Attention and Listening

Attention, concentration and organisational skills can take practice to develop. For some children listening, concentrating and learning to organise themselves can be tricky to do.

Here are some ideas to support your child to develop these skills:

Set up a timeline at home and when possible stick to the routine as predictability is important to many children/young people. The timeline can be written on a blackboard/whiteboard or a piece of paper. You can use photos, pictures, words or a mix of all three, depending on what suites the needs of your child/young person. (show example of a visual timeline).
Set specific times for the things that happen every day e.g. waking up, playing, doing homework, doing chores, watching T.V, playing video games and going to bed.

Display the timetable somewhere in your home,where everyone can see it.

Set up a homework routine

Develop a system for completing homework.
Pick a quiet place, away from distractions e.g. other people, T.V, video games, etc.
Break homework tasks down into smaller chunks and schedule in regular breaks e.g. your child/young person could have a snack after school, then play or relax for 15 minutes before completing their homework.
Make sure to stop regularly for 'movement breaks' that allow your child/young person to get up, move and do something they enjoy, before completing the task.
You could use a visual timer to help them know how long they have left e.g. 20mins of work, 5mins break (visual of a visual timer)
Make sure to give your child/young person lots of encouragement.

Prepare for the day in advance

Mornings can be a hectic time. Here are some tips to help your child/young person prepare for the day ahead and be more organised.

Support your child/young person to get things ready the night before e.g. help them lay out their clothes for the next day, support and encourage them to pack their school bag etc.
Establishing a routine and making it a habit will help your child/young person to be more organised as they grow.

Set up house rules

House rules explain what is expected in the home and makes sure that everyone is on the 'same page'.
Involve your child/young person in agreeing the rules, this will help them to understand and follow them.
Make the rules clear, simple, to the point and consistent.
Take time to explain the rules to the family and explain any consequences (using words or visuals e.g. photos, symbols etc.) should the rules be broken.
Display the rules in the home so everyone can see them.
Consequences for breaking the rules should be fair and consistent. Natural consequences often work best.
Once a consequence has been actioned, the child/young person should have a clean slate.
Never resort to physical punishment.

Be Consistent

It is important to always follow through on what you say.
Only promise things you are able to deliver and always try to do what you say you are going to do.
When your child/young person breaks the rules, warn them only once in a calm voice, reminding them of the consequence e.g. if you keep kicking the football in the lounge then the football will be taken away for the rest of the day.
If the warning does not work, calmly follow through with the consequence.
Try not to get into a discussion about how fair or unfair it is.

Be Positive

Tell your child/young person what you want them to do instead of what you do not want them to do e.g. instead of saying “don’t run” you could say “walk please”.
Children/young people who struggle with attention and concentration are often told what they are doing wrong, so they should always be praised for the good things they do, no matter how small.
Take every opportunity to reward and praise your child/young person for the good things they do e.g. closing the door quietly or getting dressed.

Focus on effort not on results

Praise, encourage and reward your child/young person for the effort they put into work and tasks, not just the end result or grade.

Be clear in what you say

First, ensure you have their attention before speaking to them. You could do this by calling their name, gently tapping them on the shoulder and getting down to their level.
Make sure that the things you say are clearly understood by your child/young person. Try to keep your instructions short and to the point. Break down longer instructions into shorter, bite size’ chunks to help them to remember and understand what you have said.
It may help to ask them to repeat the instruction back to you, so you can make sure that they have understood.
Look at their face and then tell your child/young person in a clear, calm voice specifically what you would like them to do.
Make sure to praise your child/young person when they complete each step.

Get some exercise

Being physically active aids attention and concentration.
Activities that require the child/young person to focus on body movements such as gymnastics or dance can often be helpful.
To develop their ability to focus and concentrate. Team sports can be very motivating as often young people want to win!
Having regular ‘movement breaks’ within activities can help children and young people to stay focused.
This could be having some ‘wriggle time’ within an activity or pausing the activity, getting up and having a move around before coming back and pressing play.

Quick tips to try

Avoid multi-tasking – try to do one thing at a time, this will help you stay focused.
Break down the day – chunk the day into small blocks of time, visual timetables can be helpful for this.
Break down tasks and take regular breaks – break down work and tasks into smaller, manageable chunks. Having regular breaks will help you to focus during task time.
Use a timer – using a timer can help you to keep track of how much time is left. Knowing you only have 5 more minutes until your next break can help you stay focused.
Use visual reminders – create reminders to help yourself remember and stay on track! You could write a list, use a sticky note, use picture cues or set a reminder on your phone.
Use a fidget item – some people find having a fidget item helps them to concentrate and makes it easier for them to listen. There are all sorts of different fidget items which help to keep your hands busy, so your mind can focus.