Many toddlers don’t have great attention spans. In fact, it is said that a child’s attention span is equivalent to only 2-3 minutes per year of age.
That means the average one-year-old will have an attention span of only 2-3 minutes. For two-year-olds, that goes up to 4-6 minutes. For three-year-olds, it’s 6-8 minutes.
In all three cases, that’s not a lot of time! This can present a challenge to parents trying to teach or interact with their children meaningfully, as it may feel like it places a timer on interactions.
Fortunately, the situation isn’t set in stone. As children grow, they learn how to focus and devote their attention to topics or tasks for longer periods
What factors affect your child’s attention span?
Before you ask how to deal with a child with a short attention span, you should ask why it’s limited in the first place. We’ve already shared the main factor, which is the child’s age.
One reason younger children have shorter attention spans is that attention depends on the frontal lobe of the brain. As this part of the brain is still developing in the early years, you can count on toddlers’ attention spans to be limited.
But external factors can affect that attention span as well – and many are the same factors that affect our own attention spans as adults. Here are some examples:
Nature of tasks or topic
People, children included, don’t like paying attention to things they don’t find entertaining or interesting. A child is more likely to have a long attention span for a cartoon he likes than a news broadcast, for example.
Distractions
Distractions give the brain something else to latch onto if you have poor self-control. For example, a toddler can easily forget about dinner if you offer them playtime with their favourite toys.
Unmet needs
Like us, children find it hard to focus when they feel hungry, thirsty, or sleepy. Make sure you provide for their basic needs before testing their focus.
Overstimulation
This is related to distractions. When children are provided with too many stimuli, they can be overwhelmed to the point where they simply decide to reject some of the sources of stimulation.
How to increase a child’s attention span
Fret not, there are still some tips you can try to improve your child’s attention span. We share some tried and tested techniques below.
1. Incorporate activities they love into your interactions
You can’t force a child to pay attention, but you can certainly encourage it. One great way to do that is to create experiences you already know can hold your child’s attention well.
Is your child interested in drawing or creating artwork? Or maybe what holds his attention best is playing with toy vehicles? Observe closely and figure out what your child finds most interesting and use them as elements in your interactions.
1. Incorporate activities they love into your interactions
You can’t force a child to pay attention, but you can certainly encourage it. One great way to do that is to create experiences you already know can hold your child’s attention well.
Is your child interested in drawing or creating artwork? Or maybe what holds his attention best is playing with toy vehicles? Observe closely and figure out what your child finds most interesting and use them as elements in your interactions.
2. Invite their participation actively
If your child feels like they’re participating in an activity, they’re more likely to pay attention to what’s happening. Your goal is to engage the child’s brain and provide fun opportunities for them to act or respond so that they can practise observation and reaction.
In early childhood settings, one of our favourite ways to do this is to invite children to join us in song and dance, as we hone their aesthetics and creative expression. Our teachers often start out teaching the little ones both lyrics and melodies, but as they see children getting more familiar with the songs, they begin to leave out some lyrics on purpose.
The little ones then fill in the blanks confidently – showing that they’re actually listening and sharpening their memory skills!
3. Encourage healthy physical activity
This isn’t something parents often think of when it comes to encouraging attention spans, but research supports it. Healthy physical movement and exercise can help children with focus and concentration.
There are many possible reasons for this, including the boost that exercise gives to their circulation and mood through endorphins. For a start, incorporate short physical activities into your child’s daily routine. It can be as simple as stopping by a nearby playground on the way home to let him or her sweat it out in the great outdoors, or even setting up a fun “obstacle course” at home!
3. Encourage healthy physical activity
This isn’t something parents often think of when it comes to encouraging attention spans, but research supports it. Healthy physical movement and exercise can help children with focus and concentration.
There are many possible reasons for this, including the boost that exercise gives to their circulation and mood through endorphins. For a start, incorporate short physical activities into your child’s daily routine. It can be as simple as stopping by a nearby playground on the way home to let him or her sweat it out in the great outdoors, or even setting up a fun “obstacle course” at home!
4. Turn up the excitement
This is one of our favourite ways to help develop children’s attention spans. When done right, it can be one of the most rewarding methods for you too!
A good example of how to turn commonplace or otherwise rote activities into exciting ones is to add an element of adventure. At Star Learners, our literature-based curriculum sparks creative ways for educators to interact with children. From discovering numeracy concepts through games inspired by stories to exploring story settings in the great outdoors, our children play with purpose.
They pick up core competencies as they discover and learn at the same time, fostering their love for not just reading, but more importantly, learning.
Let us help you with your child’s growth and development
If you’re looking for qualified, expert help to support your little one’s development in the early years, consider our programmes at Star Learners. We design them to nurture children’s learning needs and abilities at every preschool level – of course, taking into full consideration their learning attention spans!
Find out more about our unique curriculum and how it can benefit your child’s learning and growth. Enquire with us today!
