Bending over your desk with a significant task to dive into but with the mind straying down memory lane, perhaps a phone notification? These are situations we have been through while trying to concentrate on something.
Concentration is a valued quality that is inexcusable in the fast-paced world that we live in. Everything we do, from daily chores to solving complicated problems, requires concentration to achieve the best results. As important as it is, a continued concentration level is elusive to many. People are prone to get distracted at moments that require utmost concentration. We can improve our attentiveness by using an abacus, playing problem-solving games, exercising, getting enough sleep, etc.
Compared to adults, children get easily distracted. So, maintaining continued concentration in children is a hefty task for the parents. But to solve it, we must first understand the signs of a lack of attention.
Signs of a lack of concentration:
- Having difficulty learning and remembering
- Unable to focus on schoolwork and daydreaming.
- Losing items frequently and unorganized.
- Poor handwriting in comparison to peers of the same age.
- Being aggressive or moody at times.
- Demonstrating weak motor skills such as running or jumping.
TIPS TO HELP IMPROVE CONCENTRATION LEVELS AMONG KIDS
Now that we know about the importance of concentration and the signs of being unfocused, we can look into steps that help improve concentration in children.
- Scaling down a large task into smaller ones
Bigger tasks require higher concentration levels, negatively impacting productivity and hampering growth and development. Thus, splitting it into small tasks helps reduce the load, making children more engaged and increasing concentration levels.
Proper nutrition is required for the appropriate functioning of the brain. Children are developing; hence, adequate nutrition is highly important to enhance functionality.
Some healthy foods are beneficial in increasing the concentration level, such as eggs, milk, oats, fish, etc. Omega-3 fatty acids are proven to increase the cognitive abilities of children.
- Physical activities and proper sleep
Children involved in physical activities have shown improved concentration levels while tackling academic problems, solving puzzles, and playing games.
Along with physical activities, proper rest is required for the overall development of the children. Adequate sleep improves the state of mind and provides enough refreshment to relax.
- Studying at the same hour every day
Doing the same action at a similar time every day eventually makes it a habit. Repeated action reduces the stress of doing it and increases the ease of focusing on the action.
- Allowing some break before beginning a new task.
Giving a break after every task reduces the load and allows the brain to relax and recuperate, increasing concentration levels.
- Set time for the completion of a goal
Setting targets and timers increases the competitive nature of the children, which in turn increases the level of focus applied to every task.
- Word and picture puzzles.
Indulging in puzzles enhances the children's level of focus and adds to the fun content, increasing their involvement and concentration.
There are different games, such as tongue twisters, missing numbers, dot puzzles, and mazes.
- Practicing exercises and yoga
Various exercises and yoga are proven methods to increase attentiveness toward a problem or situation. These exercises include belly breathing and meditation.
ABACUS AND CONCENTRATION
Abacus practice creates a noticeable change in anyone's level of concentration. Since concentration is unhindered attentiveness towards any activity, the abacus, which requires attention to understand and move forward with the calculations, provides an appropriate platform for improving engagement.
Abacus also requires constant practice to master, allowing anyone who practices it to exercise attentiveness constantly. As the saying goes, practice makes a man perfect, and continuous application of concentration to tasks in the abacus makes children masters.
TO CONCLUDE
Concentration is the key to solving any problem in life, so as children, we learn about various issues and their solutions. Thus, a focused mindset is particularly important for a child's bright future. As quoted by the Japanese writer, Haruki Murakami the power to concentrate is the most important thing; living without this power would be like opening one's eyes without seeing anything.