It’s quite common to hear about children finding it hard to focus on what the teacher is saying when they’re in the classroom. It’s also common to hear about young students daydreaming when they’re supposed to handle the lab equipment during chemistry class.
But it doesn’t have to be this way for your kid. You can help your child focus on his classes better. Here are some tips you can follow.
Urge your kid to sit in front
Making your child sit at the front of the class will force him to pay attention to his teacher because if he gets distracted, it would be difficult to hide his waning interest. Also, sitting in the front will help minimise the distractions that could make your kid lose focus.
Teach your kid how to take notes
One of the best ways to ensure that your child’s focus is on the teacher and nothing else is to make him take down notes while the teacher is talking about the lesson. But, it shouldn’t be that straightforward because kids aren’t capable yet of writing that fast.
Instead, you should teach your child to listen to what the teacher is saying, try to summarize that, and write that down on his notebook. Or, teach him to try to interpret in his own words what the lesson was all about.
You can teach your child this by practising his listening skills at home. If he has a favourite book, get it and start reading it to him aloud. Don’t ask him to write down every word you say. Instead, tell him to let you read one page aloud and after that, he has to write down the events that happened in that page based on what you said.
By honing your child’s listening skills, you’re also honing his ability to focus on any subject matter more effectively. So, spend some time with your child and help him develop this ability.
Make your kid move
Being physically active also triggers the brain to be more alert. If your child has problems focusing on his homework, ask him to get out of his chair and do other things first. You can ask him to help you with household chores or go to the park to play a game of touch football for 30 minutes.
Once he gets his blood pumping, he’ll be more able to focus on his homework. As soon as he’s done with his chores or playing sports, lead him back to his study desk and let him finish his homework.
Set a schedule
Kids can easily become overwhelmed when they spend the whole day at school studying only to come home to study more. So, set a schedule for your child where there will be enough time for him to relax before diving back into his notebooks and lessons.
Your child may find it hard to focus sometimes. But as long as you’re there to help him keep his mind on track, he’ll be able to develop his concentration further.
