Attention And Attention Lapses In Young Children
One of the most important keys to success in school is having a well-developed focus period. To do this, it is important to understand what attention is and attention spans in children. In this way, you will be able to help your little ones more and better in terms of their concentration and attention span necessary for their educational and personal development.
Children can sometimes have difficulty concentrating in class, which can cause them to miss out on learning opportunities and not be able to keep up with their classmates.
It can be difficult to solve a concentration problem when a child is already 8 or 9 years old. The best time to work on this skill is during the first few years of life, when you, as a parent, can actively develop your concentration and attention span.
What is attention span?
The attention span or concentration is the ability of a child to pay full attention to a specific task. It requires blocking all other stimuli, such as sound (the class next door makes a noise), pictures (seeing what happens on the other side of the window), or unnecessary information (irrelevant writing on the board).
During the school day, youngsters need to repeatedly focus on different tasks, in an environment that can be very stimulating for some.
So monitor your child’s attention span during their preschool years and make sure it increases slowly over time. School will become extremely difficult and exhausting for a child who has difficulty concentrating.
As with all other skills, it is easier to develop in the preschool years than later in life. In this sense, it is essential to help children, through play and fun, to practice their attention span.
What is the average attention span of a preschooler?
The average attention span and concentration for a preschooler is typically less than 15 minutes. That is, 15 minutes purely focused on a task. For younger preschoolers, it is 5 minutes. As they get older, they can focus for a longer time. Usually half an hour is appropriate in the first courses.
If you are concerned about your child’s ability to concentrate, you first have to ask yourself if you expect him to concentrate for a manageable period of time. It is much more effective to work on short tasks and provide frequent breaks than to attempt to sit for an hour with a 4-year-old.
A great way to refocus your child during an activity is to try quick mental breaks, such as mindfulness or yoga activities, which will allow them to relax their body and mind at the same time.
Children’s days at school are structured. They are taught in short periods of time with regular changes in the types of activities.
Quick exercises to improve attention spans in children
Next, we are going to explain some exercises that will be good for you to do with your children and improve their attention spans. They are quick to do and easy to remember. Children will have a great time and you just have to give them little instructions. If you do it with them, so much the better!
Exercises for sitting
- Sit with your legs stretched out in front of your children.
- Shake your knees and then your feet.
- Bend over and hold your toes.
- Stretch your toes forward.
- Stretch your toes back.
Standing exercises to improve attention spans
- Move your arms up and down to the sides, like a flying bird.
- Shrugs your shoulders. Shrug one shoulder at a time, forward and then back. Then shrug both shoulders together, forward and then back.
- Swing your arms back and forth.
- Swing your arms out to the sides like a windmill. Make small rotations first, then wider rotations. Start with one arm at a time and then both arms at the same time.
Walking exercises
- Walk back with small steps and then big steps.
- Walk sideways, first to the right, then to the left.
- Imagine that you are walking on a rope. Go straight.
Balance exercises
- Stand on one leg. Count to 5, then switch and stand on the other leg.
- Stand on the tips of your toes. When you are in balance, close your eyes and stand on tiptoe.
- Again, stand on your toes and walk across the room.
- Jump with your feet together, then one foot at a time.
Lying down exercises to improve attention spans
- Pretend to be a ball. Hold your knees tightly. Pretend to be a ball and rock back, forward, and around.
- Sliding seal. Lie face down. Stretch your arms and legs holding your feet. Next, keep your legs bent and stretch your arms out to the sides, and lift your body off the ground. Walk with your hands forward, dragging your legs.
- Flying plane. Lie face down. Raise your arms and keep them in the air like an airplane. Then move your arms up and down.
Now that you understand better what attention is in young children, you can help your little ones to improve their attention spans while having a great time with the activities and exercises that we have proposed. What are you waiting for to put them into practice?
