Children are vivacious and playful and to expect them to have a long attention span would not be fair. As they grow older, children can concentrate for a longer period. Concentration for kids needs to be cultivated and there are few ways to achieve this.
- Take A Deep Breath
Breathing exercises have long been associated with concentration building. Start a morning routine for the whole family to do Pranayama or Yoga exercises for breathing followed by some physical exercise as it is associated with a strong supply of oxygen to the brain. It does wonders to increase focus and concentration in kids and adults alike.
- Break It Down
When a child is faced with a mammoth task to do, he loses focus easily. Homework from school and extracurricular activities can make him feel overwhelmed. Break it down into smaller segments while giving short fun breaks in between. This concentration developing trick makes the task more interesting and sustainable.
- Goal Achieved
Everyone wants to feel appreciated for their work and this sense of achievement comes when you can complete a task. Set daily work goals for kids to help around the house. Chores like watering the plants, laying the table for dinner, shell fresh peas help in two ways. Firstly, it helps them to complete a task in each time and secondly, it helps to focus on a given task which in turn increases concentration span.
- Reduce Gadget Time
Nowadays the easiest way to keep a child engaged is buying a gadget for him to play or watch cartoons. As the child gets older, this becomes an addiction. Research tells us that over a period it numbs the nervous system. To overcome this, try to limit screen time for the whole family by setting up a weekly time schedule where only a certain number of hours on the weekend is assigned to gadgets. This motivates your child to get involved in other activities like reading, drawing, or playing sports which is beneficial in developing concentration and focus.
- Schedule Reading Time
Encouraging daily reading practice for kids helps them develop vocabulary, at the same time, facilitates concentration. This is especially helpful for kids who learn more by Visual and Auditory methods of learning. Ask your child to read aloud to you from a storybook while you do your chores or show them a picture book and ask them to narrate a story based on it. Flashcards also help when it comes to building a story. Listening to music while reading is another good way to focus more.
- Dedicate A Space
Often your child will get up while reading to find a sharpener and then get busy in playing. To avoid this try arranging all things your child will need in a dedicated space which ensures that he has what he needs at hand and does not need to leave the task midway. This helps in increasing the attention span and will help build concentration for kids.
- Focus Games
All children love playing games, outdoors or indoors. Playing outdoor sports supply enough oxygen to the brain while indoor games help children build concentration exercises. Encourage your child to play Uno, ‘Picture puzzles’, memory games such as tongue twisters and counting backwards with family and friends. This activity helps children develop link sequencing and improve concentration skills.
It takes patience and time to develop child concentration exercises. The upside is that once the habit of a longer concentration and focus span is developed, it will be beneficial throughout life.
Author Bio:
Samidha Raj works as part of the content marketing team at Planet Spark, a platform that provides online classes to K8 learners on “New Age Skills” like, English Communication, Public Speaking, Grammar, Creative Writing, Debating, etc. She is passionate about empowering the youth by educating parents about the importance of 21st-century skills. In her free time, you can find her watching documentaries or animated movies and organizing game nights (board games are her thing)!
