Wednesday, April 10, 2013

activities to improve and enhance concentration


Due to various factors (T.V, video games, chocolates, aerated drinks, low iron levels, behavioural issues, neglectful parenting, ADD/ADHD, etc) many children face the problem of poor concentration. Their focus shifts from one thought to another in a span of few seconds. They find it difficult to complete their homework or sit quietly in a restaurant.
There are many activities that can be done to enhance your child's focus and level of concentration. 
Some of the interesting and highly effective focus enhancing activities are:
  • Sorting (raajma, chana, popcorn can be all mixed together in a big bowl and the child can be asked to put raajma in one small bowl, chana in another and popcorn in mouth!) 
  • Playing with clay, kneading dough (most kids can spend hours rolling, cutting and messing with clay/dough/aatta)
  • Beading (these are now available in market too. At home you may take old shoe lace and ask the child to put beads through it. Putting bangles through a stick will also serve the same purpose)
  • Cutting and pasting (simple and yet highly enjoyed)
  • Coloring (especially water coloring, which can create stress in most parents!)
  • Digit/alphabet cancellation (a sheet with various numbers is given to the child and he has to strike out all of a particular number)
  • Paper modelling/craft work 
  • Stitching (threading lace into a design which has holes in it. You can make holes in a paper and give old shoe lace to run through the holes) 
  • Finger printing/ vegetable cuts printing, to make patterns
  • Copying simple shapes 
  • Dot to dot activities 
  • Tracing in sand or on sand paper 
  • Using stencils for drawing            
  • Pressing on exercise balls with eyes closed 
  • Playing musical instruments like Casio  
  • Playing with wooden puzzles of various concepts like shapes, colors, size, numbers, alphabets etc 
  • Sorting the odd one out from a group of figures based on concept. Eg. Moon, sun, star, pencil(Visual concepts). 
  • Marking the odd one out based on size, number etc(Visual discrimination). 
  • Arranging numbers/alphabets/objects in the ascending or descending order(Visual progression).
  • Learning Karate
  • Playing tongue twisters
  • Figuring out the missed out numbers/alphabets during a recitation. When you leave out a number, the child should call out the number you left out. (auditory progression)
  •  Recalling and re-telling stories
  • Memory games (you say few numbers, child has to re-tell them)
  • Pairing game (you say a word, child has to give another word which he thinks is related to the first word. Eg. Pen-pencil, cow-milk etc)

These should be done in a very relaxing environment, without stressing on the child that they are being done for some reason. These can be modified to suit the age levels.
These activities have been found to be very effective in enhancing focus and concentration in children.