Developing Mental Focus & Concentration among Kids

Staying on task can be difficult, but it can be particularly challenging when you are surrounded by constant distraction and specifically in case of Child it’s really a gigantic task to be on track. In today's always-connected world, diversions are nothing more than a click away. Even during quiet moments, distraction is literally at fingertips. The ability to concentrate on something in our environment and direct mental effort toward it is critical for learning new things, achieving goals, and performing well across a wide variety of situations.

Thus, there is need of improving metal focus & concentration. And, improving our mental focus is achievable, but that does not mean that it is necessarily quick and easy. If it was simple, then we would all have the razor-sharp concentration of an elite athlete. It will take some real effort and one may have to make some major changes to some of the daily habits. Grown up people can improve their concentration with special exercises, however, with children, one needs to use a different strategies. A child can be helped to develop his or her concentration in various ways. These ways will teach the child certain habits and rules that would make it easier to focus and be less restless, while doing homework or carrying out tasks.

Here are 12 simple ways to help a child develop his mental focus & concentration. 

1.     Give Attention to Get Attention - How much attention a child gives a task also depends on whether he is enjoying himself. Many children struggle when asked to do something they don't want to do. The first time you introduce an activity that is more important to you than to your child, you are testing your creativity and flexibility as a parent and teacher. This is where the struggle lies for many parents/ teachers, because kids entering school have to do more structured, repetitive, and academic tasks, such as writing their names or sounding out letters. So the first thing that comes first is giving attention to the kid so that he/ she understands that his/ her attention is important.  

2.     Keep them physically active - Some physical activity, like playing, running or some sports, between study and tasks, would supply a way to vent out extra energy. This would help the child to be less restless, offset boredom and make it easier focus. Research shows that physical activities, such as cycling, playing football, running, etc., are not only good for their body but also for their mind. It helps children focus better on what they are doing. Child development experts say young kids should be able to focus between 4 and 20 minutes, possibly more, depending on the task. But this rule of thumb, just like any guideline for raising children, depends on the situation. And, important focus is ensure that the child has enough sleep at night, and also, some rest during the day and they can practice meditation and yoga too.

3.     Divide a Big Task into Small Chunks - A big task requires too much concentration and discipline, so it would be a good idea to divide it into smaller tasks. This could be applied to homework, housework and learning new skills. Doing small projects, which lead to the completion of a major project, give the feeling of progress and movement, making it easier to focus. A big task that requires time, dedication and focus, might seem intimating and overwhelming, and can awaken reluctance to tackle. A small task seems easier to carry through and there is less resistance.

4.     Reducing Distractions - Unless engaged in something they really like, children might find it difficult to screen out distractions. You need to keep the environment where they learn, study or carry out tasks, as distraction-free as possible. Be especially wary of television, loud music, noises, and anything else that might distract the child's attention.

5.     Reduce screen time - It is not a good idea to watch TV while doing homework, since this distracts the attention. Today mobile phones have become one of the perilous distractions among Kids. Kids are getting addicted to mobile phones which needs to be avoided. Instead of giving the child electronic games to play with, give them traditional, physical games. You can buy them things that propel creativity and thinking while having fun. Allot a certain hour for your kid’s daily screen time when they can watch TV or the internet. In this way, the screen time will remain in check.

6.     Doing Homework at the Same Hour Every Day - Repeating the same activity every day at the same hour, eventually, turns it into a habit. If a child sits down for homework every day at the same hour, after a while, when the hour comes, there will be less effort required to focus. The mind will know that the time for homework has arrived, and would be more willing to study.

7.     Let Children Have Play and Fun - Giving children too many tasks and involving them in too many activities can be overwhelming and tiring for their brains. As a parent/ teacher you should allow them enough time for pleasure and fun, so they don't feel too pressurized and bored.

8.     Play Games that Require Focus - You can train and strengthen a child's ability to focus by playing games that require thinking. There are a lot of such games, which you can find in stores selling games for children such as flintobox child engagement games & activities. Playing games that require focusing, planning and the use of memory combine fun with concentration.

9.     Allow Break before Beginning a New Task - When the child is busy, tell him what he has to do next, but allow a few minutes, till he stops and starts the new activity. This advice is more valid, when a child is engaged doing something likes and enjoys doing, since there would be reluctance to stop what he is doing and start do something else.

10.  Set goals: Develop a habit of setting goals and completing them in time. The goals need to be achievable and divide their study time into various categories to achieve. You can prepare a timetable for all their activities such as play time, study time, hobby time, etc. Set the time for completing a goal, like ten minutes, twenty minutes, etc. This might force the kid to focus, so as to finish the goal within the time limits. However, you should be careful with this, since some children might find setting time limits too pressurizing, and this could cause them anxiety and disturb their focus.

11.  Give daily responsibilities - Depending on your child’s age, hand out responsibilities like setting the table, making a sandwich with you, sorting the cupboard and the like. Thus, simple daily tasks that require order can help improve the child’s mind. And the tasks need to change on a regular basis so that your child does not lose interest.

12.  Appreciate and reward them - When you see your child improving and doing things better, give them a pat or some thoughtful gift. The children must feel motivated while doing a task as they need to feel accomplished when they complete a task. This helps children remain motivated and focused to perform more and better.

Thus, distractions in our modern day work have become voluminous which need a check & balance and in case of kids it’s highly essential.  There are many different strategies that can help minimize distractions, improve focus & concentrations among children. Not all work for everyone, which is why it is required to explore different strategies for the kids based on age and need.

Author
Dr. Ajit Kumar Kar
In-Charge (Learning & Development) @ IMFA Ltd., Judge - Brandon Hall HR Excellence Awards-2019 , Co-Founder - CHRD
www.ajitprofile.webs.com



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If you child eats while using smart phone !! Then this is for you

Getting your child to eat the food they’re served is not the easiest task in the world.

While children are busy watching something or playing on an app, they’re distracted enough to quite literally, gobble up their food.

And not just that…

Most of us adults love having some “quiet freedom” from our children’s constant noisiness at the table, be it at home or in a restaurant. 

Here’s why using mobile phones while eating is the worst thing for your child:

1. Leads to severe addiction:

Here’s a startling fact — research shows that 90% of children interact with smartphones even before they turn 2.

And this is scary because children at this age (and the early years in general) should be engaged creatively to receive maximum brain development.

Handing over a screen, even if it’s just during mealtime, can be a huge mistake.

Because what starts off as showing the child YouTube rhymes or Peppa Pig while eating, will slowly turn into a habit that the child finds hard to break away from.

And once this habit forms, the child won’t even want to try to escape from it.

This behavior of not being able to disconnect from their smartphone may also creep into other aspects of their lives and can lead to a severe addiction.

2. Eating too much or too less:

Children learn to eat in accordance with these external distracting cues.

They tend to eat a lot more slowly, lazily, and in an uninterested manner than if they focused on the food.

Increased focus on eating and the dining table environment will lead to your child relishing the food they’re eating as well as eating exactly as much as they need and not any more or less.

So, if under-eating or overeating is a problem your child has, it may come down to this root cause.

Eating distractedly can cause them to overeat and eating extremely slowly because of the distraction can make them under-eat.

3. Not chewing properly:

Eating distractedly can also result in your child not chewing properly. Swallowing pieces of food that haven’t been chewed up properly can be a choking hazard and can also lead to indigestion and even an upset stomach.

4. Lack of interaction with family members:

Another important reason to keep the screens at bay while at the table is mere interaction.

How much time do you spend in a day, seated with your family while really interacting with them? Think about it.

In most modern day families, the answer would be ‘not much’.

Making meal time a collective activity that your family is engaged in teaches your child the importance of keeping in touch with family and can give you details about your children’s lives and interests as they’re growing up.

This directly helps in strengthening the bond you have with them.

Looking at it from another perspective, if you were to hand your child a screen during meal time, the kid learns that interacting while being seated right beside your family members for an extended period of time is unimportant.

This may lead the child to believe that the family ‘doesn’t talk much’ and this sort of behavior can be seen constantly repeating itself on family trips and events.

The child can tend to use a smart-phone to avoid interaction with family members and can develop an idea that he/she simply does not get along with their family.

So what now?

In the subsequent blogs, we shall be discussing the ways and special strategies through which we can keep the children away from smart-phones.

Stay subscribed to our blog... Happy parenting 

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7 Effective Teaching Strategies For The Classroom

Whether you’ve been teaching two months or twenty years, it can be difficult to know which teaching strategies will work best with your students. As a teacher there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution, so here is a range of effective teaching strategies you can use to inspire your classroom practice.

1. Visualization
Bring dull academic concepts to life with visual and practical learning experiences, helping your students to understand how their schooling applies in the real-world.

Examples include using the interactive whiteboard to display photos, audio clips and videos, as well as encouraging your students to get out of their seats with classroom experiments and local field trips.

 2. Cooperative learning
Encourage students of mixed abilities to work together by promoting small group or whole class activities.

Through verbally expressing their ideas and responding to others your students will develop their self-confidence, as well as enhance their communication and critical thinking skills which are vital throughout life.

Solving mathematical puzzles, conducting scientific experiments and acting out short drama sketches are just a few examples of how cooperative learning can be incorporated into classroom lessons.

3. Inquiry-based instruction
Pose thought-provoking questions which inspire your students to think for themselves and become more independent learners.

Encouraging students to ask questions and investigate their own ideas helps improve their problem-solving skills as well as gain a deeper understanding of academic concepts. Both of which are important life skills.

Inquiries can be science or math-based such as ‘why does my shadow change size?’ or ‘is the sum of two odd numbers always an even number?’. However, they can also be subjective and encourage students to express their unique views, e.g. ‘do poems have to rhyme?’ or ‘should all students wear uniform?’.

4. Differentiation
Differentiate your teaching by allocating tasks based on students’ abilities, to ensure no one gets left behind.

Assigning classroom activities according to students’ unique learning needs means individuals with higher academic capabilities are stretched and those who are struggling get the appropriate support.

This can involve handing out worksheets that vary in complexity to different groups of students, or setting up a range of work stations around the classroom which contain an assortment of tasks for students to choose from.

Moreover, using an educational tool such as Quizalize can save you hours of time because it automatically groups your students for you, so you can easily identify individual and whole class learning gaps (click here to find out more).

5. Technology in the classroom
Incorporating technology into your teaching is a great way to actively engage your students, especially as digital media surrounds young people in the 21st century.

Interactive whiteboards or mobile devices can be used to display images and videos, which helps students visualize new academic concepts. Learning can become more interactive when technology is used as students can physically engage during lessons as well as instantly research their ideas, which develops autonomy.

Mobile devices, such as iPads and/or tablets, can be used in the classroom for students to record results, take photos/videos  or simply as a behavior management technique. Plus, incorporating educational programs such as Quizalize into your lesson plans is also a great way to make formative assessments fun and engaging.

6. Behavior management
Implementing an effective behavior management strategy is crucial to gain your students respect and ensure students have an equal chance of reaching their full potential.

Noisy, disruptive classrooms do no encourage a productive learning environment, therefore developing an atmosphere of mutual respect through a combination of discipline and reward can be beneficial for both you and your students.

Examples include fun and interactive reward charts for younger students, where individuals move up or down based on behavior with the top student receiving a prize at the end of the week. ‘Golden time’ can also work for students of all ages, with a choice of various activities such as games or no homework in reward for their hard work.

7. Professional development
Engaging in regular professional development programs is a great way to enhance teaching and learning in your classroom.

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Prevent Arrogant Behavior in your Child ...The forth one will shock you

If confidence turns into arrogance, your child will be deprived of the real happiness in life. There is lot you can do as a parent to nurture your child’s life and help her become the best he or she can be. Encourage your child to focus from inside out and help him or her become a confident adult.

Tips to Help Prevent Arrogant Behavior in Kids

Have a look at the tips for preventing arrogant behavior in kids.

1. Be a Role Model for Your Child

Children do what they see their parents doing. If you boast yourself often, you are definitely going to find your child doing the same. Be a role model for your child and act modestly.

2. Teach Your Child to Accept Failure

 Teach your child to accept failure, learn and then grow. Many life lessons are learned in this way. So, do not come in the way of stumble to prevent your child from failing.

3. Celebrate your Child’s Success in Limit

You may get surprised and happy knowing that your child has accomplished milestones or achieved some skill faster than others. It is good to celebrate, but avoid overdoing it. This will lower the value of real and big achievements.

4. Avoid Praising your Child too Much

If you find that your child is performing excellently or has some outstanding talent, do not praise too much. Appreciate his or her skills and encourage him or her to sharpen that ability so that she understands that there is lot more to be improved.

5. Stop Your Child from Bragging

If you find that your child is often boasting about her achievements and feels very high of himself or herself, talk to him or her. Let him or her understand that there are many children with different abilities and there is nothing exclusive about that.

6. Let Your Child Take Challenges

Well, this does not mean that you encourage your child to challenge everyone she comes across his or her talent. This is important because maybe your child is a frog in a well. Let him or her face like a small fish in a big pond. This will help your child improve and grow and perform better in every field. Leaving the comfort zone and taking a step outside will also make your child realize and hence there will be no arrogance in his or her nature.

7. Provide lot of Positive Support

You should be clear, specific and consistent when setting the limits for your child. Make sure you do not tolerate aggressive behaviour under any circumstances.

8. Keep Your Child Engaged in Different Activities

Engagement is very important for everyone especially a young child. Make sure your child is not overloaded, but keeping him or her engaged in problem solving session or brainstorming games will help him or her focus confidence in the right path.

9. Support Your Child and Skills

Avoid criticism because mere blame is not going to help your child. Come up with some option for your child and help him or her come out of the aggressive behavior.

10. Correct Your Child’s Behavior

Kids learn eventually - this is mere excuse because your child will follow the same behavior pattern as he or she grows if not corrected right now.

Teach your child to be happy with what he or she has so that she gets the true happiness in life. If your child wants to achieve more in life, teach him or her importance of hard work and honesty.

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