Why can’t you sit still and concentrate?

We bet you’ve heard those words a few times – as a parent, perhaps from your own mouth – and even as a child!

This however is most often a rhetorical question, asked, shouted or muttered under the breath by teachers and parents alike. 

Let’s take a step back and remember that ‘sitting still’ and ‘concentrating’ is not just one simple task.

To do this a child needs to give visual attention (look), auditory attention (listen), maintain balance and understand their body position (vestibular), and process information, WHILST ignoring distractions, which could be curtain movement, doors opening, traffic noises and more.

Plus, we often ask one more thing for this concentration request – the use of memory…

‘How many times have asked you to put your shoes away? You’re just not paying attention!’ to which the resonse is often  ‘I am, I forgot’.

This can be a geniune reason. Children can have difficulties with short term memory and forget what has been asked of them making the task that you have requested, a difficult one.

Here’s 3 concentration games that you can play with your child.

1. Simon Says. An game that can be fun for children and parents/teachers! Simon Says allows children to develop and refine concentration skills. Playing for 5 minutes gives children the opportunity to develop their looking and listening skills, whilst also focussing on a task (the game)  for a longer period of time.
2. Find the sound. This game gives some physical exercise – great for those who struggle to sit still! Play some music at a low level your mobile phone, hidden in the room. Ask the child to find the sound! This develops the child’s ability to focus on a task (finding the phone), whilst improving their listening skills.
3. Play the card game ‘concentration’ (matching pairs). With a deck of cards, ask the child to find pairs. Develop their memory and attention skills with this fun and simple game. You can vary the difficulty of the game by reducing the amount of cards, or increase the difficulty by playing against the clock.

If you are concerned about your child’s development, please feel free to call us for a chat, or book an assessment using the form below.