Mrs. Center
ENG IV
7 March 2013
Kids Concentrating Problem
There are a lot of kids all over the world that have problems with concentrating in class. Many of these kids do not know what to do, due to the lack of information that teachers and parents have. With simple tips teachers and parents will understand and know what to do when a child has problems concentrating at school and school work in general.
Some useful information for teachers is that they may notice a shift in the concentration levels by the middle of the school year for most four and five year olds (Booth). Kids begin to focus on activities for longer periods of time and are even able to return to an activity after a break of a few hours or days. This is one of the major transitions that occur during kindergarten (Booth). At this age they learn to concentrate by doing things that interest them. This means that teachers should offer a balance of activities that effectively teach the curriculum and reflect children’s interest by giving them opportunities to make choices and time to get involved in those experiences (Booth). Factors that may affect concentration include if an activity is too challenging, children may either chose not to participate or may stay in the activity only for a short time. An example would be, children who choose blocks over art feel more confident and comfortable with large-motor skills than small-motor skills (Booth). The role of a teacher is to support children in developing their concentration for activities of they are choosing by providing enough time for them to choose each day. At the same time the teacher should gently encourage children to experiment and stay with activities that challenge skills they are not as comfortable with (Booth). The moods of children also have an effect on their ability to focus. If a child comes to school upset, tired, or overly excited, they may be too distracted to concentrate on an activity during school. Understanding that the lack of concentration of a child is also related to their mood, as a parent they should deal with this cause (Booth). What a teacher and parent can do is acknowledge these tips; first one is to provide extended period of time for a child to do independent activities. Teachers should try to offer a wide variety of activities on different skill levels from which children can choose during independent activity time (Booth). Teachers should also have to be aware of individual differences. They have to find ways for children who tend to do only those activities that they feel comfortable with to be successful in a variety of learning experiences. What to expect next from six and seven year olds, is that they have an enormous capacity to remember the smallest details about what an adult had said (Booth). They can also go for great lengths of time concentrated in something they are involved in.
“ At the same time, many feel a growing pressure to achieve academically. In fact, sometimes the pressure to learn to read is so great (even from within) that their ability to focus is so compromised. Children need frequent breaks from academic work to keep their attention focused (Booth) ”.
At this age these kids begin to socialize, this is a great age to put children to work with small groups on independent projects (Booth). This information will be really helpful for the teacher to help their students at a young age. “Children nowadays prefer to sit and stare at the box not realizing how much of a box they grown into thinking as the television says and building a life like those actors on television” (Mohamed). The most important information that a parent needs to know is that TV is a major distraction for kids. Exposing kids to television programs sometimes can be educational, but it also affects the kid normal intellectual growth (Mohamed).
“Between playing, schoolwork and conversations they would make these exaggerated cartoon noises and facial