Getting a child to concentrate is a struggle for most teachers and parents. Children naturally find it difficult to concentrate for a long time. Firstly you need to understand that the childhood phase is when a child get to explore, feed their curiosity and bring out the Einstein in them and this can’t be done by sitting at a spot and listening to Mummy, Daddy, Teacher or anyone talking at length.
The goal and the reason for this post is to teach you how yo get a child concentrate just so they can understand what you’re saying, finish up their assignments and other necessary chores.
PLAY GAMES THAT IMPROVES CONCENTRATION
Getting a child to concentrate will require you to be strategic in all you do and these also involves the games they play.
- Puzzles
- Thinking games
- Memorization games
- Spot the difference
These are examples of games that would help improve a child’s concentration span.
HAVE ATTENTION BREAKS
Attention breaks are breaks of about 5 minutes observed during a lesson. The purpose of this break is not for the child to eat or sleep but for the teacher or parent to ensure the child understands what has been said.
Attention breaks should be used to
- ask questions
- give quick group tasks
- allow the child contribute to the topic
- give quick tests
- have the child ask question
When the above is done, it arouses the child’s consciousness and makes it easier for them to concentrate.
GIVE YOUR CHILD A HEALTHY DIET
We should be mindful of what our children eat. Eating junks and other sugary foods will only make a child hyperactive. Your child’s diet should be balances with lots of fruits vegetables and protein as this will boost the child’s performance.
GET RID OF DISTRACTIONS IN THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
Like I said earlier, children are naturally inquisitive, curious and adventurous and thus everything excites them and triggers their play mode. So when setting up a learning environment you would want to ensure that it is devoid of any form of distractions that might cause a detriment to the child’s learning.
UNDERSTAND EACH CHILD’S LEARNING STYLE
Children differ and the same approach shouldn’t be expected to work on them all. Child A might enjoy a child where the teacher explains verbally while child B might prefer the use of pictures and videos.
There are basically three types of learners.
- Visual learners: Learners who understands better by watching demonstrations.
- Auditory learners: Those who understand better by listening.
- Kinesthetic learners: Learners who understand better by engaging in physical activities.
To improve the attention span of children, you must be able to create a balance and make provision for each type of learner.
BREAK LARGE TOPICS INTO SMALLER PARTS
I know the curriculum isn’t helping matters as teachers are always expected to cover up numerous topics within a stipulated time. Children get bored when a lesson, note or explanation is too lengthy. There was a time I was trying to get my students memorize a definition and due to the length they all started yawning, they were obviously tired and I just had to break the definition into bits and we were good to go.
HAVE A WELL DRAFTED TIME TABLE
There are subjects that should be taught in the morning and there are others that are suitable for afternoon. Imagine teaching mathematics in the afternoon, it isn’t right. So when drafting a time table please out the children into consideration.
BE CREATIVE, DRAMATIC AND MAKE CLASS FUN
When I said dramatic I mean using good physical expressions in class when explaining a topic. When I’m teaching my students especially subjects I know they don’t enjoy, I try to be dramatic. I jump, hit their table, dance and out a lot of expression and most times I ask them to do same. The result this gives is that they won’t forget the class and what they’ve learnt because of all the fun they had. So please don’t be a boring teacher. Be creative.
In conclusion, please don’t be harsh to a child just because they don’t concentrate in class. Its not their fault and they certainly don’t have control over it. The best you can do is to consciously work towards belong them concentrate longer in class.
Let children have the best of their childhood.
MISS DAIRO'S SPACE 