6 Fun Ways to Boost Concentration in Children
When it comes to concentration in children, there are things adults can do to help them develop this skill. But, how can we know if our children have low concentration skills or if their attention span is too short? It’s very simple. All you need to do is observe and look for certain signs. For example:
- Your child sits in different spots for short periods of time.
- Is easily distracted.
- Has a hard time getting organized.
- Loses things easily.
- Has a hard time learning and remembering things.
If you’ve noticed any of these behaviors, then it’s a good time to work on your little one’s concentration skills. Let’s take a look at 6 fun ways to boost concentration in children.
6 fun ways to boost concentration in children
1. Puzzles
Puzzles are a great tool for improving concentration. There are a few things to keep in mind when choosing them. First, let your children choose the image on the puzzle. That way, you’ll be sure they’ll be more interested in completing it.
Depending on a child’s age, puzzles can have more or fewer pieces and have a higher or lower difficulty level. You can offer support, helping a little bit, but it’s best for children to learn to do puzzles on their own.
2. Completing the alphabet or number series
- 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9…
- A, B, C, D, F, G, I…
3. Tongue twisters for strengthening concentration in children
Tongue twisters are very fun and, what’s more, are an excellent way to improve concentration and pronunciation. To practice tongue twisters with your little one, write them on a small blackboard or on pieces of paper. Then, allow him or her to choose one and then read it to you.
Once your child is finished, tell him or her to pick up the pace and read it again. You can observe how able your child is to do this without stumbling. Once children become familiar with tongue twisters, you can ask them to invent their own.
4. Against the clock
Depending on your children’s age, you can challenge them to carry out certain activities that can be done in less than a minute. For example, putting toys away, solving math skills, putting books into a bag, etc.
First, explain the activity and ask your child to complete the task before time runs out. Then, set a timer and let the fun begin! This is a very motivating game that maximizes mindfulness in children.
5. Memory cards
The memory game consists of finding pairs of matching cards and setting them aside. Each player turns over two cards per turn to see if they match. If they don’t match, he or she flips them back over and leaves them in the same position.
However, if a player manages to pick up two matching cards, he or she removes them and sets them aside. Then, he or she gets another chance to flip over two cards. Whoever makes the most pairs of matching cards wins the game.
6. Find the differences in order to boost concentration in children
Here, children have to compare two nearly identical images and find the differences between them. To make the game more dynamic, you can arrange objects or dress up in a certain way.
Allow children to observe carefully before closing their eyes. Then, change the arrangement of the objects or something in your attire.
Finally, children must point out whatever changes took place. This is similar to the paper versions of the game, but much more creative and interactive.
All of these activities are fun and, at the same time, useful ways to boost concentration in children. As they play, your children will concentrate without even realizing it. And, little by little, their ability to concentrate and stay on task will increase.
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- Joe L. Frost, Sue Clark Wortham and Robert Stuart Reifel. (2001). Play and child development. Merrill, Prentice Hall.
