6 tips to increase your child’s attention span

We often find our children fidgeting, rushing to another interesting thing they could lay eyes on or simply cribbing when it’s time to study. Children have a curious brain but often struggle with focus, especially when faced with challenging tasks. Here are some simple strategies that can help improve your child’s attention span and task performance.

This might come as a surprise but including physical activity can be beneficial when it comes to enforcing study time. Short breaks for active play, such as jumping jacks or using an exercise ball, can help kids stay focused. Starting a challenging task with 15 minutes of active play can also engage them better.

Children like to mimic what the elders in the family do. Teaching children what "paying attention" looks like and practicing it during non-crucial times can be effective. Read a book or a newspaper while they study along with them. Periodic attention breaks using a timer or app can help train their brains to recognize and maintain focus.


Making children stick to one task is often a struggle. Adjusting time frames is another useful strategy to improve a child’s focus. Children can concentrate for two to five minutes per year of age. Breaking down tasks into smaller intervals and using timers can prevent them from feeling overwhelmed. Children may perform better when given breaks between parts of a task rather than completing it in one go.

Try to fix your child’s room in a minimalistic manner. Remove clutter and unwanted, unused objects from their room. Removing visual distractions from the study space can also aid concentration. A clutter-free environment helps children keep their focus on the task. Try to not teach a child while you’re watching a game on TV. Give them a distraction free space to focus.


Playing memory games can improve focus in a fun way. Simple games like red-light-green-light, chess, Sudoku, and Simon Says encourage concentration. Adding memory games to classroom activities can boost attention spans when done in the right order.


Getting your child to study seems like a mountainous task? You must seek their views about it. If a child finds a task particularly difficult, asking them to rate its challenge level on a scale of 1 to 10 can provide insights. Changes to the task can then be made based on the child's feedback and new concentration improving strategies can be implemented. A little extra effort and creativity can make a significant difference.