Children are naturally curious, full-of-energy, and have short attention spans. If your child is old enough to understand they have a problem with concentration, then discuss the problem with them to find a solution. With a little forethought and planning you can help make sure your child has better focus in school. Here some ideas to get to the cause of attention issues and work toward a solution.
How to Improve Concentration for Your Kids
Do They Need Glasses?
Children who have vision problems are not always aware they have a problem. If the basic vision examination from the school nurse didn’t catch it, it may have been a recent development. Your child might have nearsightedness, astigmatism, or farsightedness. In some cases, children have several vision or muscle problems with their eyes, making it difficult to concentrate or stare very long at one thing.
Have Hearing Checked
If your child has a mild to moderate hearing loss in one or both ears, then you might not notice the problem at home. Sometimes children act out in the classroom due to their frustration at not hearing properly. A hearing test from a professional audiologist can help you to learn if your child needs a hearing aid. Talk with their teacher to see if they have noticed any problems with hearing or talking loudly.
Attention Deficit Disorder
Some children have an attention deficit or hyperactivity disorder that makes it impossible for them to maintain concentration for long amounts of time. A child with one of these conditions may misbehave at home and school by refusing to remain in their chair during the learning process, being hyperactive, and unable to look at or focus on one thing at a time.
Nutritious Diet
Your child needs to consume a healthy diet each day, including a good breakfast. If your child is accustomed to only eating junk food or drinking caffeinated beverages, then it is time to make a change in their meals. Begin to serve vegetables, fruit, whole grains, low-fat dairy products and lean proteins instead. A sugar crash can make it impossible for a full-grown adult to focus, and can be even worse on a child’s smaller body. Cut out candy whenever you can and serve treats only rarely.
Too Many Distractions
Modern classrooms are busy places where students walk from one learning center to another, or leave a classroom to attend a study group in another part of the building. If your child can’t focus on their own work with all of these distractions, then a teacher can place a privacy partition around their desk to help mitigate the movement they notice around them.
Talk to Teachers
Have you made sure that your child’s teacher is highly qualified? A teacher should have a good educational background and plenty of experience in order to understand the different needs of each student in their classroom. If your child has some more specific needs, check to see if a different classroom or learning environment might help. A special education teacher with a master’s degree in educational leadership might have other qualifications you might like better. With this training, a teacher can create an individual educational plan for your child.
Sometimes they will have a better idea of how to focus and where their needs might not be met.
Brooke Chaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. She lives and works out of her home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. She loves the outdoors and spends most her time hiking, biking and gardening. For more information on getting a master’s degree in educational leadership to help kids improve check out the University of Cincinnati or contact Brooke via Twitter @BrookeChaplan.