Mental presence is the pillar of memorization, understanding, and learning at school. Indeed, the concentration of children plays a crucial role in their school career. However, many students tend to daydream and have their heads elsewhere during class. This difficulty in concentrating affects their school results and generates fatigue in them.

 

Concentration helps your children improve their academic performance

As a parent, you are the expert when it comes to your child, but their teacher is the expert when it comes to their assessment in school. The report card helps parents understand their child’s grades and track their progress at school.

Report card time is a great opportunity for parents to talk with their child about their concentration level and their progress in grades, attendance, and classroom behaviour. 

It becomes difficult for parents to see that their child is struggling in school

If you are concerned about your child’s academic performance, here are some areas where you can support your child:

• lesson understanding and participation
• motivation and commitment
• communication and socialisation
• ability to make and keep friends
• intimidation
• problem or conflict resolution, anger management
• learning strategies
• concentration

Study tips

• Help your children in their weaker subjects
• Review their organisational and planning strategies for exams and support them in every step
• Vary the study techniques your child uses
• Make sure that the place provided for study and homework is adequate and dedicated to work (quiet location, sufficient light, tools at hand, etc.)
• Make sure study and homework time is a fun time that doesn’t undermine relationships
• Consult a tutor or resource teacher as needed

Developing concentration from an early age is therefore essential to lead them to academic success. But how do you do it effectively?

How does focus work?

To be able to develop children’s concentration, it is important to understand how the brain works. Concentration requires mental effort, and it develops gradually over time.

What happens in the brain during focus?

Many sources of distraction constantly disturb the brain. They can be external when they are linked to the environment around them (noise, music, chatter, etc.). They can also be internal, such as emotions and different sensations such as cold, thirst, or stress.

So that you can stay focused on a specific task, the brain then sorts the information. Thanks to this attentional filter, the brain can focus on the essentials and forget the distractors. It also uses working memory to promote the rapid memorization of information and its temporary application.

Children’s concentration develops as they grow

The ability to concentrate develops gradually with age. Before the age of 5, children generally have trouble keeping their attention on a task for more than 3 minutes. It is therefore important to develop this concentration. 

Adopting good habits is the best way to achieve this. You can, for example, offer them activities that they enjoy. Familiarise them with a calm and orderly environment.

Can they focus on several things at the same time?

Contrary to popular belief, the brain is not multitasking. Although it performs well, it is not adaptable to handle multiple things simultaneously. This is because performing a task requires communication between the two hemispheres of the brain.

When the child tries to perform two tasks at the same time, the prefrontal area registers them and then commands the brain to perform them successively. Which makes you believe it has the power to focus on multiple tasks. However, beyond these two tasks, errors accumulate and the brain will take time to react.

What are the factors that can affect the concentration of children?

Many factors can affect children’s concentration. To remedy the lack of concentration, it is essential to know its sources.

Screens, enemies of concentration

Screens are largely responsible for the lack of concentration in many students, especially when it is misused. Indeed, they can easily divert attention, especially during home schooling. This is why it is essential to make the child work, in a corner conducive to concentration, away from screens.

However, digital media are increasingly used in education because they can also be driving tools in the learning process. There are many education platforms that offer  value-added online steam classes for kids .Steam concept encourages your child to think in a logical way to solve a problem, improve memory and improve their concentration and attention span.

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Anxiety, incompatible with concentration

Concentration problems can also be linked to a state of anxiety and stress in your child. In fact, putting pressure on your child would be counterproductive in this case. 

It is rather recommended to remain calm, to give them time to recharge their energy, so that they can resume their work and concentrate on their revisions at home.

ADHD

Attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity can also be the source of your children’s concentration problems. It affects their ability to stay focused for an extended period of time. 

A doctor’s diagnosis is essential in this case. But a few tips in class can also help the children to concentrate better. The choice of their place, far from sources of distraction, and at the front can contribute to the development of their concentration.

When do children become independent in doing their homework?

Some tips to develop the concentration of children

A few good habits can be enough to develop children’s concentration.

Sleep well to be well concentrated

Lack of sleep has a direct impact on a children’s cognitive faculties. But it also affects their selective attention and therefore prevents them from filtering information. 

To optimise concentration, it is essential to set bedtimes. Imposing a routine is necessary to improve the quality of sleep and allow your child to keep in shape. It is crucial to avoid screens before bed.

Take breaks to stay focused

By dint of working continuously, the brain gets distracted. A break is thus necessary to allow the child to stay focused. 

Trying to memorise lessons for several hours is far from the ideal solution for success. Your children need to clear their minds between two revision sessions. It is also important to let them play and have fun, before starting revisions after a day of school.

Conclusion

To conclude, the concentration of children is one of the pillars of their academic success. It allows them to memorise lessons, understand them, and put them into practice easily. However, many factors can affect this ability to concentrate. This is why it is essential to develop it continuously in your child.