Keeping children focused throughout the year at school is a challenge, particularly when we near the end of it. Holidays, warmer weather and the exciting things that come with the year closing out can become quite distracting.
The loss of focus can hinder your child’s performance in school (in both the classroom and the playground) and make them irritable or anxious at home. Thankfully, there are a number of things that you can do at home to help your child stay focused towards the end of the year.
Eight Ideas to Help Children Stay Focused
Cool it down
The end of the school year in Australia comes hand in hand with the beginning of summer. Your child may have a harder time concentrating simply because they’re too hot – an overheated brain can’t focus!. Make sure to provide plenty of ways for children to keep cool both in the classroom and at home. Here are some our top ways to keep cool:
- Keep homework and study spaces nice and cool.
- Have a cool drink available and provide regular drink breaks between tasks
- Pack water-rich snacks like cucumber and celery sticks, slices of watermelon or a handful of cherry tomatoes. You could also try out some D.I.Y ice blocks for an afternoon snack.
- Have some misters on hand for quick relief from the heat
- Try some cool down exercises when transitioning from outdoor play to learning
- Consider using a cool down as a reward as well. Take your overheated little one to the pool or let them cool off under the hose in the backyard after a successful homework session.
Try some mindfulness activities
Mindfulness and meditation xercises are a simple way to promote greater awareness and concentration. Try out some of these activities at the start of class or homework or as a break between tasks:
- Try some mindul breathing activities. Download our guided breathing tracing cards to get started.
- Listen to a guided meditation
- Trace infinity loops and mazes
- Write a diary or journal about things learnt at school and what they look forward to
- Colour in positive affirmation stencils
- Listen to a soundscape such as a beach our forest
Give them some brain breaks
A lack of focus towards the end of the year could be a symptom of working hard through the school year. Sitting still for a long time and the anticipation of school holidays can cause even the most focused children to lose their determination and direction. A quick change in activity can help children to reengage in their learning. Give your children a brain break in between their homework, classwork, tutoring or study and you might see an improvement in their focus.
Here are some simple ideas to try for a brain break:
- Stretches and yoga poses
- Animal walks
- Heads down, thumbs up game
- Simon Says
- Mr Squiggle drawing competition
- Classroom scavenger hunt
- Mazes and dot-to-dots
Try not to include heavily stimulating things, like TV or screen time, in their break so that you don’t overstimulate their brain and cause them to become even less likely to stay focused on their homework.
Set a timer
Setting a timer during tasks can improve your child’s concentration. It gives your child a goal and a set period that they need to stay focused for. Try breaking down classwork or homework into smaller work blocks and mix up longer tasks with shorter tasks.
Try out different timer options to see what works best. Some of our go-to timers include:
- Time timer – displays time as a coloured disc portion that disappears as time passes.
- Sand timer – shows time passing by sand moving from the upper bulb to the lower bulb through a narrow opening
- Digital timer – shows time as digits counting up to or down from the set time
Be careful of setting a timer that could provide distraction. If your child constantly keeps asking “how much longer?” then maybe use a clock instead.
Switch up seating options
Wandering minds can cause children to fidget and become restless. Having different seating options available can help to keep restless energy at bay so children can concentrate. Some options to consider include:
- Balance cushions
- Exercise balls
- Rocking floor chairs
- Wobble or swivel stools
- Exercise band around chair legs
- Footrest with roller
Reward for effort
When concentration is hard, so is staying motivated. Offer plenty of praise and recognition for the effort being put in, even if the task isn’t yet complete. Be specific with praise and agree on any rewards at the start of a task so your child knows what they are working towards. For example, “We are going to do homework for 15 minutes and then we can play outside.”
Another fun idea for the last weeks of school is to create a countdown calendar. You can decide a reward for each day and enjoy a new activity for remaining days of the school year.
Stick to your routine
At the end of the school year, children might be working a little harder to stay focused. All this energy being put into concentration can make children tired, which can make managing emotions more difficult. Sticking to a daily routine can help children feel safe, responsible and well-regulated to cope with the increased fatigue and restlessness at the end of the year.
Have a little check in
The end of the school year can come with different expectations or changes to the usual school routine.
Make dedicated time for a focused mental health check in to see how your child is coping with end-of year events including tests, class celebrations or moving to a new school. Worry and anxiety can have a significant impact on children’s ability to focus so it’s important to check in regularly.
Speak to them about any concerns they may have, make sure to set aside lots of quality time and continue to listen and provide reassurance.
