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The education system has its own curriculum of what is in and what is out. There is a never-ending debate about what skills are important for children and how to teach them. With the advancements in the pattern of the education system, it is extremely important for children to gain some qualities and skills which will help them in near future. With other developmental skills like socialising and communication skills, focus and concentration are also necessary. Children juggle so much between tasks like academics, homework, extra-curricular and other activities especially during their early childhood with their focus always moving from one thing to another.
The ability to focus and concentrate includes the development of executive functioning skills like ability to pay attention, self-control, learn and remember things. Considering children’s maturity level, parents and educators must take steps towards their overall growth and development. Parents can start by enrolling their kids into some after school programmes according to their child’s interests so that they can learn the technique of concentration. The ability to focus and pay attention to all kinds of tasks can be overwhelming but it is crucially important as it helps children learn and grow.
How to improve concentration
Early childhood education is beneficial for children because it helps them to concentrate and focus more on their interests and academic skills. Boosting your child’s memory and concentration levels can help them be more productive in their academics and other skills.
- Exercise- Exercise and doing activities can help children to boost their brain’s ability to concentrate and ignore distractions. Engaging kids in various activities and encouraging them to exercise on a daily basis is a great way to keep their focus in top condition. By implementing short bursts of activity everyday can improve children’s concentration levels and amplify their productivity.
- Developing willpower- Parents and educators can help children develop willpower by supporting their interests and curiosities. By letting children focus on one activity like a particular sport, art, music or even academics will naturally help them strengthen their willpower. Instilling habits like meditation or setting a timer from an early age will help them focus and concentrate more on a single task.
- Reading more books- It is true that kids learn and adapt most of the things and habits from their homes and schools. By encouraging children to read books and challenging them with new books will help them gain focus. Overtime, children would be able to concentrate and pay attention to other tasks like work assignments, homeworks and even conversations.
- Elimination of distractions- Being a kid, their minds are always evolving and finding something new to do every now and then. Unnecessary distractions can impact children in many ways. During the starting years, it is crucial that parents help their kids with everything. Eliminating distractions will help them focus more on academics, ultimately leading to their overall growth and development.
- Taking care of the surroundings- Choosing the best surrounding for children is a necessary task. Some kids prefer complete silence while doing homework or activities and some kids prefer sitting with everyone while carrying out their work. Learning whether sound or silence boosts your child’s concentration and implementing it accordingly.
- After school programmes- Many after-school programmes help children develop life-changing skills like boosting their confidence, self esteem and maintaining their concentration levels. The educators at these programmes know exactly what bonding activities will help children with their weaknesses.
When parents and educators help kids boost their concentration level, they ultimately help them build a strong base. Also with limited distractions, it is easier for children to improve their concentration levels. Educators also suggest parents and children to play some games that help them focus and use their mind. All in all, focus and concentration are important for the growth of children.
Kumon, an after school programme structured especially for children to help them improve their literacy and numeracy skills. With us, children progress at their own rate as we emphasise more on self-learning by instilling critical thinking skills.
