Poor concentration in children: How you can help
Does your child often find it difficult to concentrate for a long time? Then it could be that it suffers from a lack of concentration. Here we explain how a lack of concentration develops in children and how you can best support your child.
Concentration is the basic prerequisite for any successful process. Whether it’s homework, learning an instrument or even playing – if we don’t focus on it properly, it hardly gets us anywhere. Concentration is therefore part of our daily lives and is therefore the basic prerequisite for productive learning and working.
Already in kindergarten and later in school, concentrated play or work is required of children. However, it is often not on the learning plan how to actually train and maintain such a concentration ability. Especially today, for example due to the enormous media influences, it is becoming increasingly common for children to have great difficulty focusing on something for a long time. In these cases, there is talk of a lack of concentration or concentration disorder.
Lack of concentration in children: what does it mean?
From a medical point of view, it cannot be clearly defined when a lack of concentration can be assumed that requires medical help. In a general sense, however, a lack of concentration is a disorder of the ability to focus on a particular thing. This weakness can occur depending on the form and time of the day and can also be topic-dependent. For example, when children are more easily distracted by certain topics than others. Nevertheless, the following symptoms could indicate a lower ability to concentrate:
Aslight distractibility, absent-mindedness, inattention to everyday tasksand a deficit or difficulty staying alert for a long time. Of course, no one is highly concentrated 24 hours a day – and children feel the same way. However, if such concentration disorders occur regularly and at several times of the day, parents should talk to a doctor about it.
Reasons for poor concentration in children
There are numerous causes of a lack of concentration. Some reasons are more obvious than others. In addition, there are internal and external factors that can lead to this.
Internal factors
- Psychological stress
Internal factors include everything that can psychologically burden a person. For example, problems and personal fears that do not let the thoughts rest. In addition, time pressure and lack of breaks in learning can lead to disturbance of concentration. - The level of the task However, the level of the task to be mastered also plays an important role: If the task
is too difficult, the child quickly feels overwhelmed and loses desire – doubts arise that disturb concentration. However, if a task is too easy, this causes the same conditions: the child is bored and digresses. The right level of task is therefore an important factor. - Unhealthy lifestyle
You should also pay attention to the body’s signals – too little sleep and an unhealthy, irregular diet can have a significant impact on performance.
External influences
- Insufficient learning environment
Noise, restlessness or stale air can significantly reduce your child’s ability to concentrate. Disorder and an uncomfortable learning or working situation can also lead to poor concentration. - Distraction through media A major external factor is today’s media
– because the smartphone becomes a permanent companion of children at a young age. Just like television, computer and video games. The media influences, for example, when a message arrives on the mobile phone, disturb the child again and again in his concentration. It is becoming increasingly difficult to concentrate on something in the long term without digressing to the mobile phone again and again. Incidentally, the media guidelines rob children of their imagination and creativity.
Increase and promote concentration: What helps?
Concentration must be learned. Especially when children start school, everyday life and the new learning situation are probably overwhelming at first and also offer a lot of distraction potential. It is then that it is important to understand that concentration must be learned. With these points you can support your child:
- Distraction-free learning environment
For example, through a tidy desk (possibly at the window) without much decoration. Also make sure that your child is not distracted by TV, mobile phone, PC, toys, etc. - Enough sleep
Every body needs rest! Especially children need enough sleep to bring full performance. If your child is very tired after school, a 20-minute nap (no longer!) might also help. - Breaks in learning
A walk in the fresh air is an optimal balance to thinking and learning and stimulates blood circulation. A learning break can also last an hour – the brain is not a machine! - Sufficient exercise
Make sure that your child moves sufficiently in everyday life. This can be done through a sport, small Tobe units in the garden or regular walks. The main thing is to get out and move! - Nutrition
A balanced and healthy diet is incredibly important for brain performance – fruits, vegetables but also healthy carbohydrates are essential for this. - Find
out optimal learning time Every person has individual working hours in which he is the most efficient. However, your own biorhythm can be trained if you always call up performance at the same time. Find out together with your child when it can learn best and use this time window – maybe a longer break is necessary after school. - To do list for your child
Clear structures ensure clear thinking! Even children can help such lists to get order in their everyday lives. If your child knows when to get something done, they can adjust to it better, which in turn makes for clear thoughts. Create such lists together with your child. If it is older, it can of course do it alone. - Peace of mind
If your child is struggling with something emotionally, it can become a burden that affects their ability to concentrate and perform. Therefore, always talk openly with your child about his feelings, everyday situations and his current experiences.
Concentration can be learned
So if there are moments when your child has a hard time concentrating, it’s not a cause for concern, it’s completely human. Nevertheless, permanent concentration must be learned and trained – especially in today’s media world, which offers tons of distraction. However, if your child has a permanent lack of concentration, ourarticle about ADHDcould be interesting for you. In such a case, you should seek medical help.
However, you should always remember that a lack of concentration does not mean that your child suffers from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Instead, observe it and talk openly with him about your concerns – surely some of the tips listed above will help to promote your child’s concentration in the future.