Any ideas of how I could increase my daughter's attetion span??

Question

I am trying to teach my daughter letters and numbers, etc. and increase her attention span. She has none. She won't focus on anything more that 5 minutes. Any little activities I could do to help increase this, or does it just come in time (she just turned 5) Thanks!!

Answer 1

First, make sure she is comfortable and not tired, hungry etc. Some kids don't like the way certain fabrics feel etc, and if they are uncomfortable, they can't concentrate.
Second, reduce distractions like TV and other children, open windows, the smell of food cooking. If you usually work in silence, turn on some quiet music in the background (so quiet you have to think hard to hear it) or a fan that is pretty quiet, you don't want to have to shout over it. Some people are distracted more easily in a silent room by small sudden noises like birds, cars, a cough or sniffle.
Make sure that where you are working is comfortable and kid friendly, if your daughter has to worry about knocking something over, or the clutter next to the table, she won't have enough attention left to focus.
To increase attention, play games that focus. Simon Says, Redlight Greenlight, statues, hopscotch, ballgames and many others require a mental investment (ie sustained attention) to play.
Reward her for sustaining her attention throughout a meal, a TV show, a game.
Be reasonable with your requests, some kids just need a little more time to concentrate. A five-year-old cannot be asked to concentrate for longer than 15 minutes, and that is for an activity that she chose, is interested in and is enjoying.
Although your daughter doesn't have ADHD, you can try some of those tricks: dance the ABC's rather than just read them. Place large letters all over your house and have her go to one to find her shoes and to another to find her shirt and another to find her jacket etc. Type a list of the alphabet and print it onto card stock, let her touch and move her finger along with the song.
Excite more than one of her senses and it may pull more of her brain into the activity thus lengthening her attention span.
Good luck.

Answer 2

she's five, so her attention span should be 10 mins. give her activities that would last for 6 minutes first to challenge her focusing. increase duration of activities as the attention span lengthens. do activities that are fun for the child too. Not worksheets and flashcard types, teach her through play. be more creative with how you teach her. provide praises or rewards whenever she finishes the activity. always make her finish even when she cries, she will get used to the length of time eventually.

Answer 3

Make it a game, and try not to take too long to do it.

Maybe look around and see letters while you are shopping, or pick three letters to concentrate on that day, and spend the day wherever you are, pointing things out that begin with one of those letters.

Sesame Street may also help you with that, for they seem to concentrate on one or two letters each day, and everything revolves around those letters.

If you continue to find it difficult to have your daughter pay attention, speak to her physician about it. They may be able to give you some ideas or techniques for help, or do some testing to see if there is anything underlying that might be causing the short attention span.

Answer 4

I don't think you should be too worried about it. Most children that age behave that way simply because they are programed that way. I would say enjoy it. It's her time to be naturally curious and explore her world. Don't try to rush her through that time but let her explore. Trying to sit such a small child down to study is counterproductive. She will learn better by doing. You could even make cookies with her and have her help you measure 3 cups or 2 eggs, ect. It's a good activity to share time with no pressure and time you can spend with her on a personal level. A half hour of Sesame Street on the weekdays won't hurt her-if you approve of that type of thing, it's up to you. If not, an outing to the park or even out in the yard or a walk around the block can lead to learning opportunities. Tell her how many houses are on the block, count out loud yourself and encourage her to use it with other objects she sees. But don't pressure her, she will sense it and resist. Good luck and enjoy your time with your daughter.

Answer 5

I worked in child care for 7 years and I have had much training with little ones. I also have a 3 yr. old daughter. I aslo worked with children who had developmental probs. One of the techniches I was taught for helping attention span was to give the child a focus toy or something small that can fit in the palm of their hand. This allows the child to fidget and help them learn to stay in place while you are reading a book or helping them learn. Also children do listen, they take in what they see and hear even if you dont think they are listening. Make your learning fun, Have fun with it. Give your child hands on projects. Use your computer to look up kids songs and download the songs and dance with your child. I used a bowl of rice and let the kids run there fingers thru it to find the ABC refrig. magnets. As they found each one they got to put it on the refrigerater and say the letter. Counting can be done in so many different ways, such as counting each stair you walk up or down, I got a jar of pennies and had my daughter helped me count the pennies. It was hands on and lots of fun she was learning how to count and she got to see what pennies looked like. I also did this with other coins too.
Just give alot of praise and have patience and just remember that even if you think they arent learning they are!! GOOD LUCK

Answer 6

5 is young, i think the generally the experts/teachers in school say that you have to get the info in in the first 15 minutes otherwise students lose their attention...and thats for high schoolers.....

suggestions: read, alot...simple books where she can follow the words with her finger as you read. there are some great teaching tools out for kids her age too and also use everyday items like her stuffed animals for numbers and such, also some of the kids shows today and videos are really well done and catches their attention and they don't even know they are learning cause its so much fun.

Answer 7

Not that I have any kids. I know around that age it can be hard. For a 5 year old to know letters is not important. I think I was around 6 when I got to know the basics. Numbers though I knew 1-10 around the age of 5 for sure.

Answer 8

Just try to encorporate it into your everyday activities. If you are setting the table count the utensils and plates. When you are at the store show her words and letters off of the boxes of her favorite things. It's easier this way and sticks a lot better.

Answer 9

Try turning off the TV, radio or other things that can distract her while you're doing this.

You might also try to do it in small increments, several times a day, gradually increasing the allotted time.

Too much at once could be a bad thing.

Answer 10

Fintstones vitamins with Choline. Choline as been shown to improve attention in children. Also try removing any other things that distract her. singing helps as well.