It’s home study time, and some kids have a hard time getting on, or staying focused on homework. Lack of motivation, difficulties concentrating , mental dispersion, lack of habits and routines… the causes are multiple.
How can we work with them on this study habit? How to promote concentration so that the study is more profitable?
We talk about some key ideas to promote a proper study environment and, above all, to help children concentrate to study better .
How to help children concentrate to study better
When helping children to concentrate to study better, it is important that we take into account both external or environmental factors (light, temperature, place of study…) as well as internal ones (for example, motivation). Some key ideas to start with are:
Find a dedicated study space
When it comes to promoting concentration, it is important that children have a space dedicated to study.
An exclusive and specific space , that is, destined solely for studying. It can be in the room itself, with a suitable desk and comfortable chair and where there is good light.
Take care of the study environment
Attention is much better in a proper study environment ; that includes environmental factors, such as light, temperature, and comfort.
- What light is the right one?
Thus, the light during the study should ideally be natural. If it cannot be natural, let it be artificial; In this case, the most recommended light bulbs for studying during the day are white or blue light bulbs (40 to 60 watts of power).
Cool lights are also recommended, because they are more like natural light.
- Temperature: an aspect to take care of
A suitable temperature when studying also favors good concentration. It is better to study when you are neither hot nor cold.
According to experts, the ideal is an environment between 22 and 25 degrees Celsius. The important thing is that the child feels comfortable in normal clothes, without sweating or needing to wrap up too much.
- It is important that you are comfortable
The environment must also be comfortable for the child so that concentration is optimal.
When we talk about comfort, we refer to a quiet environment without noise, since the child can wear comfortable clothes (ideally, not tight, but loose, cool and breathable).
It also includes the study chair, which must be ergonomic (and be careful with posture too! To avoid injuries or back pain).
favor breaks
Attention works best when moments of study and/or work are combined with moments of rest.
The children’s moments of rest, which can be short (for example, 10 minutes for every 45 minutes of study), can be simply resting, leaving the room and walking around the house, going out on the balcony, eating something light , etc.
Divide topics or tasks
Another idea that can help encourage concentration in children to study better is to divide the topics to study, or the tasks to be done , into subtopics or smaller tasks.
For example, instead of “study math all afternoon,” we can change it to “study math topic 1 and 2 in the afternoon.” This can facilitate your motivation, by seeing the most affordable material.
Promote organization and time management
Linked to the previous point, it is also important that your child organizes himself well, in terms of division of tasks and time management.
All of this can make study time easier; In addition, routines and the acquisition of habits make it easier to start studying (and maintain a good pace of study).
On the other hand, schedules are also important: it is better for your child to know that he will study from six to seven, for example, than to think “I must study all afternoon”.
Set realistic goals
Attention can improve if we set realistic goals with children. For example, a goal might be to study for 1 hour each day. Or learn the names of the categories of the animal kingdom (the objectives can be adapted to the child’s age, their subjects and their pace).
As fathers and mothers, or as educators, we can help you with these objectives by making a small list with them at the beginning of the week .
The fact of having specific objectives can facilitate the study, because the performance of the effort can be minimally objectified (and this can increase motivation).
Boost your motivation
Beyond the environmental factors, which are very important in promoting concentration, so are the intrinsic factors.
One of them is motivation. If the child is not motivated to study, it will be difficult for him to concentrate . Finding this motivation is not easy, but it is possible. How to do it? We can start with:
- Understand that motivation can be intrinsic (finding pleasure in the very act of studying, for example; being motivated to learn) and extrinsic (for example, studying to get good grades or to pass a subject).
- Investigate this motivation in the child : is it 100% absent? Or is there something that motivates you minimally? What is it? Go there.
- Understand that perhaps you are not 100% motivated to study, but some aspects of the study, or specific topics of the subject. Motivate him from there.
- Use more interactive materials during the study (and accompany it): for example; videos, images, games…
- Help them with the most difficult homework.
And you, how do you help your children to concentrate? Is it easy for them to start studying and stay focused?
Remember that the most important thing is that you create a good study habit together, take care of the environment and also find the motivation that learning always entails; Sometimes it’s hard to find it, but there it is!
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