Speed Read (tldr) of Supporting Mental Health: Tips for Improving Focus
- Factors Affecting Focus: Stress, anxiety, ADHD, age, sleep, diet, inflammation, medication side effects, and information overload can all impact focus and attention span.
- Effective Techniques for Focus: Create a dedicated, distraction-free space, use the Pomodoro technique for time management, and practice mindfulness. Implement good study habits and manage your schedule to optimize focus.
- Games and Activities for Children: Engage children with memory games, puzzles, building blocks, and timed activities to enhance their focus and attention span.
Read below for resources, tips, and the why!
Table of Contents
Focusing can be tough. Everything from stress, anxiety, ADHD, age, lack of sleep, and not eating well can impact our ability to focus. Harvard Medical School explores additional factors that may impact focus in adults such as inflammation, medication side effects, and information overload.
Elizabeth Janca, an experienced school administrator, licensed professional counselor, and Possip Reporter discusses techniques to increase focus.
While being able to address lack of focus is important, it may also be helpful to seek counseling or medical support to alleviate additional causes of lack of focus.
Games and Activities for Improving a Child's Focus
A lot of children’s games and activities have a development component. For example, putting a circle into a circle shaped hole promotes matching and gross motor skills.
So what games and activities promote focus and attention span? Games such as memory, puzzles, and building blocks are helpful. Additionally, timed activities and cooking have been proven to be helpful with older children to continue to develop attention and focus.
Tips on Improving Focus
We often think of focus and attention span in regards to class activities and studying. As children get older it’s helpful to introduce good study habits that can also translate into the classroom.
Eliminate Distractions
- Have a quiet and dedicated space – study or complete homework in the same place so that your brain builds connections that this space is for focusing
- Keep a distraction log – knowing what things can cause distractions can help so that you can remove those items in future study sessions
- Don’t multitask – do one thing at a time
Train Your Brain
- Use the Pomodoro technique to avoid procrastination. THe Pomodoro technique is a time management method that uses a timer to break down work into intervals of 25 minutes separated by breaks
- Practice, practice, practice
- Practice mindfulness/meditation to stay present in the moment
- Set realistic and reasonable expectations.
Find the Time of Day That Works Best and Plan
- Put your classes on your calendar
- Put your homework on a to-do list
- Schedule time for homework
- Get a good night’s sleep
- Exercise
- Have a wide variety of diet with a focus on nutrition
Conclusion
For additional support during testing visit Testing: How Families Can Help Students Prepare.
Making a cognitive effort to increase our attention span and focus can at times feel discouraging because it’s not always easy. Remember: it takes practice. When feeling overwhelmed, consider what coping skills can best support you to return to a place mentally that you can continue to practice.
Speed Read (tldr) of Supporting Mental Health: Tips for Improving Focus
- Factors Affecting Focus: Stress, anxiety, ADHD, age, sleep, diet, inflammation, medication side effects, and information overload can all impact focus and attention span.
- Effective Techniques for Focus: Create a dedicated, distraction-free space, use the Pomodoro technique for time management, and practice mindfulness. Implement good study habits and manage your schedule to optimize focus.
- Games and Activities for Children: Engage children with memory games, puzzles, building blocks, and timed activities to enhance their focus and attention span.
Read below for resources, tips, and the why!
