7 easy tips to improve your little one’s concentration

It’s often a challenge to get children to sit at a place for a while, focus, and finish a task. The main reason they lack concentration and get distracted easily is that their minds work differently from adults. Breathing exercises, lectures on the importance of studying and other ‘adult’ methods of learning concentration give limited results. Here are some easy tips to help your kid concentrate – in ways that work with kids.  

Start by changing yourself and be open to what works best. Some people need total quiet to focus. Others do better with noise. If your child wants to listen to music while doing homework, try it out.

Set reasonable time limits for tasks. Trying to do something cannot turn into a lifelong experiment. New and challenging work, like solving a new type of Math problems, need more time than routine activity such as getting ready for bed.

Talk to your kid. Understand what he or she finds difficult, and help them set their own goals and timelines. This works well with kids of all ages till they enter college.

Let kids concentrate on one thing at a time. We may be proud of multitasking as adults, but the same may not be true for kids. Multitasking can reduce concentration and diminishes our performance.

Try fixing study and play zones. For example, homework can happen at a designated desk or table in a quiet room without a TV, but with adequate ventilation. Classrooms inspire concentration; you are creating that quiet, secure, friendly but serious study atmosphere at home.

Regulate screen-based study hours. This is very tough post pandemic, and kids will wrack their brains to find an excuse to get back online. Study from home does not include endless hours chatting with friends on the mobile or surfing social media in the name of joint study. Set the rules, be strict, and reward them with an extra hour on the devices every weekend.

Introduce the concept of planned breaks. We work better at office when we incorporate tea breaks or short walks in the car park. Kids also need to refresh and recharge. Build in a favourite activity in the break to make it more attractive.