• Published by Theofania Natasya Rukma, S.Psi from Blubridge Center 

My child is going to elementary school soon, but children find it difficult to focus when studying. How can he succeed in elementary school later?

Many parents with preschool age children experience this concern. So, what can parents do to improve their children's concentration?

Daily routine

Set a schedule for the child. From the time he wakes up until he goes back to sleep, what activities will he do, including a schedule for rest, eating, and playing. Having a schedule allows the child to know how long he has to do the task, and what activities he will do after that. Thus, children are more motivated to engage in activities (including activities other than studying or other tasks).

Meet his basic needs

Before asking a child to do or learn something, make sure the child's basic needs are met. Is he eating and sleeping enough? When children feel hungry or tired, children tend to find it difficult to focus on listening to instructions and studying. So, make sure the child has slept and eaten with sufficient duration and nutrition.

Movement breaks

Give the child time to movement breaks. Young children do not have the same attention span as adults. Children aged 2 years do not have the same range of focus as children aged 6 years. Here's the average focus range in children by age.

Age 3 years old : 6-15 minutes

Age 4 years old : 8-20 minutes

Age 5 years old : 10-25 minutes

Age 6 years old : 12-30 minutes

After a few minutes the child focuses on completing the task (adjust to his age), give time for the child to do physical activities, such as exercising, running, jumping, or other physical activities that the child likes. Thus, not only refresh their minds, but children are also trained in their gross motor skills.

Give reward

When the child can focus for a few minutes (based on his age), give him a token reward. Tokens are points (or stars) that must be accumulated up to a pre-determined amount, in order to get bigger rewards. For example, if each child focuses on their task for 4 minutes, the child gets 1 star. When the child has collected 10 stars, the child is allowed to buy a new toy. Use colored paper and markers or stickers as tokens to make them look more attractive to children.

Playing toys that require attention

Playing is the effective method to practice certain skills to children, because children still feel happy and engaged. By playing games that involve attention, such as board games, Simon Says, or memory games, children learn to focus on instructions, count, and continue to maintain their attention throughout the game. Thus, children learn new skills, in a fun way.

For lessons that children don't like, create a learning method that involves creativity, such as counting with finger painting first, then writing on plain paper.

There are many factors that can make it difficult for children to concentrate. Therefore, parents need to take time to re-observe what causes children to have difficulty focusing on one particular activity. Avoid diagnosing the child that the child has Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or other disorders. The diagnosis can only be established by a psychologist. If you need help, don't hesitate to seek professional help.

References :

https://empoweredparents.co/10-ways-to-develop-your-preschoolers-concentration-span/

https://www.brainbalancecenters.com/blog/normal-attention-span-expectations-by-age

https://blog.lingobus.com/chinese-learning-resources/how-long-can-your-child-stay-focused-and-how-can-you-help/

Theofania Natasya Rukma, S.Psi.

BluBridge Center

attention span, increasing attention span, how to make a child focus

Pre-school 2 Years - 4 Years / 2 Tahun - 4 Tahun (Balita) / Parenting / Pola Asuh / Family / Keluarga / How to increase attention span in preschoolers?

Comments