Academic performance is important to most Singaporean parents. Did you know 40% of preschoolers attend private tuition? The percentage is even higher for primary and high school students, at 80% and 60% respectively. Although tuition is helpful, it may not benefit children struggling with focus and concentration.
Instead of tuition, it is best to attempt attention training for kids. A child who is unable to concentrate in class will not have much luck with tuition. Before turning to tuition, why not find activities that answer your concern on how to improve concentration in kids?
Timed activities
Activities with a time limit are great for attention training for kids. When playing, children will be aware that they have to meet their goals before time runs out. For example, you can give a child a word and ask him to write as many words as possible from the master word. He will not risk losing focus because time will be up before completing the assigned task.
Puzzles
Puzzle games are critical for a child’s cognitive development. They help with fine motor development, hand-eye coordination, and decision-making skills. Over time, the child’s memory, attention span, concentration, and focus will improve.
Fortunately, there are different types of age-appropriate puzzles in the market. Younger children can start with 4-piece puzzles and progress to puzzles with more pieces. You can even choose pieces according to the child’s colour preference.
Building activities
Building games are quite popular with children. They not only require focus, but some of these games take a long time, so your child learns how to sit through tasks that last longer than a few minutes. Since the goal is to build something successfully, the child is unlikely to give up before the task is completed.
For example, children can work in groups to see which team will build the highest stack of cards. The element of competition will make the activity more enjoyable, especially since the stack of cards will keep falling. This will keep the kids occupied, and at the same time, test their limits when it comes to focus and concentration.
Alternatively, if the child is playing alone, you can ask him to build blocks according to the shapes, sizes and colours.
Memory games
For a child to remember what he saw, he will need to concentrate. For example, brain training games that ask the child to identify the direction of the arrow. The picture is usually shown for a second, so the child needs to concentrate on identifying the right arrow.
The advantage of memory games is it tests various cognitive skills and functions. In this case, the child will not only be expected to identify the arrow and direction it faces, but he also needs to have good decision-making skills. There is no room for doubt. After playing such games for some time, the child will become more confident to voice his responses.
Play games that follow a sequence
When asked how to improve children’ concentration and focus, many experts recommend activities that follow a sequence. In this case, a child cannot move to the next level unless he completes the current level.
As long as the game is enjoyable, the child will strive to succeed so that he can progress to other levels. In the process, the child will learn patience and be more sensitive to his decisions since they will determine his success or failure.
If you are concerned with how to improve concentration in kids, these activities give you an insight into the many options available. You can also use some of these activities to get your child to play outdoors if you feel he is spending too much time with his electronics.