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Mental focus is crucial to a child’s personal development and long-term success. Children with good concentration generally do better in school, have high self-esteem and are motivated to accomplish their goals. Meanwhile, easily distracted kids experience the opposite, with each negative encounter causing a domino effect on all aspects of their growth. Inattention is common among young people, but when it starts to hurt their academic performance, self-confidence, and personal relationships, it becomes a cause for concern. Your child is born with unique gifts, and it’s only natural to want to help them unleash their hidden genius. In this article, we discuss the many factors that can distract kids and what various field experts recommend to enhance their focus and mental performance. |
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What Parts of Kids’ Brains Are Concerned with Mental Focus?Children are born with billions of brain cells connected by trillions of synapses. Different regions of the brain help your child focus, and they work in synergy. For example, a toddler’s perception of hunger and sighting of food engage different neural pathways. To respond to hunger pangs, another neural network motivates the child to take action and continue until they are fed. As in adults, children’s mental focus is the result of the combined actions of different brain parts, particularly the following:
Adults are taught by experience to ignore various external stimuli and control their urges. Their ability to concentrate mostly depends on the activity of the above parts, which are largely affected by lifestyle choices. By comparison: “Children’s brains have not had enough practice to allow for significant pruning, habitualization, and adaptation, so they are more prone to environmental distractions on top of internal ones. In addition to the above regions, their sensory nerve pathways—sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste and position sense—greatly influence their mental focus.”
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Nature vs. Nurture: Are All Kids Born with the Same Ability to Focus?Some children are more proactive in pursuing their goals, whereas others are more laid back. Some “are not the forgiving type,” while others easily forget they were ever angry. Some are more adventurous, while others are overcautious. These are all explained by differences in temperament, the inclination to behave a certain way in response to a stimulus. In the 1970s, child psychiatrists Thomas and Chess theorized that kids were born temperamentally diverse, having different moods, thresholds of responsiveness, distractibility, persistence levels, etc. They believed that the combination of these traits determined a child’s goodness of fit into their environment. “Kids are not born with the same ability to concentrate or filter their thoughts.” Angry children who keep getting into fights and struggling academically will continue to resort to the same defense mechanisms without intervention. “However, the brain’s plasticity makes it possible to optimize mental performance by training, therapy and other tools.” Modern science and patient guidance have helped countless children turn their Ds and Fs into straight-A performances. If your child seems to have learning and emotional difficulties, you need to find out how to help them focus better. The sooner you do this, the sooner they can overcome developmental barriers. |
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What Causes Lack of Concentration Among Children?Children who have focus problems tend to be shy, demotivated, indecisive and full of self-doubt. They can pick up on their parents’ frustration and build negative perceptions of themselves. Additionally, labeling from other children, teachers or parents can make them too discouraged to try again, which often results in withdrawal or aggression. All of these can make it more difficult to unlock their abilities. Does this sound familiar? If your child or a friend’s has difficulty concentrating or paying attention, doctors recommend looking into the following possibilities: Modifiable FactorsThese are the more common reasons for poor focus and mental performance in children. A large majority are easy to correct, and thus, have a good prognosis. Surroundings Full of Distractions Examine your child’s learning environment. Extra stimulation of their senses can make them lose focus easily. At school, they could be seated next to classmates who would rather talk than listen to their teachers. At home, wall decorations, loud noises, strewn-out toys, TV and others could divert their attention from doing their homework. Lack of Good Sleep Not getting enough sleep tires out the RAS and can make kids too drowsy to pay attention. Check for things that make it difficult for them to fall asleep at the right hours or get good sleep quality. Late-night horror shows and electronic gadget use, midnight noises, bed bugs, uncomfortable cots, etc. are common examples. Finds No Motivation in School Our educational system recommends the same learning courses for kids. However, as we mentioned previously, children are born with different gifts and temperaments. Lack of interest can mask true intelligence, and it may be because kids find schoolwork too difficult or easy. Tasks that are too difficult can demotivate young, inexperienced people. Meanwhile, too easy assignments can also bore them. You’ll never know the difference unless you sit with your child and investigate. Either way, lack of interest can result in poor focus and fund of knowledge. Inactivity-Induced Brain Fog Take a break and get your child moving. Exercise raises levels of oxygen, nutrients and the neuronal growth factor BDNF in the brain. All of these substances stimulate growth and synaptic formation in regions critical to learning, concentration and emotional balance. Sedentariness deprives your child of the mental benefits of physical activity. The right brain fog foods can help! Poor Nutrition and Energy Management The brain needs food for fuel, tissue maintenance, disease protection and proper function. Poor neuronal nutrition comes in three forms: too little intake, too much intake and intake of the wrong kinds of food. Children who eat too little are at risk for vitamin deficiencies, dehydration, hypoglycemia (low blood sugar level) and various electrolyte deficits. All of these conditions reduce mental alertness, attention and motivation. Hunger and thirst can also distract kids. Meanwhile, children who eat too much may suffer from chronic inflammation and early-onset cardiovascular disease, which also impair mental performance. Eating the “wrong” kinds of food can likewise damage the body and brain.
Without proper guidance, kids may get accustomed to the standard American diet, which is high in simple sugars, refined carbohydrates, unhealthy fats and sodium. Additionally, since children naturally get curious about many things, parents should watch out for signs of underage drinking or experimentation with alcohol. Toxic Exposure from the Environment
Too Little Social Interaction Other species are born with their brains almost fully programmed, but the human brain starts with a clean slate. Social interaction stimulates the neurons and grounds children’s expectations of the real world. The lack of it can lead to relationship and emotional troubles, which can divert their attention from important tasks. Too Worried to Think Economic barriers can likewise prevent children from having good access to education and technology. Their detrimental effects are even more greatly felt now when online learning has become necessary. Too Sick to Focus Our educational system recommends the same learning courses for kids. However, as we mentioned previously, children are born with different gifts and temperaments. Lack of interest can mask true intelligence, and it may be because kids find schoolwork too difficult or easy. Tasks that are too difficult can demotivate young, inexperienced people. Meanwhile, too easy assignments can also bore them. You’ll never know the difference unless you sit with your child and investigate. Either way, lack of interest can result in poor focus and fund of knowledge. Down with the Blues Mental health issues (see table below) in children manifest in a variety of ways. Without help, they can lead to poor school performance, as well as relationship and future career troubles. Consider a Learning Disorder Learning difficulties (see table below) have genetic and environmental components. Modern medicine and nutrition can improve them vastly, helping most kids reach their milestones. Those with mild impairment can become highly successful adults so long as the necessary support is given early. Drug Effects Some medications (see table below) can make children too drowsy to focus during school hours, so dosage and timing are important to consider. Ask your pediatrician or look at your medicine labels to see if any treatment that your child is on contains sedatives. |
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Non-Modifiable FactorsInborn conditions that can affect mental performance (see table below) are rare. They are not always apparent at birth, and their manifestations range from mild to severe. Their course, treatment, and prognosis depend on symptom severity, with most needing advanced medical interventions or having no cure. Specialist consults are always necessary in these cases. Those that affect the brain include the following: Disordered Brain Growth Genetics At birth, brain structures may be missing, misshapen, protruding from the skull, etc. Some can be corrected by early surgery. Others, however, produce epilepsies, failure to thrive and mental retardation. Faulty Neurophysiology Here, abnormal brain activity is not due to gross structural changes but may be related to defective micro-scale glucose and electrolyte metabolism. Most cases are due to incomplete development and resolve with brain maturation. However, poor nutrition and chronic illness can make abnormal brainwaves persist. Rare, severe cases are associated with epilepsies that may or may not be eliminated by ablation. Genetic Conditions That Indirectly Affect the Brain These conditions impair mental performance by producing inflammatory substances, toxins, glucose and electrolyte imbalance, oxygen depletion, etc. Many children do well as long as their symptoms are under control. Pregnancy-Related Conditions
“The reasons for poor mental concentration in a huge majority of pediatric cases are trivial. However, since kids cannot articulate their symptoms as well as adults can, doctors routinely try to look for a more serious cause—physical, psychological, social, etc.—until it is completely ruled out.” They could miss a potentially fatal condition if they ignored subtle neurologic changes. As in any health problem, the earlier that it is addressed, the better are the chances for a full recovery. |
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How Can You Help Improve Your Child’s Concentration and Mental Performance?Now, you’re aware of the elements that can potentially distract your child. Below is a list of expert-recommended actions that you can take to help them focus better: Give Them a Room Dedicated to Studying Easily distracted kids can concentrate better while working in a dedicated study room—a room free of distractions. You can do the following to create one for your kid:
Help Them Practice Sleep Hygiene Healthy sleep is acquired by developing consistent bedtime routines. You can help your child improve their sleeping habits by doing the following:
Teach Sometimes, young people just need to be shown the way out of complicated problems. Understanding and solving drills on their own can boost their confidence and regain their interest in schoolwork. Sit with your child and determine what areas they find difficult. Show them the correct way of approaching each problem and give them plenty of practice drills. Congratulate them for any improvements and motivate them to keep working on challenging questions. Hire a tutor for subjects that you think are beyond your expertise. Make Learning Fun through Brain Games Children who find schoolwork too easy can eliminate boredom by solving increasingly challenging drills. Related brain games can also make learning more fun. Studies show that, when done in moderation, brain games can sharpen cognition across various age groups. Different game levels are available for various subjects, including math, vocabulary, science and history. Make Delayed Gratification a Tool Temperaments aside, rewards stimulate the brain’s pleasure centers and create positive reinforcement. Children will happily control their impulses and concentrate if they know they are getting a big prize for it—an act called “delayed gratification.” You can motivate your child to do better in school by offering a highly desired reward, such as a new toy, fun trip or added playtime. Let Your Child Run and Play Push your child to be more physically active. They can start with fun activities like walking the house pet, dancing to their favorite tunes, racing with other kids, etc. You can also encourage them to play a sport. Athletics teach children lessons on and off the field that help them grow emotionally and teach them life skills like strategy and discipline.
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Feed Your Child's Brain Diet impacts many aspects of health, including mental performance, which is why doctors do not overlook this aspect when examining or treating patients. Mental focus problems caused by nutritional deficiencies are treated by supplementation with the appropriate nutrients. Meanwhile, children with phenylketonuria and the like are advised to avoid certain foods. For other conditions, doctors routinely complement their management strategies with good nutrition. Heart-healthy diets include vegetables, fruits, grains, fat-free dairy, oils and various protein sources. Studies show that certain heart-healthy diets can become brain-healthy as well. One example is the Mediterranean diet, which can boost kids' mental performance and self-esteem. You can level up a heart-healthy diet into one that also directly benefits the brain by choosing food groups rich in the following nutrients:
Aside from their unique cardiovascular health benefits, evidence proves that these nutrients raise BDNF levels in the brain. Ask your doctor about including them in your child’s dietary regimen. However, some kids can be picky and difficult to feed. If putting your child on a brain-healthy diet poses a challenge, you can give them doctor-formulated Cover Three Kids Nutritional Brain Boost, which has all six nutrients packed in an irresistible smoothie. Here are some testimonies from our Amazon customers who have tried Cover Three Kids Nutritional Brain Boost on their little loved ones: “I give this smoothie to my boys (3- and 4-yr-old) every morning. My 4yr old is a very picky eater and doesn’t eat his green veggies. We force veggies in however we can, but I also make sure he gets this smoothie since it gives me peace of mind that he’s definitely getting the nutrients his little body needs. I’ve also noticed it has greatly improved his attention and focus, which definitely needed some sharpening!” Vanessa Go Green Limit your child’s toxic exposure by doing your part in protecting the environment.
The list goes on. The World Health Organization states that cleaning up the environment can reduce childhood deaths and illnesses worldwide by 25%. Have Heart-to-Heart Talks with Your Child Talking to your child provides you more opportunities for teaching and investigating potential problems. Find time every day to do the following:
Encourage Playtime with Other Kids Video games are fun and stimulating. However, they can become predictable over time, so they will never be good substitutes for real-life interactions. On the other hand, studies show that collaborative play with other children can speed up cognitive development. Such interactions stimulate critical brain regions, including language centers, audio and visual processing networks and areas for emotional regulation and judgment. So encourage your child to enjoy some playtime with their friends today. Chat with Their Teachers and School Counselors Talk to teachers and school counselors about your child’s behavior. If they cannot focus well during class, you can ask to have your child sit closer to the front and away from distractions. If the child is persistently inattentive and disruptive even in front of authority figures, it may be time to look for medically treatable disorders. For example, ADHD is diagnosed when school-age kids exhibit these behaviors both at home and in school. Find the Child’s Comfortable Learning Style Just as temperaments are different, educational experts hypothesize that children’s learning styles also vary.
Some kids do well with just one learning style, while others have mixed learning styles. School counselors and developmental specialists may help you figure out which one suits your child best and formulate study habits that work. Work with Your Pediatrician Medical conditions like asthma and diabetes are still more common causes of poor school performance than ADHD and other learning disabilities. Take your child to the pediatrician for a checkup. The doctor can look for a physical cause and recommend treatments that can eliminate or improve it. Specialist consultation may be needed in some cases. Get Specialist Help If the primary care doctor finds nothing wrong physically, they can recommend a specialist to look for learning disabilities or psychiatric problems. Depending on the diagnosis, medications, psychotherapy, the use of special writing tools, etc. can help your child make dramatic improvements. Adjust Their Medications Medications for allergies, seizures and psychiatric conditions are some examples of sedative-containing drugs. If your child finds it hard to focus in class after taking their meds, ask your doctor to adjust the dosage, intake schedule or both. The doctor may also offer a suitable alternative drug. As you can see from this guide, helping kids regain their focus does not have to be a one-man job. In fact, enlisting the help of a few experts may give your child the best chance at recovery. Again “if you sense any bothersome changes in your kid, don’t delay in taking action. The longer they stay sick or adopt a maladaptive behavior, the greater the damage and the longer it will take for them to recover.” |
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ConclusionMental focus impacts various aspects of children’s personal growth. It is the product of the coordinated actions of different brain areas. In adults, those areas include the RAS, hippocampus, sensory processing centers, frontal and prefrontal lobes and astrocytes. By comparison, children have not mastered screening out unimportant stimuli. We add their sensory pathways in this neural circuit because of their significant influence on kids’ mental abilities. Science recognizes the genetic differences among children in terms of temperament and capacity to concentrate. However, neuroplasticity enables them to overcome learning and developmental barriers through training, therapy and other tools. Children who can fully harness their mental abilities achieve mental momentum, translating into higher incomes and happier lives as adults. There are modifiable and non-modifiable factors affecting concentration. The causes of impairment range from common, easily correctable conditions to rare, more serious health disorders. We have presented here a comprehensive guide to help parents enhance their children’s focus. While there are many ways to help kids reach their full mental potential, it is best to identify possible problems early and address them as soon they are detected. |
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How to help your child's mental focus: a comprehensive, expert guide
How to help your child's mental focus: a comprehensive, expert guide
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