7 In-Class Activities to Improve Concentration in Children
Today, the attention spans of students is decreasing due to the amount of time they spend online or using a technology device like a tablet or a smartphone. The culprit is not the device itself, rather what kids learn from using this device. One lesson is that if the game or reading does not pull them in from the first couple of seconds, they doze or easily click or swipe away from the "boring" activity and choose something else. These games or activities that are designed to engage kids' minds from the get go don't do it for the same purpose that teachers plan lessons for. Many of these digital activities don't care about the child's well-being or teaching them anything. Brands are developing more and more apps to entertain kids.
The solution: try to provide attention and concentration in class activities that do not require screen time. Let's look at some things that teachers can do in the classroom and what activities to improve concentration they can easily merge into their daily routine.
1. Building Activities
One of the popular concentration activities for kids include building. This is a broad topic that you can customize for your classroom and unique student needs. It helps improve attention span and concentration to give children a goal and building materials. For example, pass out playing cards and ask the kids see which team can build a higher house of cards before it falls. Younger kids can use blocks of different shapes and colors to work individually. You can assign a group project for building models of skyscrapers using foam pieces, glue, paint, and markers.
2. Memory Games
Memory games are some of the most popular concentration activities for students. Choose a memory game that uses 3-D shapes not just picture cards to appeal to all learning styles. If you can't find a game with 3-D shapes then cards with vibrant images work great also.
3. Puzzle Games
puzzles are great for your children’s mind and cognitive development. To be more precise, puzzles provide that key opportunity for a child to develop fine motor skills, improve hand-eye coordination, think in a logical way to solve a problem, improve memory and improve their concentration and attention span.
There is a wide range of puzzle games for kids. You just need to choose the suitable one for your target group. Below are some of the puzzle games you can use in the classroom, and the reason why these will make good puzzle games for your students:
- The Snake Cube: The snake cube looks like a Rubik's cube in its completed form. But, the object is to stretch it out into a snake pattern and try to put it together again. This single-material classroom activity is great for kids who prefer to work individually as well as kinesthetic learners those who prefer doing things by hand love the serpent cube solution. You will find that kinesthetic learners may not be the top academic achievers in your class or those who exhibit the greater number of behavioral incidents, but give them something material to do and that makes them feel a sense of accomplishment and watch them stay focused on in class activities more with a heighten sense of "I can do it".
- Rubik Cube: Like the wooden snake cube puzzle, the Rubik's cube for kids is a concentration activity that has been around for years. Puzzle You can find Rubik cubes in various sizes, the squares become larger as the level of ease increases making it easy to find one for your class. These are relatively inexpensive items and you can easily fill a medium-sized tube with a variety of the cube puzzles for different ability levels, like including a couple of regular Rubik's cubes for gifted kids.
4. Timed Activities
Timed games and classwork are not only versatile activities to improve concentration in children , but are very appealing to students because they want to win and beat the timer. Give each student a whiteboard and marker then pick out a master word from a hat, put 1 minute on the clock and have students write down as many words as they can from the letters of the master word. If your classroom is set up in stations, you can put all the items for the activity in a small basket with a toy hourglass for kids to play individually, in partners or teams.
5. Sequencing Activities
There is a positive correlation between sequencing ability and focus levels in students making them the perfect activities to improve attention and concentration in children. Teachers can administer worksheets, materials or plan class discussions on story sequencing. Younger kids can put vibrant pictures in order for sequences of the days of the week, seasons of the year, daily routine or even their own classroom routine.
6. Cooking Activities
Great in class activities that help children focus longer are following recipes, baking or decorating sugar cookies. If appropriate for your children's ages and ability levels consider giving small groups simple recipes to follow. Younger kids can decorate sugar cookies for a specific holiday or birthday. Try to give students different ingredients to measure and mix. They can even make trail mix for the whole class to enjoy at recess!
7. Quiet Time Activities
Much like the rest of us, children need frequent breaks to refresh. These breaks help improve their levels of concentration and focus. Young children would benefit from a quiet area in their classroom where they can take naps while older students need breaks, nutritious snacks and meals, and free time. Work in free time to your classroom daily schedule and set up stations where students, can choose which unwinding activity to do.
Final Words
Help your students counter the negative effects of technology and excessive screen time by planning more hands-on activities to improve attention and concentration. The best concentration activities for kids are those that encourage the student to think while doing the activity.