Here it comes…the yawn. Now the eyes are beginning to glaze. The information you so carefully explained is ricocheting off his shut down mind. Instead of getting frustrated, use these activities to keep your child on task and learning.

When your child shows signs of not paying attention, no amount of repetition or punishment will drive the information into her brain. It’s like hitting a brick wall.

In “Smart Moves: Why Learning Is Not All In Your Head“, Carla Hannaford explains how moving is a vital component of attention and learning. Movement keeps the brain awake and ready to learn. In Carla’s words, “moving while learning increases the learning.” (p110).

Activities To Increase Your Child’s Attention

Here are a few activities I have my children do to improve their attention while I’m reading aloud or explaining something:

• Doodling
• Jump roping
• Chewing on gum or crunchy snacks
• Manipulating Play Doh™
• Building with Legos™
• Brain Gym® movement breaks

When the yawns and glazed eyes appear it’s time to get moving – in order to get learning.