Many students, especially younger children, have a hard time focusing on tasks both at home and in the classroom. Children naturally have a lot of energy—energy that can lead to concentration difficulties that hinder their ability to learn and retain information.
It’s natural for parents to worry that their child might have a condition such as ADD/ADHD. Focus and self-control are skills children need to learn (and practice); lack of these skills doesn’t necessarily indicate a learning disability. It just means your child needs to take the necessary steps to improve his or her concentration skills.
Continue reading to learn how to improve your child’s concentration and focus with concentration tips and exercises for kids.
Concentration & Focus Issues: Signs To Watch For
Most children experience concentration issues at one point or another. It’s a natural progression as children progress through school and are required to focus for longer periods of time. As a result, it’s important to watch for signs that indicate your child is having a hard time focusing so you can work together to improve the issue.
Some of the most common red flags include:
- Staring into space
- Unable to maintain a train of thought
- Needing directions repeated
- Fidgetiness
- Not listening when spoken to
Tips, Games, and Child Concentration Exercises
If this sounds like your child, there are a number of focusing exercises and games to help increase concentration and teach your child how to remain focused.
Try these tips, games, and concentration exercises to build your child’s attention span and ability to focus in the classroom:
Concentration Tips
- Prepare a distraction-free environment
- Keep necessary materials reachable
- Stick to a routine
- Take breaks
- Memory games
- Puzzles
- Timed activities
- Cooking activities
- Building activities
Keep gadgets and electronic devices switched off during times that your child needs to focus. This will help him or her concentrate on the task at hand without a reason for his or her attention to shift elsewhere.
Keep everything that’s required for your child’s activity within arms reach. This prevents your child from needing to get up to gather things mid-way through his or her work.
A regular routine will help your child understand when it’s time to play and when it’s time to study and focus.
It’s important to allow for breaks when it comes to studying and homework, particularly for younger children. This gives your child a chance to recharge, both physically and mentally, before focusing again.
Concentration Games & Activities
Memory games like matching cards are a popular concentration game for kids. These activities rely on a child’s ability to focus and memorize words, visuals, or signals. This builds concentration in a way that’s fun and easy to practice.
Puzzles are great child concentration exercises that work for all ages. Students quickly become committed to solving the problem or finding a solution, leading to greatly improved focus and concentration skills.
Timed games and activities encourage students to focus on a specific task during a set time frame. By creating time limits, children can practice keeping their attention focused and parents can monitor and can steadily increase the limit, thus developing attention span. These activities are particularly helpful for determining if your child’s focus abilities are improving and at what rate.
Cooking is a great activity that encourages children to focus, follow instructions, and successfully complete a recipe from start to finish. At home, cooking with your child is a great way to teach focus and commitment to a task.
Whether it’s building a house of cards or crafting skyscrapers from glue and sticks, building activities help children focus and work individually to create something that satisfies them.
Monitoring Improvements
Now that you know how to start improving your child’s concentration and focus, it’s time to start practicing. Over time you’ll see improvements in your child’s ability to focus on tasks longer and with higher concentration. Signs of improving concentration skills include less time spent on homework, longer periods of concentration, increased focus during conversations or activities, and an overall more positive attitude towards school and homework.
If you’re still concerned, it’s important to seek out resources that will help your child manage his or her specific learning difficulties. GradePower Learning offers numerous resources and personalized support tailored to students with learning difficulties that will help your child improve in the classroom.
Contact a GradePower Learning location today to get started.
