INCREASING YOUR CHILD’S ATTENTION SPAN

by Terri L. White

Any teacher in today’s classroom would gladly give their eyeteeth for an occasional spit-wad in lieu of the steady stream of disruptions that plague most class times. Whole specialized classes are designed for those with various learning or attention disorders. Elementary teachers regularly request children, especially boys, to be medically tested for attention disorders. More children than we care to admit are taking prescribed drugs to slow them down. Attention disorders . . . we hear it everywhere. What is happening with today’s children?

We live in a fast-paced world. Electronic chips "rule" our lives. The press of a button cooks the food, entertains us, and cleans us. A whirlwind of sensory stimuli attacks us from every quarter. Our houses are buzzing with TV’s, radios, CD players, computers, and other electronic "gizmos." Did you ever long for some peace and quiet within the confines of your own home? When was the last time your family read a book together -- aloud, put a puzzle together, played a lazy game of croquet, roamed the countryside on a spring day enjoying the wild flowers, toured the museum, played charades, or sat around the living room and talked without the TV on? The length of your child’s attention span is dependent upon the character of your home life.

A child’s brain continues to develop from birth until ages 7-10, and the attention span will be determined by the type of programming his brain receives. Television commercials and fast- paced programs (especially children’s programming) and video games are designed for the short attention span. For example, one commercial makes 80 drastic movement changes. A child’s brain cannot keep up with these changes, and if he spends too much time in front of the TV in these early years, his brain will not develop properly. According to Vincent Ruggiero in The Nonsensing of America, the cells in the part of the brain that determine the child’s attention span literally do not connect when bombarded with a heavy exposure to television. High peer group surroundings on a continuing basis (such as those in day care centers) hinder the development of the attention span, also. Day care centers cannot provide the one-on-one attention to train children to focus on one skill, but instead are plagued with noise and constant group activities which work against the necessary development of a good attention span. What kind of ramifications does this have? Children who are raised by the TV or day care centers often cannot sit still or concentrate on anything for long, are easily distracted, overly active, and generally disruptive. What is the solution?

A stay-at-home Mom is able to monitor the type of input the children are receiving. Your children have only one chance to develop their brains, why gamble with their lives? If you have extenuating circumstances that demand a working Mother, be wise in your choice for childcare. Do not hire someone because she is cheap or lives close; hire one who shares your same values and who you can trust completely. Then give your sitter guidelines on how you want your children to spend their time. When at home, carefully plan your family time so that the children not only feel loved and secure, but also arrange appropriate activities that build their attention span. Any sacrifice made will reap great benefits.

Our family read aloud in the evenings up through the teen-age years; it’s one of our favorite pastimes. We introduced books to our children when they were babies. Early books consisted of brightly colored pictures with short captions. At a year old, our oldest son would pour over the Richard Scarry picture books. These were filled with colorful pictures of everyday places and household items with which he was familiar. The picture book section of the library contains hundreds of delightful stories that will serve you well for the first few years. Reading aloud to your children on a daily basis will not only build their attention spans, but will also develop their imaginations, and will create a family tradition overflowing with treasured memories.

Any kind of activity that requires your child to focus on only one thing will work to build the attention span. Putting blocks of various shapes into the appropriate shaped hole, leggos, puzzles, stacking blocks, sewing cards, and models are some ideas for activities. When one of our sons turned three, we purchased a set of large-sized leggos, and he played with those every day. You will come up with other ideas for attention span building activities. Make the necessary materials available for your child’s free time, but also arrange special times in which you work (or play) with him. You will not only be directing your child’s mind and energies in a positive way, but the time spent together will build your relationship, too.

Diet plays an integral part in a child’s ability to concentrate and keep his attention on task. The number one killer is refined, white sugar. In the refining process, sugar is stripped of its nutritive value, leaving us with a nonfood. Functioning as a poison in our bodies, a heavy intake of refined sugar creates an addiction. An eye-opening book called Sugar Blues by William Dufty is packed full of information on the history of the sugar industry, the physical and mental problems caused by a diet laced with refined sugar, and some inspirational testimonies. A diet that balances whole foods with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables will provide the necessary "brain food" for your family. An occasional sweet treat is certainly appropriate, but avoid the habit of sugary foods. If you read the labels on your foods, you will probably be shocked at how many packaged and canned goods contain sugar. Health food stores are notoriously expensive, but food co-operatives offer good food at affordable prices. It is not necessary to be weird in your eating habits, just sensible.

Some children labeled with attention disorders are simply undisciplined. If this is the case, the parents need to make some serious changes and work in unity to properly and consistently discipline the child for his own well-being. Perhaps after reading this, you realize that you have done all the wrong things with your child. Don’t despair! Change is possible. All of the ideas presented can be appropriated at any age. Although it will be more difficult, the proper brain cells can connect at a later age. Your child may dislike the thought of being required to put a puzzle together. He may hate listening to you read aloud. But don’t give up! Determination on your part will be absolutely necessary to keep you from giving up when you become weary of tackling the challenge. However, if you are consistent in requiring your child to spend time in attention span building activities, the cells in his brain will begin connecting, thus, enabling him to keep his attention on task for longer periods of time.

As parents we have an awesome responsibility before God to properly train our children. Our children are totally dependent on us, and, to a large degree, who they become is a result of their upbringing. The ability to keep one’s attention on task is essential to living a fruitful life. Persons plagued with short attention spans inevitably leave a string of unfinished projects behind them, causing difficulties within families, on the job, and among friends. The commitment and sacrifices we make as parents to secure the best for our children will ensure a healthy, happy, and productive legacy.