One of the most common concerns that parents face these days is how to improve the concentration and memory of children while studying and how to improve their focus.
Our Faculties at 88Guru through some extensive research have found 7 top ways to boost memory in kids. The COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated this problem even more. No proper schooling for two years has led to a lot of memory and developmental problems in school-going children.
It’s important to understand that kids are inquisitive in nature. To make sure that they concentrate and focus on the task at hand and deal with any attention problems, things must be done in a certain manner.
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What Are the Signs That Your Child Is Facing Concentration Problems?
- Not being able to focus on the task and constantly being distracted.
- Taking extra time to finish a task and having problems with school work.
- Requiring constant instructions for the task assigned.
- Staring into space like out of the window when doing homework or other chores.
6 Simple and Effective Ways To Improve the Concentration Level of Your Little Ones
1. Start With A Routine
In order to live a disciplined life, having a routine is the key to success in the long run. It’s important for school-going kids to have a routine in order to ensure self-discipline and a sense of normality.
Routine provides a sense of stability and teaches them how to manage their own self and their studies and helps them in staying focused on a task.
For children, starting with a simple routine can go a long way in improving their concentration and attention span. They become familiar with the process of doing their homework or other tasks every day and there is no uncertainty associated with it.
To make sure that your child focuses and concentrates set a routine time for studies and homework every day. This will help them get on a schedule, and make them more disciplined, attentive, and focused on their studies.
To know more about how a routine helps children, you can read this helpful article.
2. Creating a Reward System
The psychological principle of reinforcement is a proven way of bringing about the desired change in behaviour. Research has shown that positive reinforcement helps in improving the academic performance of the students and helps them positively in the classroom.
To know more about it, one can refer to this research paper. The concept of reinforcement involves strengthening a behaviour by providing a desired consequence to the Individual. It can go a long way in bringing about the desired change in behaviour.
Similarly, parents and caregivers can use this principle to improve their child’s concentration levels. For example- Allowing a child to go play with his friends for half an hour if he focuses and completes his homework or finishes learning a chapter, will ultimately reinforce this behaviour of studying and thus help in improving the concentration level of the child. Something that works even more effective is when the child is praised every time, they complete their studies.
Hence, a solid reward system can go a long way in creating a solid foundation for your child’s concentration levels. Reinforcements can also work for children with attention problems and developmental disorders like ADHD.
3. Give Me a Break!
As important as the concept of reinforcement and rewards is, it is also not possible to expect a young child to sit for three hours consistently and study. This will only make a child more restless and make them lose interest in their studies.
Research has shown that studying with intervals is the key to good concentration levels. Giving a fifteen-minute break after a half-hour study session can make a child feel refreshed and not make them lose interest in their studies.
What works, even more, is setting a time limit for a given task. This will ensure uniformity and consistency in whatever the child is doing and keep them engaged and occupied.
To hold your child’s interest and keep them occupied, let them engage in an activity of their choice and liking during that small break but be firm about getting back to studies. In this way reinforcement and breaks can go hand in hand.
4. Sleep Is Important
Sleep is crucial for all aspects of one’s life. It improves attention span, and concentration levels and makes one feel prepared and refreshed for the day.
Young children who are full of energy and enthusiasm, require proper sleep the most for proper physical and mental development. A sleepy child, who gets only four-five hours of sleep every day, might not be able to study properly, concentrate on the task at hand or pay proper attention in school.
Thus, it becomes necessary for all parents to ensure that their child gets proper sleep every day so that they are attentive and focused on the task at hand. Naps are also a great way of boosting the energy and concentration level of children.
A 30-minute nap after school can do wonders for children and make them feel refreshed and better focused on the task at hand.
5. Yoga for the soul
Yoga and meditation have been proven to improve concentration levels of all Individuals and this especially holds true for children. Their ever-changing brain becomes sharp through meditation and breathing exercises.
We live in a world, where academic pressure and competition can sometimes become too much for kids to deal with, thus hampering their concentration and attention levels. Yoga and simple breathing techniques along with meditation can give children much-needed freshness and sharpen their brains. It can help them in alleviating their stress and improve their focus and concentration levels.
The parents need to set an example for their children by doing yoga and simple breathing exercises with them, this will encourage them to do it and help them in building a good habit for life.
6. Eating Healthy Food
The importance of healthy food can never go out of style. Healthy food like milk, dry fruits and green vegetables are very efficient for the mental and physical development of children.
The following foods have been proven to improve the concentration level of children-
A. Eggs
B. Fruits like apples and plums
C. Almonds
D. Fish
E. Green vegetables like spinach and beans.
These 5 brain foods can help in improving memory focus in children. Along with this the importance of having a proper and balanced meal is extremely important. Equal proportions of protein, carbs and calcium are important to ensure the healthy development of children and in developing better focus and attention levels of children.If you want to know more about it you can check our Science classes (lesson-15 Food and its components) for that as well.
Keeping these points in mind, parents must understand their children’s unique and inquisitive nature and give them space and time to grow.
Following these simple and easy techniques can surely help in improving the attention span of your little one and building better concentration levels.
FAQs
Children can face concentration problems due a lot of reasons. Not being able to understand what is being taught, being tired, not getting enough sleep and because of being burnout with school work.
Certain foods like eggs, fish, almonds, green vegetables like spinach and beans and fruits like apples and plums can help in improving concentration and memory focus in children. Having equal proportions of protein, carbs, and calcium is important for the development of children.
Parents can try to incorporate a routine, create a reward system, ensure a proper sleep schedule, bring yoga into their routine and make sure that their kids eat proper healthy food to improve the concentration levels of their children.
