“Stop fidgeting and finish your homework?”
We’ve all said this to our children at least a dozen times while they’re studying.
Back to school is a chaotic time for families and sitting down your child to finish their homework is never easy. Children are naturally curious, this makes it hard for them to sit down and concentrate on a single task. When the task they’re given isn’t fun, they get bored and quickly shift their attention to something more interesting. However concentration is essential for homework.
First understand your child’s learning style. Children learn in different ways, there’s no one-size-fits-all.
- Some children are auditory, they learn better by reading aloud or listening to someone else reading.
- Others are more visual, they learn through pictures or text. Writing down the information on flash cards and repeatedly showing them to your kid will help them learn much faster.
- And some children are kinaesthetic, they process information better when they have practical knowledge of it and can touch it. For these children, learning by practical applications may be more helpful than reading aloud or writing.
Help your child enhance their attention span with these simple tips and your constant motivation.
- Break bigger tasks into smaller tasks. Big tasks can be overwhelming and requires too much concentration. Splitting the task up will make it easier and give your child an idea about where to start and a feeling of progress.
- Eating healthy food has a direct impact on how well your child concentrates. Junk food or food rich in sugar makes your child sluggish, while food rich in proteins, greens and fruit increase concentration levels.
- Doing homework at the same time eventually turns it into a habit, programming your child’s brain that it is time to study, so requiring less effort to concentrate.
- Reduce distractions, a child’s curious mind is always looking for distractions. So do not talk to somebody or watch the television while they are studying. Free the place from all distractions, and that includes your mobile phone.
- Playing memory games is a fun way to enhance your child’s concentration. They can have fun while sharpening their memory and ability to concentrate.
- Keep them physically active, which is not only good for their body but also for their mind.
- Praise and reward them. It is important to motivate your child. They feel encouraged and perform better when you praise and reward their work.
- Keep away all gadgets, tablets and computers, they actually reduce the attention span and memory power of children.
- Give them enough sleep, a good night’s sleep can do wonders. Your child needs between 8-12 hours of sleep a day, depending upon their age. Lack of sleep affects their concentration.
- Naps and breaks boost concentration. A power nap for twenty minutes after school should also do the trick to increase concentration.
- Do not over schedule, too many tasks and involving them in too many activities can be overwhelming and tiring for their brains. Give them enough time to play and have fun, so they don’t feel too pressurized. This will increase productivity and help in focusing on the work.