It is easy for some children to hold attention for a long time, while for others it is a problem. Inattention becomes an obstacle to the student's good progress if the parents do not help him on time.
Why do we develop attention
Attention is one of the cognitive processes that is mandatory for the formation of educational skills. Together with thinking, memory and imagination, attention helps to effectively assimilate the school curriculum. Numerous studies of teachers and psychologists have established that if a student still does not master all the methods of mental work in elementary grades, in the middle grades he joins the ranks of those who do not succeed.
Usually, when testing before entering school, psychologists determine the development of cognitive processes in future first graders. However, parents can recognize undeveloped attention in a child simply by observing it. For example, if the kid often makes ridiculous mistakes when doing homework, has difficulty finding his own mistakes, is constantly distracted during the conversation, you need to take care of how to correct the situation.
You need to know that attention is the ability to focus on some phenomenon or object. It helps to assimilate information, to highlight important information from it. It never happens that attention is not developed at all, because it has several properties: stability, concentration, switching, volume and distribution. A child may have some properties well developed, others not very, and some not developed at all.
There is voluntary, involuntary and post-voluntary attention. Involuntary attention is short-term focusing on bright objects and sounds. Voluntary attention requires volitional effort. But the post-arbitrary appears after a person is interested in information. It is not too late to develop voluntary attention at any age. For this, there are exercises and fun games.
Games that develop attention
The focusing exercises are designed as games that children enjoy playing in a competitive team. Here are the most popular and effective exercise games:
In the exercise "Who is more attentive" you need to read a small text, invite the children to count the sound "M" and then retell the meaning in their own words.
The game "How many things" invites the child to look around and name all objects of a certain shape, color, assigned material or with names for a given letter.
“Repeat quickly” - the child needs to repeat after the adults the words pronounced in turn, but not all, but only those of them, after which “repeat” will be pronounced. The dialogue takes place at a fast pace.
"Building in the dark" means building a tower of different sized bricks, building blocks, or matchboxes. Conditions - the base of the structure must be a certain cube, you need to use only one hand, the game takes place in complete darkness or with a blindfold.
The rules of the game "I will not be mistaken": it is necessary to count aloud to 30, but at the same time it is impossible to name the number 3 and numbers that are divisible by 3. Instead of them, you must either jump or say "I will not be mistaken."
The next instructive fun is throwing a ball to the child while voicing a noun. He, in turn, catches it and names a verb that is suitable in meaning and another noun, etc.
Joint entertainment "Do it the other way around" - you need to repeat the actions of the presenter exactly "vice versa". That is, if an adult raised his hands, then they must be put to the sides. And when the driver jumped up, you have to sit down.
Parents can replenish their stock of games from children's and education magazines. These are various mazes, finding differences in pictures, crossing out certain symbols or letters, puzzles, pictures with tangled lines, etc.e. Chess and checkers are ideal intellectual games that require concentration of attention. Here you need to think over all your moves in advance and draw certain conclusions.
Sports activities are also very educational for attention.
