How to Increase Concentration in Kids 

It is becoming more and more common for children, with the passage of time and the development of new technologies, it becomes more difficult for us to develop the attention span of our children.

In principle, we have to understand that this is a capacity that is acquired over time, but this can also be exercised and therefore improved by using certain techniques in conjunction with a lifestyle that promotes this development.

This can be a problem and its importance will depend on each child, and under “normal” circumstances at school, children tend to be a bigger problem due to the lack of personalized attention per student, so it is not all bad news from this return to classes at home, where we can dedicate more time to our children so that they develop the ability to concentrate.

Sports physical activities

Physical activities allow children to discharge the large amount of accumulated energy that children have, achieving more passivity when they are carrying out an activity that requires greater concentration such as academic tasks and cognitive games. Other benefits of sports are:

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• Better vision: Children who spend time outdoors playing, especially organized sports, are less likely to develop vision problems.
• Healthy weight: Obesity is increasing in children, but data show that kids who are more active, especially after school, are more likely to be of normal weight.
• Motor skills development: Sports participation helps with coordination and learning new skills.

Art

Teaching your child to do an artistic activity is a great way to exercise his mind, putting more focus on a creative activity of his attention, such as: painting, coloring, drawing, playing a musical instrument. Several researches have shown that art has many benefits in kids such as: 

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• Motor skill development: Drawing and scribbling with crayons is an activity that lays the foundation for learning to write. Painting with a brush or cutting with scissors improves the motor skills that link the synchronization between the movement of the hands and the sight, which later helps the development of many more activities such as sports.
• Self-esteem and self-expression: Learning to express themselves in new ways through art helps children gain confidence and perseverance, it also helps generate positive emotional responses to stressful situations that arise as they grow older. Time-dependent art projects, like waiting for paint and glue to dry, encourage patience, which is difficult for most children these days. Focusing on a project for long periods also develops focus and longer attention span.
• Visual memory: Art activities have also been shown to help children analyze what they see and make decisions based on visual information. Creating crafts for example helps develop executive function, which includes working memory, mental flexibility, and self-control.

Define goals according to their age

On a daily, weekly and monthly basis. A great way to measure performance and therefore the level of concentration when carrying out daily activities, is to measure the objectives in tasks, execution times and see the evolution. One common mistake is to set up goals like they were teens or young adults, to prevent this, it is necessary to know the complete study program according to the kids grade and based on that you can start setting up goals that includes writing, reading, math, art, etc.

Get enough rest - have a comfortable place to rest

There were several studies that scientists did in the early 2000s that looked at the effects of sleep deprivation. What the researchers concluded is that sleep has links to several brain functions, including: concentration, productivity and cognition. A more recent 2015 study in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry showed that children’s sleep patterns can have a direct impact on their behavior and academic performance.