Learning and concentration are closely connected. High concentration supports successes in study.
To improve concentration, pupils need to form a proper habit just when they start studying, that is, when they are in the first or second grade at primary school. The concentration of pupils at this age does not last long but soon fades away.
Pupils with low concentration are not be able to pay attention to the teacher, and when they study at home, they spend about an hour doing homework that needs only 10 minutes or so.
Parents should try to create an environment to make their children concentrate on their study before they get started.
To improve the concentration of primary school pupils, parents should subdivide the stages of study to make them active.
The stages of study are divided into 5.
Stage 1: Make clear what they have to do.
Before study, you should ask your children questions like “What are you going to do today?” or “What is your homework?”.
If they answer, “I have no idea.”, you should not tell them immediately what to do but instead lead them by making them check their homework books or asking necessary questions.
For example, “What do you have to do before you practice playing the accordion?” will remind them of what to do. Then they come to realize what homework they have to do.
Stage 2: Make a study plan.
After deciding what to study, they have to plan how to do their homework. By asking questions like “How long will it take you to do homework?” or “Which homework are you going to do first?”, you can encourage them to predict how long it will take and to make an effective plan. If they have too much homework, you can help them break it into several parts lest they feel bored and tired.
You should grasp how long your children can keep their concentration steady in order to split homework suitable for their concentration time. If your child can concentrate for up to 10 minutes, you should give them homework that can be done in 10 minutes. After that, you let them take a break before you get them to study for another 10 minutes with fresh concentration. You should lengthen their study hours gradually. Do not regard 10 minutes to be too short. You should make them study for a long time within the range of their concentration.
Stage 3: Keep to the plan.
When they have decided what and how to do, they can start studying. When they are studying, you do not need to talk to them often. However, as soon as you notice that they are likely to deviate from their early plan, you have to awaken them with questions such as “What are you doing now?” or “Check if there is none missing.” so that they can keep to the plan. When they take a break, you can check what they have done. If they finish their task earlier than planned, you should praise them.
Stage 4: Recollect.
When they have finished their homework, questions like “What was the most difficult part in your homework for today?” or “Before you close your book, make sure you do not have anything missing or wrong.” can be followed.
This will help you know and your children look back on how well they did their homework. This is another step of revision. Even though they have loads of wrong answers or fail to have a full understanding of what they have learnt, you must not get angry with them.
Stage 5: Lavish praises.
A primary school pupil with low concentration might yield to various kinds of temptation. Therefore, in order to help them go through these 4 stages smoothly, you have to praise and encourage them as much as possible. In this way, they will find it happy to study with confidence and to keep up with their plans.
For example, you can make them have confidence in study, saying, “I am so happy to see that you are trying hard.” and so on.
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