How To Overcome Distraction In Children

This generation faces a major challenge where they are unable to focus. This is primarily due to a shorter attention span which has been affected by the introduction to various technological advancements at a very nascent age in a kid’s life. Kids nowadays are raised by “screenagers,” where parents are too hooked on their mobile phones or their laptops. We seldom use the magic wand of the screen to calm our kids down, be it nursery rhymes at the age of 6 months or be it entertainment or educational aid later on.

Unlike today’s generation, the earlier generation would often pick up a book to read. Current current generation likes to watch a video or a reel which is not only quick but also engaging. This affects the attention span of a child which seems to reduce with each passing generation resulting in higher distraction.

So how do you deal with this ever-diminishing trait focus? Here are some great tips to help your children avoid getting distracted.

1. Minimize Visual Distractions:

While a child is struggling with a challenging task at hand, a messy classroom or desk can make it impossible to keep his/her brain where it needs to be. For better concentration, it is vital to minimize or remove unnecessary clutter and visual experiences from their study desk.

2. Introduce Memory Games:

Memory games help grab the attention of kids in an entertaining way enabling them to remain engaged and focused. This helps them not only concentrate on a challenging task but also increases their attention span.

3. Break Down Tasks:

It is always easy to learn a mathematical table of 2 alone compared to trying to learn a table from 2 to 10. Having a child to focus for a longer timeframe to perform a small part of the entire task can work wonderfully. Give often breaks for the child to rejuvenate then get him back with a revision of previous learning and continue with the leftover task.

4. Know Your Child:

The first thing you should know is that children have much shorter attention spans compared to adults. As per research, a child’s maximum attention span is about two to three times his age. Therefore a five-year-old child would have an attention span of, fifteen minutes as his/her best.
Also, ensure that other things around them are taken care of. Like making sure your child is well-rested and is not hungry. Additionally, different children focus better at different times of the day, you can identify their peak time to ensure optimal focus. Also, if the attention span is better in the morning give critical and important tasks for completion and keep the remaining tasks for the latter half of the day.

5. Set a Routine:

It’s a proven fact that children thrive on routine. Children who lack focus become even more distracted and off-task when they do not follow a constant schedule. As a parent, we at Harshad Valia International School advise you to build a ‘focus task time’ into their daily lives that becomes a constant part of their daily routine.

6. Allow Free Time:

Many students with focus trouble also have sleepless nights. As mentioned above a predefined routine will not only allow them to go to bed at night time but will also keep them longing for what’s next in the routine.

7. Working Together:

Children from birth pay more attention to items and people closest to them. So, your presence will surely help them to focus better. Start by reading a storybook to them, that way you are around them and also they feel secure while learning something new. Additionally, you can work on a puzzle or help them build using Lego is a surely enjoyable way to help boost focus for your little one.
Most parents today become one-sided and hence are unsuccessful in boosting focus stills in children. Hence you need to critically learn the difference between what you want your children to do and what they like to do. For instance, If you want your children to improve their reading and writing skills, you need to first judge what interests them. Then you can find relevant genre books or reading and writing material. Remember they will last longer with these books as they find them interesting.

Last words of Advise:

Parents can use the above-mentioned strategies to increase their children’s attention span and reduce distractions. By taking conscious steps, parents can aid the children to focus more on their studies.

ALL THE BEST !