4 tips for fixing your kids' focus

With school already starting, getting into the working mind-set again may be a little tricky. Here are some of my best tips for fixing your kids' focus.

4 tips for fixing your kids’ focus

With the school holidays nothing but a distant memory as the kids begin to return to school, we all know that getting children into the working mind-set again may be a little tricky. Here are some of my best tips for fixing kids' focus.

1. Create a stimulating study environment at home

As the copious amounts of homework start to pour in, there’s nothing worse than having no set routine for learning at home for your child, which is why I suggest creating a stimulating learning environment at home.

It doesn’t have to be a big area, but if you and your child work together to set aside a study area, they will know that it belongs to them and feel proud to use it. Fill it with educational posters, books, and all things stationary to get them eager to study at home.

2. Find what works best for your child

Understand the kind of learner your child is, and how you can help him/her.

Visual learner – create posters and mind-maps of information and stick them up around the home

Aural learner – whilst studying for a test, have your child read out the information to different people around them, to help retain that knowledge

Kinaesthetic learner - got a test to study for? Play interactive games with your child such as throwing a ball between learners whilst reciting facts

Verbal learner – use different colours and lots of paper for your child to write out what they need to remember.

3. Find a fiddle object

For some children, it can be difficult to sit still for an extended period of time, which is why I sometimes suggest to my students that they keep a small piece of blu-tack, an elastic band or even a small piece of paper and pen with them, which they can use to fiddle with when they need to.

It may sound strange, but actually research has shown that "one way that children cope with distractions is to give their attention a mindless task, like fidgeting and fiddling…allowing the rest of their working memory to get on with task at hand, learning, uninterrupted" (Smith, 2010).

4. Reward Charts

Reward charts can work wonders, and I use them where I can when working, to positively reinforce the work my students do, and to make them feel proud of what they can achieve. I find that this works best for children between the ages of 6 -10, although it depends on the child.

Print a reward chart from online, or even create a personalised one with your child, and come up with simple goals they need to achieve before getting a reward. Maybe you decide to reward them with something small, every time they complete a task with complete focus, or maybe they work towards a bigger reward of a day ice skating, or a trip to the zoo – you decide.

Written by

Kim Cordell

kids focus