-term challenge. It impacts everyday life and can make learning very difficult.
You can’t always change the circumstances or surroundings that make focusing difficult, but there are ways your child could learn to cut through distractions so they can ultimately concentrate better for a longer stretch of time.
We’re going to offer a handful of strategies to try if your child is having trouble staying focused and concentrating effectively.
Snap Back to Focus
Even with their best efforts, focusing and concentrating can be difficult for some children. Discuss with your child a signal that you can use if you think their mind has started to wander. Try saying a particular word or putting your hand on their shoulder. You may even want to relay these strategies to your child’s teacher so they can use them at school as well.
Experiment to Figure Out What Works
Some sounds can be a distraction to some and pleasant to others. In order to focus, some people actually need background noise. Others must have it completely quiet. Find out what works best for your child. While doing homework, they may want music in the background. You’ve got nothing to lose by seeing how it goes through a test run.
Attempt Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a very important skill to cultivate. It is the state of being completely present in the current moment without being too distracted by or reactive to the things that occur around us.
Your child can improve their focus at school by learning and doing mindfulness exercises on a regular basis. You should also explain to your child the concept of mindfulness in a way that is easy to understand.
How can you help your child develop and exercise mindfulness to improve memory and attention span? Try this: Have them focus on breathing in and out while they sit quietly. Before a test or a class, it could make a big difference if they sit down, relax, and take a few deep breaths.
Use a Timer
You can help your kids realize that there is a limit to their concentration and focus time. Try this: use a timer to track the length of time your child needs to work. As their focus and stamina increase, you can increase the amount of study time little by little. In addition, break tasks into chunks to get things started and make things a little easier.
Don’t Overload Your Child with Directions
Kids can have a hard time listening to directions, remembering them, and then following through, especially if they struggle with focus and concentration. Don’t offer too many directions at once, thereby overloading your child. Giving too many instructions to a child all at once may cause them to get distracted due to being mentally overwhelmed. This would most likely lead to them spending their mental energy elsewhere rather than the task at hand.
Don’t Procrastinate
It should not take your child more than two minutes to start working on a new task, whether it’s a household chore or school project. It’s understandable that it’s hard to give 100% from the get-go. However, your child should not procrastinate. They will naturally become increasingly accustomed to easily and smoothly carrying out tasks or sets of tasks that require concentration.
Could Your Child Use Some Help To Improve Their Concentration Skills?
Every child has boundless potential when it comes to learning. We, at JEI Learning Center, firmly believe this! For that reason, we provide a wide range of after-school education programs. We utilize an effective, scientific educational system that adjusts to each student’s abilities and needs. If your child wants to improve their concentration, we can help.
Contact us today if you want to learn more about improving your child’s focus. To find a learning center near you, click here.
