Concentration activities for kids: 9 Concentration Tips & Activities for Kids

30 Fun Attention Games for Kids: Activities to Improve Focus, Concentration & Memory!

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Attention Games for Kids: In this post, we will explore the concept of attention and different types of attention. We will also share 30 fun attention games and activities for kids.

What is Attention?

Attention is the ability to focus on specific information in the environment while disregarding other information. We do not have an unlimited attention capacity, so we focus our attention on some items and tune out some others.

Attention skills are required to attend to the demands in our environment. We are continuously paying attention to information, blocking irrelevant stimuli, and shifting focus. And those attentional processes are linked to other cognitive processes (perception, memory or behavior to cite a few)

Attention span increases with age, and is related to, and plays a role in other aspects of functioning including learning, memory, academic performance, and the understanding and processing of large quantities of information.

Types of Attention

There are many types of attention.

I will include some relevant ones, and some examples to illustrate how these attention types may manifest in your child:

Selective Attention

Selective Attention refers to mechanisms that enable us to process only some aspects of the information we are exposed to. It requires focusing on some aspects of the environment and blocking other stimuli.

Example of selective attention: Your child is attending to the teacher’s explanation while blocking the background interference of some kids chitchatting a couple of rows behind.

Divided Attention

Divided Attention (Limited Attention) is the process that enables us to attend and respond to multiple environmental demands.

Example of divided attention: Your child is listening to the teacher while doodling in their notebook.

Alternating Attention

Alternating Attention involves shifting attention between tasks that require different cognitive processing, attending to one task or stimuli and the shifting to the next one.

Example of Alternating Attention: Your child is playing tag with their friends and hears a dog barking, checks there is no danger and continues playing.

Sustained Attention

Sustained Attention is the process that enables us to maintain the attentional focus on relevant stimuli and stay alert over extended periods of time. In other words, it is the ability to focus on an activity or an event over a long period of time.

Your child’s attention span would measure their ability to attend to a task or stimulus for a certain period of time.

Example of sustained attention: Your child engages in their drawing for twenty minutes.

Overt and Covert Attention

Overt Attention is defined as aligning sensory receptors and attentional focus. In other words physically directing eyes/audition to the focus of our attention

Example of overt attention: You child is looking at you while you talk to them

Covert Attention refers to the dissociation of sensory receptors and attentional focus.

Example of covert attention: Your child is pretending to study their text book while listening to the fun conversation going on between their siblings (focus is on the conversation, while the eyes and the orientation is the book)

Attention & Sensory Modality

If we take into consideration sensory modality, we can also talk about visual attention, auditory attention or, most often, crossmodal attention, when we distribute attention simultaneously across several senses.

Attention Problems & ADHD

Attention issues are an inherent part of the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder diagnosis.

Kids with ADHD may struggle with attention, focus, concentration and / or with the inhibition of distractors.

(Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. There may also be other affiliate links in this post. You can also read our Disclosure & Disclaimer policy here) 

30 Fun Attention Games for Kids

Playing is a great way for kids to develop cognitive skills, so let’s dive into this section and explore fun games that will help our kids practice their attention skills.

Memory Games / Matching Games

1. DIY Memory Game

Playing a game to help grow a child’s memory is a fun way to grow that part of the brain. As that part of the brain grows, the easier it will be for them to focus on other tasks. 

‘What’s on the tray?’ Place 10 items on a tray and only allow your kids to look for 1 minute. Then, remove the tray and have them write down as many items from the tray as they can remember. This is the perfect rainy day activity with items found around your house

‘What’s missing?’ Similar to what’s on the tray (mentioned above), you allow your kids to observe a tray of items for one minute. Then, you remove the tray and take 1-2 items. Allow the kids to observe for one more minute then they can say what is missing from the tray. 

2. Matching Games (Visual memory & working memory)

Matching games are fun. Kids can play individually or with friends and family. There are many fun themes like:

• Disney classic characters
• Jurassic World
• Children around the world (matching faces)

3. Matching Sounds

How about working on our kids’ matching and listening skills while using the auditory attention?

• Animal Soundtracks
• Sound Lotto

4. Word Matching

How about learning sight words with a fun bingo game? (Instead of calling numbers, you call words)

This is a great game for young kids and for learners with disabilities. 

5. Auditory Memory Game

Older kids may enjoy the fun bingo game (lights and sounds)

6. Bingo

And, my final matching game for older children would be a classic bingo game.

Board Games

Board games are not just entertaining but also an amazing learning resource.

Most of them are a tool to practice and develop important skills and abilities like: fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, taking turns, waiting skills, social skills, and the ability to pay attention.

These are just a few examples of board games that we can use to practice attention skills:

7. Chess

Chess is one of the most famous games on the planet, and for good reason. This game is the perfect afternoon pastime to help encourage strategic playing as well as extending a person’s attention span. 

There is even research that suggests that playing chess helps improve focused attention (after just six months of practice!)

8. Battleships

One of the best ways to help a person’s focus develop is to play strategy games like Battleship. This board game is set up so that the players can strategically sink the others ships with guessing coordinates. 

9. Scrabble

Scrabble is a fun pastime that can really challenge the brain to work hard. As soon as your child can start spelling words, this game is a fun activity (there are easy versions for younger kids).

10. Boggle

Boggle is a family favorite! Perfect to pack up in your bag for afternoons at the park or for family game night, this game is so entertaining that everyone will want to play for hours. 

This game is similar to Scrabble, and they are both great options to practice attention skills as well as learning vocabulary and improving spelling.

11. Power Grid

Power Grid is a lesser known board game will challenge your family to build a functioning power grid for your city. With so many aspects to consider, this game will have your family’s brains working toward a common goal for hours.  

Action Video Games

Screen time can be a good thing when it is used as a tool to develop the focus of young children. Just one hour of video gaming can increase performance on visual selective activities (source).

Here are a few ways to use your tv screen to help your children’s attention span.

12. Classic Nintendo Video Game Console is a blast from the past and is ready to develop the newest generation of kids’ attention spans, just as the Nintendo console did for kids in the early 90’s. Even better? This console comes with 30 of the games that made the original Nintendo famous, so get ready for hours of fun!

Another option is to get your child a Nintendo Switch, which is similar to a Gameboy. This handheld gaming device is perfect for kids looking for a fun way to use an afternoon. Even better? Its a great tool to help develop kids’ attention spans.  

13. Strategy Computer Games like Starcraft II require the brain to plan, strategize and manage limited resources and logistics.

14.  Sim City is a great simulation game that requires the player to build a city with finite resources and consequences for decisions.

15. Little Big Planet is a puzzle game where the player controls Sackboy through various levels and can build their own levels for other players to play. 

16. For any sports fans in your family, a game like Fifa can help them develop strategy skills while playing their favorite game. 

17. One popular video game among young kids is Minecraft. It is being used to help educate children on everything from science to coding to how to plan out entire worlds. 

Focus Games / Attention Activities

Playing a simple game is so much more than an afternoon pastime. In fact, it is one of the best tools for helping your child’s brain grow and develop skills that will help them well into adulthood. 

18. Card Games

Classic Card Games like Crazy Eights, Old Maid or even Solitaire ( Patience) are great for encouraging children to grow in strategy and develop their attention span. Even better? All you need is a deck of cards!

19. Red Light, Green Light

Red Light, Green Light is a fun way to get kids to burn energy and focus on the task of stopping and starting.

When your child hears the words “Green light” they can move forward, but when they hear “Red light” they must freeze.

Mix it up by making your own rules such as roundabout (spin in circles) or reverse!

20. Simon Says

If you need to kill a large amount of time, a great game to play is Simon Says. This classic game is done by only repeating the action when the person in charge says the phrase ‘Simon Says’ beforehand. Do an action without the phrase and you are out.

21. Spot the Difference

This book of spotting the difference is made for 1st-5th graders and is a fun way to train the brain to focus. 

22. Tangram

Have you ever played with a Tangram? This simple, easy to use game is a fun way to increase a child’s concentration skills. With a select number of shapes, use the book to solve puzzles and make new shapes. 

23. A classic puzzle

Let your child work alone or with the entire family to put together a classic brain working activity. 

Some puzzle themes that you can purchase on Amazon are: 

• Legos
• The moon
• Dinosaurs

Whatever your child is passionate about, then there is a puzzle for them!

24. 3D Puzzles

Guaishu Brain Teasers are small puzzles that seem simple, but are far from it. Each device is a challenge and engages the entire brain to solve. 

Another option that we love at home are the crystal puzzles.

25. Freeze

One simple game that is loved by almost everyone is a game of Freeze. All you need is a space to dance and a music player (we play it dancing!). Everyone dances when the music plays. Once it stops, everyone on the dance floor freezes. Once you move, you are out! 

26. Word Search

Brain games are a great way to practice attention skills while your kid improves spelling, vocabulary and reading speed!

A couple of examples: Ages 4-8 and ages 8-10.

27. Attention Games Book

I’ve added this book to my attention games list because it suggests more than one hundred games:

• Attention Games: 101 Fun, Easy Games That Help Kids Learn To Focus

The author, Barbara Sher, is a pediatric occupational therapist and has compiled 101 attention activities to help children of all ages become better at focusing and paying attention.

Tip: although the book is for kids of all ages, there are more activities for younger children.

Listening Games

Attention is a key component of the listening process, so listening games and activities are a great way to practice attention skills. 

These are just a few examples:

28. Musical Statues

Dance to the sound of music and freeze when the music stops

29. Follow the Story

Start a story. Every few sentences a new kid is chosen to continue where the previous one left it.

30. String of Words

Did you play this game in your childhood?

“I went to the supermarket and bought…”, as you go around, each kid repeats the previous items and adds a new one. 

Related reading: 18 Listening Games and Activities for Kids

There are many other attention games, but these focus games above are a great start!

Enjoy playing!

Other Attention & Focus Resources

• 30 Effective Impulse Control Strategies
• ADHD Chairs to Help Improve Focus
• How to Teach Kids to Wait (15 Ideas!)
• Impulse Control Activities
• 10 ADHD Strengths (Includes hyperfocus)
• Time Management Activities for Kids

 

Help Kids Improve Concentration — Kids Craft Room

Do I Need To Be Concerned About My Child’s Concentration?

Honestly? I am! We live in such a busy media filled world now-a-days. We’re bombarded with images and music wherever we go. Can you think of the last time you went into a shop or a restaurant without music playing in the background? I can’t!  Our kids lives are filled with after school clubs for gymnastics, judo, swimming, you name it and we ferry our kids to and from it ‘enriching” their lives.  All this visual and auditory stimulation and all these adult led, structured activities mean my kids actually don’t get much opportunity to quieten down outside distractions, focus, tune in and really CONCENTRATE.

 

If my kids don’t develop an ability to concentrate I can see that it’ll have huge implications for their futures and for their happiness!

On a basic level if my kids can’t concentrate then they can’t amuse themselves when the structured adult led activities aren’t there. I want my kids to be able to create their own entertainment, to enjoy settling down with a book or doing a puzzle. I want my kids to be able to focus and concentrate so that they can develop their creativity, maybe working with paints or writing a story or acting in play.

On a social level if my kids can’t concentrate then they can’t listen in class for lengths of time and they may fall behind and feel frustrated. If my kids can’t concentrate then they’ll find it hard to build good communication skills. I want my kids to be able to engage with others meaningfully.

We all know that in general kids’ memory and concentration develops with age. But there are lots of really simple and easy things we can do at home to help encourage and support that development too.

Can We Improve Concentration?

Yes, sure we can! Attention span or concentration is the amount of time a child can focus on something before losing interest.  When we look around we can see that each child is unique; some children can stay absorbed in an activity for a long time whilst others seem to butterfly from one thing to another unable to focus for a length of time. It’s important not to judge or compare here. There is no right or wrong and each child will develop at their own rate. You should certainly never try to force a child to concentrate but there are ways however that we can help kids tune in and reach their potential.

Activities To improve Concentration

Activities to help your child develop their concentration skills can be broadly split into two different types, productive activities and receptive activities. It’s a great idea to try to regularly offer kids a variety of experiences from both of these. Some of the activities are ideas for children to do individually and some are ideas we can do together with our children. Mix it up regularly and have fun.

Improve Concentration With Productive Activities

Productive activities are ones where the child is actively involved in doing something. These kinds of activities do not have to have an end product but lots do. Children can greatly benefit from knowing where the start and finish of an activity is. Having a goal to aim for can help a child focus and concentrate through to the end.

Lots of children are good at concentrating and are happy to face an activity that is demanding of their attention. If however your child is struggling with concentration it’s important to provide activities that they have a good chance of success with. If for example you are introducing a jigsaw puzzle, match it to your child’s level of concentration not the age on the box.

Great examples of productive activities are (Includes affiliate links for your convenience):

• • • Jigsaw puzzles
    • Matching games e.g simple pairs game
    • Shape sorters
    • Stringing beads…to challenge them further you could ask for a specific sequence of colours or shapes.
    • Board games – these are lovely for building social skills and turn taking too.
    • Dominoes – we-re thinking the colourful building topple runs type, not the number game.
    • Chess and Draughts…fantastic for older children.
    • Children often have favourite play items and we can use this enthusiasm to build their concentration skills by encouraging them to do specific tasks with them that stretch their concentration. We’ve given a few examples below to get you started:
      Sand play – make the tallest/longest sand castle.
      Toy Cars – order them from fastest to slowest or run them down a ramp and see which travels the furthest.
      Water Play – find 5 things that sink/float.
      Cuddly Toys – order them from smallest to biggest/ sort them into colours.
    • Craft Activities – we love open ended process art activities but closed/specific craft activities with a specified finished product can be useful too to improve concentration. Children can benefit from following steps through one at a time. Choose a craft or art activity that fits their interests, we’ve got lots of fun ideas on our sister site Kids Craft Room.

Improve Concentration With Receptive Activities

These are activities where a child watches or listens to take in information.

Great examples of receptive activities are:

• • • Messages- asking your child to take a verbal message to someone. Start simple with one item like telling Dad that diner is ready and build it up as your child’s concentration grows to tell Dad dinner is ready and could he water the plants and turn off the outside light before he comes in.
    • Story Time – read a page or two of a story and ask questions about it.
    • Pictures – look at a picture together for 1 minute and then ask each other questions. such as what colour were the boy’s trousers? How many cups were on the table. Kids will love catching you out!
    • Shopping Time – when you go shopping ask your child to remember two or three things on the list.
    • Kims Game – put a few items on a tray and give your child a minute to look at them. cover them up with a cloth and remove one item. Can your child say what is missing? Kids will love doing it for you too.
    • Guess Who game – this is a fun game where kids try to find a particular character by asking their opponent questions. They have to concentrate hard on the right questions to ask and of course listen carefully to the answers.
    • Who Am I game – this is where you write the name of an object/person/place/animal on a post it note and stick one on each player’s forehead. Each player then takes turns asking questions to try to find out what animal etc they are.

Building Concentration Should Be Fun!

Whatever activity we’re providing for children we’ll find that some kids will concentrate well on some activities and some won’t. What one child loves another doesn’t! Different kids find different things interesting and we must remember and respect that. I think of myself as a good concentrator but I still remember my awful math lessons when I was in teacher training collage. They were the worse part of my week. As much as I love math I just couldn’t tune in to that particular teacher’s way of explaining and it all seemed so dull and an hour would feel like four! If a child isn’t focusing ask ourselves do they like the subject? And then ask ourselves if we are giving it to them in a format that works for them? Be fun, be engaging.

Whenever we’re giving kids an activity to do we need to make sure that the surroundings and timing are right for asking a child to concentrate and focus. If the TV or radio is on in the background how can we expect them to focus? If they are tired, hungry, anxious or super excited to be going to their friend’s party at 3 O’clock it may not be the best time for a “building concentration activity”

If you introduce an activity to improve concentration that you think is amazing but it’s just not holding their attention, don’t take offence, just gently bring it to a quick end and move on to something different, then try again another day or with something else.

Regularly vary materials to stimulate your kid’s interest and time it wisely. We want to allow them enough time on each activity to get fully involved but not so long that they get bored. We need to make the activities achievable and vary them and according to our child’s needs and likes.

Activities that help improve concentration can be loads of fun to do together and can be easily incorporated into daily life. I hope you have lots of fun connecting with your child and concentrating together!

Lots More Positive Parenting Articles Here:

How to develop attention in a child

Starting from the age of three, the child enters a phase of active development. During this period, a small person begins to explore the world and develop.

To promote the natural development of a child, you need to constantly give food for his young mind — play educational games. It is important for a child to acquire skills in a playful way, whether it is the development of imagination, speech, motor skills or attention.

It is the concentration of attention that helps the child to understand the sea of ​​information around, so this skill must be developed.

Article content:

• What is attention
• Peculiarities of attention in children
• Attention games
• Pins

What is attention?

Attention is a directed, concentrated perception of objects, phenomena, activities by a person. Attention cannot exist by itself: you cannot just be attentive. Attention appears when a child is interested in something, whether it is an object, a story, or a game.

Of course, it is very important that the object of concentration of attention is interesting, but mindfulness can and should be trained and developed.

Features of attention in children

Children are characterized by natural curiosity and interest. It is interest in something new and unusual that makes the child focus his attention of his own free will. But not always classes can be interesting enough, but it is important for the child to remain concentrated on more boring work. These skills need to be trained. The ability to concentrate one’s attention is the basis of easy learning and good assimilation of new knowledge.

Psychologists distinguish three types of attention:

1. Involuntary attention. It manifests itself in the child’s reaction to a saturated color (for example, red), a sudden sound, something unnatural, unusual. Such attention is attracted momentarily and occurs involuntarily. It is worth remembering that this type of attention predominates in preschool and primary school age.
2. Voluntary attention is also called volitional or active attention. It is associated with the conscious and intentional concentration of attention on an object or activity. This type of attention “turns on” in a child not when it comes to something interesting or enjoyable, but about something necessary. Voluntary attention requires perseverance and discipline. It is finally formed before the age of 7, because it is the basis of education at school.
3. Postvoluntary attention. It is based on interest and desire to continue the activity that was started thanks to voluntary attention. This type of attention turns on when the child is fond of the game, doing something with pleasure and without stress.

The development of any skill for a child should be not only a useful exercise, but also an exciting game. Many games help develop mindfulness and other abilities, such as: motor skills, speech, fantasy. No wonder many teachers highlight the role of the game in the learning process. Play is a fun form of learning.

Attention development games

We have collected for you several ways to help your child develop their attention in a playful way. In all games, you can complicate and slightly change the rules — let the games be individual and special for your family and your child.

Game «What has changed»?

Place 3 to 5 toys in front of your child to play with. Give your child time to memorize the items, a minute will be enough for this. Say out loud the names of the objects and their order. Then ask the baby to turn away or close his eyes (don’t peep!) and make changes: you can swap objects, remove or replace toys. The child will be tasked with identifying what has changed and recounting the original sequence.

It is important to remember that this is primarily a game of attention, and not just training for short-term memory. In order to make the game more exciting, you can come up with some kind of story based on items. This will not only teach the baby to concentrate, but also show how to find a creative approach and develop imagination.

You can try to switch roles — let the child feel like a leader and change places, and you will need to guess the changes. Over time, you can complicate the task and introduce new rules.

Spot the Difference Game

There are two pictures involved in the game — very similar at first glance, but containing minor differences. The main goal of the game is to name all the differences. It is very important to name, to voice what you see, and not just to show in the picture.

Thanks to voicing, the child will not only develop attention, but also improve his speech, train in the use of such concepts as “right”, “lower”, “left”. You can try to name the differences with the baby in turn, this will add interest to the game.

This game exists both in many books for the development of children and in various mobile applications.

Find a Pair Game

The game requires a set of cards from 10 to 60 pieces. The cards depict any items: vegetables, fruits, animals. Each image is repeated 2 times and represents a pair. First, the cards are laid out in random order with the image up and a little time is given to memorize them. Then the cards are turned over. The task is to open two paired cards.

In fact, the essence of the game is not to remember everything from the beginning. The child will raise pictures that do not match each other, but this will not be considered a mistake. After picking up the wrong pair, the kid sees that, for example, a cat was hiding under this card, and a lily of the valley under this one. This is what the child will have to remember and use later in the game.

“Find a Pair” teaches not so much to remember everything momentarily, but to concentrate your attention for a long time and use your mistakes, your previous experience.

You can and should play together with the child, alternating his move with turning over the cards, and yours. You can compete in the number of guessed pairs and assign a sweet prize to the winner.

Describe an object game

Description of an object is a training not only for mindfulness, but also for eloquence. You need to ask the baby to describe some object — at home, or on a walk — and do it in the most colorful way. After that, the child must describe the object again, only without looking at it, but, for example, turning away.

The game «Memorizing the sequence»

The whole point of the game is to correctly repeat the sequence of actions of some characters, whether they are children on the street or heroes from a fairy tale.

Of course, everyday life and real life can be used for this game — for example, list what you saw on a walk in the street, with all the characters and in the correct sequence. For example, first a blue car drove by, then a large bird flew by, then a boy passed by. In this game, the child develops the skill of switching attention.

If everyday life may seem too boring, you can try to retell the plot of the read fairy tales or seen cartoons. Perhaps at first the child will jump from enthusiastic impressions from event to event, but further, developing his skills, the child will learn to tell all the events in sequence from the beginning of the story to its end.

«Ear-nose» and «Dwarfs — Giants» games

This game is very popular among animators in various educational sections. On command «Ear!» all participants in the game — and this is both the children and the leader — must grab their ear, and at the command “Nose!” — by the nose. However, after a couple of successful attempts, the leader begins to make mistakes, and in no case should children succumb to this deception.

The situation is similar with the game “Dwarfs and Giants”, where the dwarfs squat, and the giants stand on their toes and stretch to their full height. This game is perfect for a warm-up at the gym and will bring not only benefits for the development of concentration, but also a lot of fun.

Find the item in the picture game

This attention game is most often found in children’s magazines. Before the child is presented a picture with an overabundance of all sorts of details and objects, and in all this madness you need to find some objects. The task can keep the child busy for a long time, but the goal of this game is a quick solution. Looking at bizarre pictures, the kid will immerse himself in the world of the depicted and develop his imagination.

Schulte’s table

This exercise will suit the attention of schoolchildren who have mastered the account. In a 5×5 table, numbers from 1 to 25 are randomly scattered. The task of the child is to find all the numbers in ascending order, starting from one, as quickly as possible. It is important that one view of the table can only be used for one attempt.

Symmetrical pattern

The checkered sheet is divided into two parts by a vertical line. On the right is some kind of image or object of an unusual shape. The child is faced with the task of symmetrically, based on the cells, to depict the drawn object.

It is also possible that on the right side there is a part of the object, for which symmetry is very characteristic, for example, one wing of a butterfly. Thus, the child will be able to restore the entire image. In addition to mindfulness, the exercise is designed for fine motor skills of the baby.

The game «Chains»

You can play «Chains» both together with a child, and together with all family members. The task of the participants is to make a chain of words of a pre-selected topic — sweets, cities, animal names. Each next participant must repeat what was said by the previous one. Over time, the chain will become more and more, and it will be more and more difficult to repeat it from the very beginning.

Conclusions

A lot of time should be devoted to the development of a child’s mindfulness, but according to the recommendations, attention distribution training should take place in a playful way. After all, the game, in addition to the fact that it pleases and attracts kids, brings them great benefits.

We have described simple ways to develop mindfulness in a child that you can practice on your own. However, it is important to trust the upbringing of your child to children’s development centers. Highly qualified specialists of our child development centers will select a special approach to each child. We offer both general and specialized classes. The basis of all classes with children is the experience of psychology and pedagogy. Although the main ingredient, of course, is unconditional love for children.

Tips for developing attention in a child

gif»> Tips for developing attention in a child Source: http://klass617.narod.ru/index/0-8 Councils of parents of first grades: 9000 9000. 2. Discuss with your child the rules and regulations they will meet at school. 3. Make a daily routine with the first grader and follow it. 4. Do not ignore the difficulties that a child has at the first stage of education. 5. Support the first grader’s desire to succeed. 6. Praise and emotional support (“Well done!”, “Good!”) can increase a person’s intellectual level. 7. Seek advice from a teacher and a school psychologist. 8. Respect the first grader’s opinion of your teacher. Tips for developing attention in a child In order to develop attention, it is necessary to know its basic properties and the degree of development of these properties in a child. 1. Amount of attention — the number of objects that a child can perceive at the same time. Attention span develops with age. Up to 3-4 years old, a child can perceive only one object, usually something bright and unusual. At the age of 5-6, there may already be several such objects, usually 2-3. To check the amount of attention, do a simple test: lay out several objects (10-12) on the table, cover them with something, such as an opaque cloth, then remove the cloth for 3 seconds, ask the child to remember which items are on the table, and cover again their fabric. Then ask the child to name the items they remember. 2. Concentration of attention — a property characterized by the ability to keep attention on one subject without being distracted by others. To develop concentration, try to engage with your child in some activity that requires concentration in a noisy environment, for example, turning on music. At the same time, you can constantly complicate the task by making the music louder and louder. 3. Switching attention — the speed of transition from one type of activity to another, this property of attention requires volitional effort. Distractedness is associated with poor switching of attention, which can be exacerbated by fatigue and chronic diseases (for example, adenoiditis, in which nasal breathing is difficult and the brain does not receive enough oxygen). A child, especially an impressionable one, sometimes cannot concentrate on completing a task for a long time due to the memory of some strong image. Switching and attention span in young children are poorly developed. For their training, there are special exercises. For example, a younger student can be offered a game of «corrector». The child is given a sheet of letters (you can take an ordinary newspaper), on which he must cross out one letter, circle another, and skip all the rest. For preschoolers, instead of a newspaper, you can take a sheet with rows of geometric shapes of various colors. The degree of development of the volume, concentration and switchability of attention largely depends on the success of a child’s education at school. Here are some games that will allow you to develop your child’s attention. Guess the word game. Several people play, one player goes out (“leader”), others make up a word. It must be a noun, for example, the word “house”, “leader” must guess it, with the help of hints, and only three people can tell him, and then not directly, but indirectly. In order to guess the first letter, in our case, it is the letter «D», those who prompt call each by the word that contains the letter «d». For example, one says «board», the second «dresser», and the third «rainbow» — a little effort, and the first letter is guessed. Then they move on to the next letter and so on until the word is guessed. Exception game. An adult will name, say, plants, a child should listen carefully, and as soon as an animal is named among the plants, he should jump. Game «What has changed?». The game requires 5-6 children. One child is chosen, he “leads”, the “leader” examines the children for 1 minute, then turns away or leaves the room. One of the children changes something in their clothes, and the “leader” must understand what has changed. Numbers-figures game. This is a game for the amount of attention, teaches you to do several things at the same time. An adult calls several numbers (3-4) and at the same time shows pictures with geometric shapes. The child must remember and name both numbers and shapes. To improve concentration, you can perform various tasks according to the given model. For example, draw a pattern. The beginning of the pattern is given as a pattern, and all components of the pattern must be repeated. Attention span exercise. The adult gives the child the task of drawing triangles, and when the child draws, he claps his hands. The child must draw as many triangles as possible and name the number of claps. Pictures develop attention well, in which you need to find a certain number of differences. A few tips for parents: — during class, do not be a distant spectator, take an active part in games, show your emotions; — when giving instructions to a child, make sure that it is specific, understandable and consistent; — tasks should be selected so that the child is interested, that is, they should slightly exceed the child’s skills at the moment; Do not reproach the child for inattention and do not compare him with other children, but simply help him develop his attention . .. and his success will surprise you. Memory development in schoolchildren In order to help a child memorize learning material more easily and effectively, all factors must be taken into account. Therefore, try to determine what type of memory prevails in your child. But still remember that sometimes it also happens that the memory of a student can be mixed. Naturally, it is necessary to take into account how the child remembers school material more easily. But it is desirable not to concentrate only on one type of memory, but to develop everything little by little. The development of memory in schoolchildren involves memorizing material in different ways. For example, when helping your child with homework, try to read aloud to your child one day, and the next day ask him to read to you. Try to use pictures, diagrams, drawings when doing your homework. Have your child say the answers out loud. Thus, the child will develop all types of memory, and after a while it will be much easier for him to memorize school material, to answer in the lessons. Do not forget to review what you have already learned with your child, for example, at first every day and then once a week. Also, be sure to come up with examples for the material that you are studying with your child. Since it is very important that the child does not memorize the material, but understands it. When studying any material, it is essential to take short breaks, because children get tired quickly. Teach your child to look for basic concepts in the material that will help the child quickly navigate and quickly remember all the material. Memory development exercises: In order to develop a good memory in a child, you need to teach him to memorize and study the material correctly, as well as simply develop memory and associative thinking. For this purpose, simple task games are suitable. For example, play illogical associations with your child. To do this, think of a few unrelated words (elephant, shop, bicycle, grandfather), and the child must come up with a story in which these words will be used. You can also offer the child some pictures, he should look at them for about thirty seconds, then you hide the pictures, and the child should draw what he remembers. You can come up with most of the games yourself, but the main thing is that the sooner you start developing your child’s memory, the easier it will be for him to learn in the future. Recommendations for parents of hyperactive children 1. It is necessary to communicate gently and calmly with a hyperactive child. If an adult performs an educational task with him, then it is desirable that there be no shouts and orders, but also enthusiastic intonations, an emotionally elevated tone. A hyperactive child, being very sensitive and receptive, is likely to quickly join in your mood. Emotions will overwhelm him and become an obstacle to further successful actions. 2. Quite often, hyperactive children have extraordinary abilities in different areas, are quick-witted and quickly “grab” information, which makes teachers feel that these children need to be given faster and more information. However, excessive demands on such children and an increase in workloads often lead to overwork, whims and abandonment of activities altogether. 3. As a rule, a hyperactive child receives a lot of reprimands both at home and at school. As a result, his self-esteem suffers, so he should be praised more often for successes and achievements, even the smallest ones. However, we must not forget that insincere, undeserved praise is unacceptable. All children, especially hyperactive (and especially sensitive) ones, will quickly “bite” you and stop trusting you. 4. However, remembering that a hyperactive child needs praise and approval from adults to build self-confidence, we must not forget that if an adult wants to praise a child for the successful completion of a task, for perseverance or accuracy, it is better not to do it too much. emotionally, so as not to overexcite him. 5. If an adult wants to get a hyperactive child to follow his instructions and requests, you need to learn how to give instructions for him. First of all, instructions should be laconic, and contain no more than 10 words. Otherwise, the child will simply “turn off” and will not hear you. Teachers should not give the child several tasks at once. It is better to give the same instructions, but separately, adding the following only after the previous one has been completed. Moreover, it is necessary that the tasks are feasible for the child both physically and in time. Their implementation must be monitored. 6. If adults believe that some activity of the child should be prohibited (for example, the child should not leave the office, etc.), then it must be remembered that there should be very few such prohibitions, they must be agreed in advance with the child and are formulated in a very clear and uncompromising way. At the same time, it is desirable that the child knows what sanctions will be imposed for violating a particular prohibition. In turn, adults must be very consistent in enforcing sanctions. 7. In everyday communication with hyperactive children, it is necessary to avoid harsh prohibitions that begin with the words “no” and “no”. A hyperactive child, being impulsive, is likely to immediately respond to such a prohibition with disobedience or verbal aggression. In this case, firstly, you need to speak with the child calmly and with restraint, even if you forbid something to him, and secondly, it is advisable not to say “no” to the child, but to give him the opportunity to choose! (If the child is screaming loudly, you can sing along with him some of his favorite songs of his choice. If the child is throwing toys and things, you can offer him water games, which are described in the section «Games played … (for example, «Balloon fights» ). 8. Because of his impulsiveness, it is difficult for a hyperactive child to switch from one type of activity to another at the first request of an adult. Sometimes it is better to warn him about it a few minutes before the start of a new activity. (“After 4 minutes we start another exercise”). Moreover, in order not to cause the child’s aggression, it is better if, after these 4 minutes, it is not you who remind him, but the alarm clock or timer. In the case when the child correctly fulfills the set conditions, he certainly deserves a reward, and here it is appropriate to use the system of rewards and punishments, which was discussed above. 9. It is often said by adults that hyperactive children never get tired. It is this fatigue that manifests itself in the form of motor restlessness, which is often mistaken for activity. Such children get tired very quickly, and this leads to a decrease in self-control and an increase in hyperactivity, from which they themselves and everyone around them suffer. 10. Compliance with a clear regime (routine) of the day at home is also one of the most important conditions for successful actions when interacting with a hyperactive child. And eating, and walking, and doing homework must be carried out at the same time known to the child. To prevent overexcitation, such a child should go to bed at a strictly defined (fixed) time, and the duration of sleep should be sufficient to restore strength (in each case, parents determine this duration themselves, based on the child’s condition). By alexxlab View Archive → Similar Posts