Have you ever studied your own attention span? How long can you focus on a task? I am assuming that your attention and focus lasts a lot longer than your child’s. Research suggest the following attention spans in young children:

8 – 15 months: Your child can focus for one minute or a little longer to a single toy or activity, but can be easily distracted.

16 – 19 months: Your child can sustain focus on one activity for 2-3 minutes.

20 – 24 months: Your child can stay attentive to an activity either with or without an adult for 3-6 minutes.

25 – 36 months: Your child can generally pay attention to a toy or other activity for 5-8 minutes.

3 – 4 years: Your child can focus on an activity for 8-10 minutes, and can alternate his/her total attention between you talking to him/her and the activity he/she was already doing.

While these seem like short amounts of time, parents and caregivers can practice these simple skills to help support your child’s attention span and increase their focus.

#1 Be present in the moment right here, right now. No matter what you are doing, your kids will see you present and focused. If you model focus for your kids, you’ll teach them to focus as well. Show them that they are the most important person in the room.

#2 Slow down and study your children. Learn about their interests and understand where their primary focus is.

#3 Play into their interests. Children can sustain a much larger focus into play areas where they have the most interest. Find ways to incorporate their interest into everyday activities.

#4 Wonder out loud. Sounds like a crazy idea, right? Ask questions that address the five senses. You can also ask, “What will happen if I … (mix these two colors)?” This practice will train kids to maintain a curious and alert state-the basis for attention. It will also introduce them to new interests, giving them even more ways to develop focus.

#5 Play, play, PLAY! Through play, kids develop key skills, and they practice how to focus when they aim and shift their attention. If we tell them on what to focus and when we take away their opportunity to learn how to do this for themselves. If a child is focused and engaged in play, consider carefully if and how you want to ask them to listen to or speak with you, so you don’t interrupt their focus.

#6 Make it a mystery. Parents and caregivers can create hunts, surprises and mysteries when playing with kids. They prime our minds to stay alert and continue to focus on the goal at hand-solving the mystery.

#7 Teach your children relaxation and deep breathing to increase focus and mind control. Try playing soft music in the background at a low volume to help their brain learn to focus during ordinary activities and play.

#8 Let the mind rest. Sound sleep is one of the most effective tools for improving attention and focus. Set a strict time for your child to wind down and help them by lowering noise levels, dimming lights and doing relaxing activities.

Children will need the increased attention span and focus as they move into their primary education years. Anything we can do for them now before kindergarten is crucial to their success in later years.

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Carrie Kube is a Director for Iowa River Valley Early Childhood Area Board.