You may have heard the expression, and even experienced that "my son gets distracted by a fly flying." What if, keeping a child's concentration is one of the most complicated things. Especially if we try to keep her in what the adult is interested in doing and for as long as we need her to be focused.
In contrast to this, you will have observed that your son or daughter can dedicate the greatest concentration and the time that is necessary to that activity that interests him. That is the crux of the matter, children only pay attention to what interests them. This is our greatest challenge as educators or parents, to make things interesting for them.
4 steps that help you with the little ones
We give you four steps that help improve children's concentration, even if you don't think they are miraculous. They are tools that will help you and them, but you have to be constant.
- If the child is small, everything will attract his attention. You will switch from one activity to another immediately. It's good teach him that each task has its time.
- Although you may not believe it, a way to improve children's concentration is your diet. Breakfast is the most important meal, try to make it a complete breakfast and, if you can, be with him or her at all their meals
- Make sure do not spend time indoors. Take it to the park, for a walk or in contact with nature. This will oxygenate your brain and help you focus.
- In this same line goes the sport, or group activities, which will help you focus on the team and your own role
Aids for school learning
If we manage to attend to just one stimulus, our mind will learn much better and faster. That is why concentration is essential for learning. So avoid distractions while the child performs tasks, like mobile interruptions, noise from vacuum cleaners, television, and the like.
Change subject or subject study from time to time help. And it is that when starting a new task the attention process is greater. Is better do homework at the same time every day. If a child gets used to making the effort to concentrate at the same time every day, after a few days he will make it easier for his mind to concentrate at that time.
Intersperse breaks, and leaves the most difficult task (for him) to do it towards the middle of the time in which you have scheduled it. Taking breaks is good to regain concentration, but it is not about having an hour-long snack. But just about 5 minutes to go to the bathroom, stretch, play a quick game, and then get back to work.
Ichigyio zammai, the Japanese art of concentration for children
Oriental cultures are very fashionable today. The Ichigyio zammai is a Japanese term that refers to power concentrate fully on a single activity. This art can help children, adolescents and adults, since we all live immersed in multitasking.
One way to teach children to do one thing at a time is make a list of what they have to do. First things most important, not most urgent. He eliminates from his thinking ideas such as that he is not good at some subject, or that he does not understand what he reads. Try to avoid prejudice.
Teach them to focus on exercise, not what remains to be done. For example, if you are doing a sum, think about the sum, then write it down. Now you can look at the next sum. Reinforce this idea, he or she will find that it is more efficient and faster when concentrating on one task only.
All of this sounds simple, but we know it is not. Do not be angry, or scold him if he does not get it the first time.
If you need to read more about this topic, I recommend you this article.