Reading

Reading is the number one way to improve attention span of your young child.  By reading them a book, you allow them to be pulled into the story where they must hang around to find out what happens.  They know that if they do not listen you will stop reading and they will never find out the ending to the story, which is their entire point of hearing it. 

Watching TV

Watching a TV Show.  Believe it or not, watching television is a great way to improve a child attention span.  Like reading, it is important that they pay close attention to the show in order to actually catch the whole story.  While this should be only a small portion of your daily activities, it is a great way to teach them to sit still and focus for a brief amount of time. 

Playing together

Even as adults, we find it harder to pay attention to an activity when having to do it alone.  Children are the same way and are more likely to play with toys longer if doing so with a partner.  Set time aside to play toys with your child. Not only will you be improving your child’s attention skills but you may find that you still have an incredible imagination yourself. 

Music

Studies have shown that music enhances child's cognitive thinking skills. Spend 10 minutes listening music and dancing with your child.

Board-games

Sit-down activities such as puzzles and board games provide a fun way of improving your child’s concentration.

Time
Provide your children with the gift of time for relaxing, free play. Time is a concentration aid - when we become totally absorbed and lost within an activity our concentration is humming at 100%. Watch your children when they are immersed in an activity and you can clearly witness their concentrated, fully focused attention span. They need to know they have all the time in the world available to them so they can relax and let go into their imaginations.

Basic Physical Needs
Along with a well balanced diet and sound bedtime routines, children need plenty of exercise to release negative energy buildup and to provide increased energy through fitness. Fit and healthy children have higher rates of concentration.

Going to the park

Take your child to the park every day. Increase amount of time your child spend on outdoor games. Outdoor games or activities improve child's visual skills such as eye-hand co-ordination.

Electronic Games
In moderation, electronic games provide extended periods of concentrated brain activity.

Many children are able to spend long periods of time totally absorbed in on line activities and game boys which develop many skills when used with care and help increase concentration.

Silence
Encourage your children to be comfortable with silence. Explain that being able to sit still and find a place of inner stillness will help them to develop and increase concentration and enhance their attention span.

Give them something to concentrate on, a tree, flower, view, memory, photo or book and encourage them to enjoy the silence alongside you from an early age.

Posture and Breathing
Teach your children how to stand erect and tall, and to breathe correctly into their diaphragm. Shallow breathing prevents a good flow of oxygen into the bloodstream, while breathing well encourages a feeling of strength and well-being, producing confidence. Encourage your children into avtivities that promote good breathing such as music skills, singing, sport and exercise.

Encourage Reading
Continue to read aloud to your children regularly as well as encouraging them to read to you.
Promote reading as a bedtime wind down activity rather than having a television in your child's room.

Memory Game Concentration
Do you remember playing this game when you were younger - locating cards as you remembered which pairs matched? How about memorizing the items on a tray and writing down as many as could be remembered? Our education system then also taught us how to remember poetry, tables, songs and maths rules. Rote learning was good for enhancing concentration skills.

Tips for alertness

• See to it that he has all the things that he needs while studying before he starts to keep him away from getting distracted again and again.
• Set a target to achieve within a particular time frame and keep inquiring where has he reached.
• If it is a dull topic, then add interesting facts from your side and ask questions.
• Make it an interesting session by changing the method from monotonous mugging to games like quizzes on the topic or rapid fire rounds.
• Also see to it that he is neither hungry nor sleepy while studying.
• Give him the value of ownership of the work. Let him feel that he is studying for himself and not performing any duty or chore for his parents.
• Also tell him not to study just with the purpose of avoiding shame or humiliation if not done well. Ask him to study for his own benefit.
• Invest your confidence in him. Even if he is not succeeding, keep telling him that you have absolute faith in his abilities and he will do well if he tries.
• Inculcate positive thinking in your child. Help him to think better about himself.
• Make him learn relaxation and meditation. If his mind gets too crowded, ask him to take a mental break. Tell him to stop thinking about everything and meditate.

Steps to improve alertness

If your child is having problems staying alert or concentrating, take steps to help her. If you make some adjustments in your child's eating habits and schedule, her level of alertness may improve. If ordinary changes do not work, consult your pediatrician to make sure that your child doesn't have a health problem underlying her fatigue or inabiity to concentrate.

Step 1
Sleeping early reapairs the body and rests it for next day's activities. This also imrpoves the functioning of the brain. Put your child to bed at a reasonable time to ensure that he is getting enough sleep. According to KidsHealth.org, toddlers need between 10 and 13 hours of sleep every night; preschoolers and school-aged children need between 10 and 12 hours of sleep per night. Teens need 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep each night. However, your child may differ in his sleep requirements. If your child is well rested, he is likely to be alert during the day.

Step 2
Serve your child a healthy breakfast. Eating breakfast improves alertness and concentration. Ideal nutrition is very important for overall well being and good health. A healthy breakfast in the morning will help them stay focussed.

Step 3
Planning appropriate games and activites is another key element in developing a child alertness. Games for the right age group both mental and physical play an important part in developing the mental functioning of a child's brain. Plan some fun physical activities for your child during the day.

Step 4
Serve your child healthy meals and snacks. Junk food as as the name suggests and will not contribute to your child's health in a any way. Your school-age or teen child should eat the same healthy diet that you eat, made of a balance of lean proteins, low-fat dairy, grains, fruits and vegetables. Consult your pediatrician for age-appropriate serving sizes for your child or for meal-planning assistance.

Going outdoors
Going to a park and relieving your child of a closed space helps in clearing their thought processes. This helps in keeping them fresh and active. Outdoor activities give the brain a good break so it can work in the background even while the problem is being tackled

Meditation
Meditation is one of the best ways to refresh a mind. Simple breathing in and out techniques can calm your child and get rid of unwanted stress. This will help in keeping them focused.

Power napping
A short nap will help in resting body and mind. The short nap actually brings a lot of chemical changes in your body that is very refreshing. This will help during those long exam time tables. So, schedule a short nap between study sessions to help keeping the mind in balance.

Hot Bath
A nice hot bath does wonders in relieving stress and tension. As it is a cleanser for the body, it also frees the mind of clutter. Hot bath improves blood circulation by dilating your blood vessels, which in turn pumps more blood to your brain.

Extra curricular activities
Activities outside regular studies and class assignments such as sports, art and hobbies help in good distraction of the mind. These can help you child focus on another fun activity, thus clearing the clutter and refreshing the thought process. The mind can then internalize more and retain information.

Recreation
Recreational activities are the most important activity for a child. Going outside, playing with friends and going on trips are vital to balance today's stressful school life. Without adequate recreation, a child could be over stressed and overworked and could lead to a decrease in marks and grades. So plan a fun weekend with your kids and help them energise themselves for the next school week.

Open spaces
Studies have shown that studying in a large space has the potential to keep a child more relaxed and stress-free. Through appropriate air circulation and lighting, a child's mind will not feel closed. This will increase productivity and help them grasp their studies more accurately.

Laughter
Laughter, popularly denoted, as the best medicine is an excellent relaxation technique for children. All of us love to laugh; moreover a whole lot of funny things trigger laughter in children. Comic books, words filled with humor, comic actions and the silliest of jokes can make children laugh. Laughter is a good exercise for the facial muscles as it relaxes most of the muscles of the face. Laughter creates a positive note in one's mind and is thus one of the best relaxation techniques.