|
Author: Esther Andrews Article source: http://www.mychessgame.com/. Used with author's permission.
Some people can concentrate on an assignment, to the exclusion of all distractions around them. My husband, who is an avid reader, can sit at a public place and read, no matter how much noise exists around him. Some people can play at a chess tournament, and focus on their game, no matter how many people are standing around them, watching the game. Others, however, cannot concentrate on their reading in a coffee house, because "too much is going on around them", and some people's chess game is affected by the noise around them or the people watching the game, and they make mistakes and "blunders".
Being able to focus is a very beneficial skill. Schoolchildren have to be able to take a test, even if their classmates are not keeping quiet. They have to be able to focus on their homework, even if some other kids are playing outside, or a sibling is listening to the radio.
But beyond these practical reasons, a person's ability to focus and concentrate, affects their level of performance. In order to solve a problem, you have to be able to focus, and if you can't concentrate, you can't find s solution. The ability to concentrate is important to anything we want to accomplish. When a person increases their concentration skills, they see a big improvement in everything they do. There is no doubt, then, that anybody can benefit from the strengthening of their ability to concentrate and focus.
Children in general have shorter attention spans than adults. It is impossible to expect a child to sit and concentrate for a long time, because it is natural for children to move around and be active. In my opinion, part of the reason is that children's minds work extremely fast, and they have the need to learn new material constantly. When they feel that they have learned all they can from one activity, they will move to the next one, looking for more knowledge.
Often you can observe a very young child playing with a toy. The child will be "all into it", fully focused on the toy. For how long? That varies, depending on many factors. But as long as they are playing, they are fully focused. Watch children when they are listening to a story, they are listening intently, and are all captured by the story.
There are some exercises, or games, that you can play with your child, that will increase his ability to concentrate and focus. You can play the games suggested here, or you can invent your own games around these exercises, depending on your individual child, their age and their interest. Here are some suggestions:
1. Have your child close his eyes, and imagine a triangle. Then have him draw the triangle, with his eyes closed, on a piece of paper, slowly, and accurately. Then have him do it again, and watch if there is any improvement in the triangle he has drawn. The slower he does it, the better. It is practically impossible to perform this task, without concentrating and focusing on it, and the slower the task is performed, the longer the intense focus. If you want, you can have a competition, you can do it with your child, and the one who finished later is the winner, or the one who has a better triangle, wins. You can organize a group of kids to compete with each other. (When your child is drawing perfect triangles, you can advance to more complicated figures, a square, a Star of David, a star... whatever figure you can think of.)
2. This is a very interesting game, that will entertain, surprise and benefit all participants. Have your child hold his arm out. With closed eyes, tell your child to start feeling an intense heat on the palm of his hand, as if he is holding a hot potato. Focus on it for a few minutes, when it starts to feel uncomfortable (too hot), have him stop and shake his hand.
3. Have your child practice reading in different environments. Take him to the library, have him read there, take him to a fast food restaurant, and have him read there. If your child doesn't read yet - read a story to him. That also takes concentration! (I don't recommend reading in the car, some people get motion sick when they read in the car.) Any environment that you can think of is a good place to practice concentration. The Russian chess players practice playing in noisy places. They play in the park, coffee houses, wherever they can!
4. When you are visiting the park, or walk on the beach, have your child listen to the sounds of nature and life. The sound of the waves, or the sound of the birds and other animals in the park. Have him practice listening to the sounds intently for the longest time possible, and try to increase from there. If you have a recording of nature sounds, (there are many CD's that have the sound of water and other sounds of nature) your child can do that at home, listening to a CD. You can play the "quiet game", yourself and the child (or a group of children) listening to the sounds of nature CD. The last sitting is the winner.
5. The finger game. Have your child hold his hand out, and bend each finger very slowly, focusing only on that finger. When all fingers are bent, start straightening the fingers one at a time, very slowly. You can play this game with a toddler or a baby, too!
6. The breathing game. Have your child breath in very slowly, counting to ten, paying attention only to his breathing. Then have him exhale as slowly as he can.
7. Have a competition, who can gaze at an object the longest. You can put an object at the center of the room, and have your child and yourself, or a group of children, gaze at the object. The person who can stay with this assignment the longest without taking their eyes off the subject is the winner.
If you participate in these games with your child, you will notice an improvement in your ability to concentrate, too!
Take some time to do these activities with your child, and observe the results! Please write to me at esther@all-gifted-children.com, to tell me about the results you are observing. For the last 26 years, Esther Andrews has studied, researched and practiced the ways to develop a child's intelligence. She also served as the principal of the School for Gifted Education. As a result of this experience, she developed her own method and philosophy, that proved to be extremely successful with her own 2 highly gifted children. In her web site, http://www.all-gifted-children.com, she helps parents develop their child's genius, and provide for their kids the opportunity to achieve their maximum potential.
Legal Music Downloads
The music industry has been saying the same thing for several years now: peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing networks are exponentially distributing pirated music a...
The Struggling Internet Marketer
There is still room for the little guy in Internet Marketing.
Conquer Those Carbohydrate Cravings
Are you a hopeless carbohydrate addict? Let's conquer these cravings once and for all….. By Jeff Lugeanbeal- www.worldwideweightloss.com I drove over to my pare...
Has Someone Been Stealing Your Content?
It's in the lips of every respectable SE marketer. It's considered to be the "holy grail" of your linking efforts! What's that? Marketing with articles, of cour...
What Is Business Sense?
Do you want to stay ahead of competition and expand your market share? The time has come for you to apply wisdom and common sense in business. It is a winning...
Lets Protect Our Children
There are software programs that you can purchase to keep your children from accessing undesirable websites. There are two good ones, Cyber Patrol and Net Nanny...
Creating A Not-To-Do List
Some activities in life are unpleasant, outside of your range of expertise, or just not what you want to spend your time on. So instead of creating more lists o...
Orange and Lemon Ice an Italian Dessert Treat
Often times when you are at a gourmet restaurant enjoying a fine meal you will be served a delicious delicate dessert of flavored ice. This particular version ...
How To Ignite Your Sales
If you own a website, you definitely want to improve visibility and get more traffic. There are a number of ways to do so like using search engine optimization,...
How To Land The Catch Of Your Life Without Becoming Sharkbait
However you like to do it, dating is a dangerous game. Not talking to strangers might be sound advice to give to kids but as a strategy to stop being single, it...
War Declared On Instant Messenger: How to Stop Your Child from Wasting Their Life Away Online
Hey Parents! I hate to tell you, but there is no such thing as "useful instant messaging". Your crafty child might try to take advantage of your lack of "Techie...
Internal Control - The Why and How
Studies have shown that almost half of all shrinkage in retail stores is due to employees. Employees WILL steal from their employer. It is up to the employer ...
How Clear is Your Vision?
Wouldn't it be nice to know that there is a way to get what you want? Whether it's in business or your personal life, this article will clearly show you the ste...
Job Search Campaign Tip: An Activity Diary
The value of keeping a daily diary while you are job hunting is explored. It provides a place to centralize contacts, evaluate the emotional consequences of dif...
What Can Star Wars Teach You About Creating a Buzz for Your Business?
Many people think marketing is some type of mystery that only a few select people know the secret too. In fact if you look at the entertainment industry you wil...
A Murder Mystery Puzzle for You to Solve
Not everything you learn and/or read is of equal value. As the world's store of information becomes exponentially greater, almost by the minute, you must learn ...
Small Changes to Weight Loss
Small changes each day to your current eating and drinking habits could put you on the path of a healthier lifestyle and weight loss.
Improve Conversion Rates – Effective Content
Your site is fast and getting traffic, but conversion rates are disappointing. You may have problems with the tone of your content...
A New New Deal
Some say that the plans for the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina resembles the new deal set forth by FDR. At a quick glance it may be hard to disagree. The cl...
Health & Longevity With BelAir Aromatherapy
Clean and Fresh Air
How To Invite Positive Change In Your Life
Change is inevitable in our lives, but we can choose whether we want it to be conscious and positive or unconscious and unpleasant. When we come to know oursel...
An Ab Exercise For Everyone!
A quick tip to flatten your abdominals in weeks.
Puppy Training Tips for the First Week
Bringing home a puppy and introducing her to your home is very
exciting for everyone. The only one who may be anxious about the situation will be the puppy. If...
Introduction to Pipeline Integrity Management
Pipelines are an essential component of our nation's energy supply. They remain largely unnoticed until disaster strikes.
|
Print this page