5 Things You Can Do Right Now to Improve Your Child’s Focus
Can I start this post off by saying that I find it hard to focus a lot of the time? My brain is SO FULL all the time. I do have coping strategies, however.
Sometimes we forget that we struggle with some of this stuff too, even as "grown-ups."
The other day, I was doing a puzzle with my three-year-old daughter. It was an alphabet puzzle and each time we did another letter, she would ask, "Where is it? Mom, tell me where the S is!” And I kept repeating, “you have to look for it!”
I felt very silly when I realized that she did not know how to do that. So I broke it down for her! Then, I watched as she scanned each puzzle piece for the next letter. She would flip over all the puzzle pieces so she could see them. She lined them up. It was cool to watch her learn a strategy to help finish a task!
It’s the same for focus. We need to teach it. And then practice it.
You should know that if you tell a child to “focus,” “concentrate,” or “pay attention,” those words won’t have much of an effect.
Instead, we need to teach them skills and modify the environment. This will set them up for success and make "focusing" a more attainable goal.
This post will include "quick-win" environmental adjustments that you can make today to help your child focus. These changes could help them concentrate on a project, a tutoring session, math homework, or daily reading.
An upcoming post will include activities, games, and habits that you can build into your day to teach the skill of focus, and build it like a muscle.
For my free, in-depth guide on creating a great environment for learning, click here.
Here are your 5 quick-win tips:
1 Create a clear, designated work space
Designate a specific work space that is clear from distractions and tells the brain it’s time for work. Choose a spot that is comfortable for your child. It could be a desk or a kitchen table! Clear away as much clutter and distractions as possible - toys, screens, and food wrappers included. Have your child help set this area up with their favorite materials. Then, work together to clear out old, unused, or broken supplies. Make sure everything they need has a spot and all materials are handy!
Pro tip: Snap a picture of this spot in its clean state. Post it nearby (along with frequently used passwords and references) so your child knows how to clean up this area.
2 Use Timers
Timers are my FAVORITE! They create boundaries around time that are visual, manageable, and understandable. They also take the pressure off you so that you don’t need to nag about tasks getting done! Use timers to create shorter, more focused, and independent work periods for your child. Here are some ideas:
Build up reading stamina by setting timers for 10, 15, 20 minutes... increasing the amount of time as they see success.
Set a timer for a work period, and your child earns a break when the timer finishes.
Set a timer for the break itself, so your child can anticipate when the break will end.
Try these:
3 Create a visual schedule
Create a visual schedule that your child can refer to. This is a helpful tool whether you homeschool or simply want to bring ease into your homework time. A consistently-used visual schedule will eliminate some of the nagging in your day. They are also very calming for many children because they provide predictability.
Try to have some consistency so your child can learn to anticipate what comes next (i.e, snack, outside play, homework, then bath). You can print out some routine cards online or make some with index cards and a marker! This is a great activity to do together and is authentic writing practice.
Add breaks to your visual schedule. Breaks are important for learning. They allow the brain to rest and digest everything it has learned, and “reset” for more learning. Be sure to include gross motor movement exercises to help release energy. This will enable your child to sit for more quiet activities.
Use a checklist to break down large tasks so your child doesn’t feel quite as overwhelmed with larger tasks.
4 Simplify directions
Simplify and reduce the amount of directions you are giving at any one time. Be clear and direct. Give instructions one-at-a-time until you are sure your child can handle multi-step directions. Avoid lecturing and going on tangents about anything unrelated to the task. Attentional load is the amount of “stuff” our brains can handle thinking about or focusing on at any one time. The idea here (and with visual clutter, as well!) is to increase your child’s brian’s ability to concentrate on what they actually need to do.
Have a secret signal for when your child feels like they are losing steam and can’t concentrate. It can be very helpful for them to learn to recognize this in themselves, and have strategies that work for them.
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5 Use technology to your advantage
There are apps for everything these days! Try Noisli to reduce or block out background noises and Forest to remain focused while working.
Noisli: This free app creates background noises and playlists to improve focus. There is a built in timer to train students to stay focused for blocks of time and earn a break when that block is over. You might want to have headphones on hand.
Forest: Forest may be better for older students or those students who use screens often, but it is SO cool. I have started to use it to help keep me off my phone during work periods or “mom” duty.
Every time you begin to “focus” and leave your screen alone, you plant a seed. The seed will grow into a tree for however long you leave the screen or app up. You can work toward building a forest and earning virtual coins for different kinds of trees. The company does actually work to plant real trees, too! So awesome!
Let me know how these strategies work for you! Be sure to come back for next week’s post, which will be all about using checklists!
