How to get your kids to focus

1. How to get your kids to Focus A guide by Arjun & Arya @ThelessonsGuy

2. It can be incredibly frustrating to yell at your kids to finish their breakfast or to clean their room. They don’t pay attention, and your requests seemed to have disappeared into thin air. It can be even worse when it comes to their school work. It seems impossible to make them sit in a place and keep them focused. If you are like me, I feel your pain… There is no one-stop solution for this issue, but if you are better prepared, you can get your kids to focus somewhat.

3. How to make them listen without yelling? When we were kids, our parents might have yelled at us, and it may not feel odd to replicate the same style of parenting for our kids. By yelling, you are just directing your anger, which is not a solution for anything. When we shout, we are indirectly permitting our kids to do the same. It gives them the message that it is okay to yell when angry. Kids are curious, exuberant, and will have a lot of crazy ideas. If you want to make them focus, you will need a few tricks up your sleeve.

4. Get their attention: If you tell your kids to do something from a distance, there is less of a chance for them to listen. Instead, get close to them, touch them, maintain eye contact, and tell them what you want them to do. Give short instructions: Kids may not absorb long sentences, so try to make them as short as possible. Use serious tone: Use your serious tone to convey the message. That way, they will also take it seriously. Set clear boundaries: Explain clearly, the consequences of not completing their tasks. Rewards work better than punishments. Regardless make sure to stick to the end of your bargain. At times we will be stressed, and our patience will be thin. In such situations, take a break and keep away from your kids or tell them you are not in a good mood. Even if we shout at them, apologize as soon as you cool your head.

5. 5) Saving is entertaining When I was a kid, I used to enjoy playing PC games, but once I started earning, I couldn’t enjoy them any longer. No matter what I did, gaming made me feel empty inside. Now I have invested in gold, stock market, mutual funds, bank deposits, digital currency, and much more. It excites me to see a small amount of money coming from all these sources, and now I am getting the same kind of kick from managing these resources as I used to get while playing games. How to make Kids focus on School work? To make this possible, you need to be aware of two things 1) The natural attention span of your kids As per childhood development experts, the average attention span of children is as below. Age Attention span 2 years 4 to 7 minutes 4 years 8 to 12 minutes 6 years 12 to 18 minutes 8 years 16 to 24 minutes 10 years 20 to 30 minutes 12 years 24 to 36 minutes 14 years 28 to 42 minutes 16 years 32 to 48 minutes

6. 6) Save up an emergency fund When I crisis, If you don’t have an emergency fund, you might have to take up unfavorable deals like High-interest loan Take out your investment when in loss Asking your friends Ideally, you need to have a minimum of 3 to 6 months of your living expenses in a savings account. 2) Your kids learning styles As per the VARK model, there are four learning styles. Identify the learning styles of your kids and make their learning experience match their learning styles. Learning Style Characteristics Teaching Strategies Visual • Preference for written instructions, photographs and illustrations to view • Variety of exciting options • Attractive, easy-to-read handouts • Use of a technological variety Auditory • Preference for listening to instruction and discussion

7. 6) Save up an emergency fund When I crisis, If you don’t have an emergency fund, you might have to take up unfavorable deals like High-interest loan Take out your investment when in loss Asking your friends Ideally, you need to have a minimum of 3 to 6 months of your living expenses in a savings account. • Remembers through verbal repetition • Variations in presentations of tone, pitch, and speed • Multimedia that uses speech and sounds such as audio recordings Reading • Preference for written instructions and materials • Provide handouts • Required and suggested readings

8. 6) Save up an emergency fund When I crisis, If you don’t have an emergency fund, you might have to take up unfavorable deals like High-interest loan Take out your investment when in loss Asking your friends Ideally, you need to have a minimum of 3 to 6 months of your living expenses in a savings account. Kinesthetic • Preference for getting physically involved • Remembers by doing or experiencing • Encourage movement • Use of multimedia • Tactile activities • Return demonstrations Ways to improve focus and concentration 1) Proper Sleep Nothing will ruin focus more than sleep deprivation. Lack of sleep, even for a night, can slow down your kid’s thought process, and their ability to concentrate.

9. 6) Save up an emergency fund When I crisis, If you don’t have an emergency fund, you might have to take up unfavorable deals like High-interest loan Take out your investment when in loss Asking your friends Ideally, you need to have a minimum of 3 to 6 months of your living expenses in a savings account. If your kids are sleepy, that will affect their focus negatively and make them less vigilant. It impacts working memory and reduces the accuracy and speed of mental tasks. Ensure proper sleep to improve focus and concentration National Sleep Foundation’s Sleep Duration Recommendations Age Recommended Not recommended 1-2 years 11 to 14 hours < 9 hours or > 16 hours 3-5 years 10 to 13 hours < 8 hours or > 14 hours 6-13 years 9 to 11 hours < 7 hours or > 12 hours 14-17 years 8 to 10 hours < 7 hours or > 11 hours

10. 6) Save up an emergency fund When I crisis, If you don’t have an emergency fund, you might have to take up unfavorable deals like High-interest loan Take out your investment when in loss Asking your friends Ideally, you need to have a minimum of 3 to 6 months of your living expenses in a savings account. 2) Water intake Lack of focus can also be a side effect of not drinking enough water. Even 1% lower than optimum hydration can cause a loss of focus. The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) recommends that the children should drink an age-appropriate quantity of water. According to them, the daily recommended amount of water is 1 to 2 years – 1 to 2 cups of water 3 to 4 years – 3 to 4 cups of water 5 to 8-years – 5 cups of water 9 to 12 years – 7 cups of water 13 years and above – 8 to 10 cups of water

11. 6) Save up an emergency fund When I crisis, If you don’t have an emergency fund, you might have to take up unfavorable deals like High-interest loan Take out your investment when in loss Asking your friends Ideally, you need to have a minimum of 3 to 6 months of your living expenses in a savings account. 3) Physical activity Lack of physical activities can hurt concentration and focus. Physical activity boosts the brain’s dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin levels, all of which affect focus and attention. Engaging kids in physical activities just before studies can improve their focus and concentration but make sure they don’t get overtired. 4) Minimum distraction The place you choose for studies should have a minimum distraction. These distractions may include toys, mobile phones, itchy clothes, etc. Let them concentrate on one task at a time.

12. 6) Save up an emergency fund When I crisis, If you don’t have an emergency fund, you might have to take up unfavorable deals like High-interest loan Take out your investment when in loss Asking your friends Ideally, you need to have a minimum of 3 to 6 months of your living expenses in a savings account. 5) Study space Research suggests that exposure to natural surroundings or greenery can improve concentration and focus. So it helps to have green plants in their study room or a window facing greenery 6) Small perks for uninteresting activities Kids can concentrate on stuff they are interested in, but schoolwork may not be exciting for them. Offer them some perks like additional playtime or anything they love to do to keep them motivated 7) Brain games Brain games can boost memory and concentration. Recent research has indicated that kids who often do puzzles have better brain function later in life. Researchers have also found that playing video games altered the brain regions that are responsible for visuospatial skills and attention positively.

13. Conclusion Kids are a handful no matter their age. Hopefully you can use these tricks to get them do what you want from them. Thank You!! Related stories from @The Lessons Guy 8 Ways to reduce Suicide in kids Tips to Prepare Your Child for Online Learning at Home