When children are really concentrating they're unlikely to be sitting still and listening, writes Penny Tassoni
Being able to deliberately focus our attention on one activity is an important skill. It is often what is meant when we talk about 'concentration', although psychologists often refer to this as focal or selective attention.
Most practitioners find that children's ability to focus their attention is quite variable. In some situations babies and children appear to concentrate for long periods of time, while in others they are quickly distracted. For some parents, their child's apparent lack of concentration becomes a source of concern, particularly in the run-up to starting school, and they reveal their anxiety in remarks such as 'he won't stay still' or 'she is such a fidget'.
Ignoring the irrelevant
To understand why in some situations children concentrate but in others they are soon distracted, requires looking at what takes place in the brain. Selective attention or concentration on a task means being able to filter out 'irrelevant' information. This is hard because the brain is constantly receiving information from our five senses. Sensory information being received will include any noises or movement around us, as well as our own level of comfort. Blocking out such information requires intense effort. The success of children's ability to focus their attention in this way depends on several factors.
Age: First, it would seem that the ability to filter out 'irrelevant' information improves with age. While it is a myth to suggest that babies cannot concentrate, their attention can often be easily diverted with a simple shake of a rattle. This changes as they become toddlers and it is the toddlers' ability to focus their attention that sometimes causes tantrums. Distracting a toddler who is focusing attention on playing with one particular toy is certainly no easy task!
Looking at children in the Foundation Stage, research suggests that their ability to ignore the irrelevant continues to develop. An interesting piece of research showed that pre-school children found it harder to perform a task when there was music being played, while older children did not find this a distraction, and teenagers found it hard to manage without music!
State of arousal: Another factor involved in concentration is the activity itself, or our level of motivation. We need to be stimulated or aroused in some way in order to focus our attention on something. This is why being tired is not conducive to good concentration, and also why young children do better in situations when they are active. The controversial treatment of children who have Attention Deficit Disorder with the drug Ritalin is based on the assumption that for some children low levels of attention are due to poor arousal, and Ritalin acts as a stimulant.
Nature of distractions: A third factor in our ability to maintain selective attention is the relevance of the information that is supposedly being filtered out. It is hard for example to disregard a fire alarm, the nagging sensation of hunger or the feeling that you are missing your carer.
Aiding concentration
So how can we create the conditions whereby children are able to focus their attention and concentrate? A starting point is to look at ways of reducing the impact of the 'irrelevant' information their brains are receiving. This means checking that children are happy and are physically comfortable so that they are not being distracted by their emotional or physical needs.
It may also require, since some children find it hard to filter out bustle and noise, looking at the layout of a room to see how to create areas that are slightly screened. One setting found that the length of time children spent at an emergent writing table increased when it was put against a wall. This allowed children to have their backs to other activities while providing them with a board on which they could pin up their notes and writing.
Sensitive adult intervention and support is also crucial in helping children to maintain attention. Giving out pairs of scissors to children at a dough table may suddenly act as a new trigger and prolong the activity, while a child who is struggling to finish a puzzle may benefit from having a helping hand. In this way children gradually learn 'staying power' as they take pride in meeting the challenges they have set themselves.
Absorbing activities
Finally, we have to consider the type of activities that are being offered, as they have to arouse or stimulate children sufficiently to be able to filter out other distractions. If we analyse the type of activities that tend to hold children's attention, we find that they share some common characteristics.
- They allow the child to be active, thus providing sensory stimulation. This helps to maintain levels of arousal in the brain.
- They are often child-led rather than directed by an adult. This allows information to be processed at the child's pace, with children setting themselves their own challenges or repeating actions that are pleasurable.
- They can be explored or used in a variety of ways, allowing the child to pursue their own challenges.
Sand, water and dough
Unsurprisingly, activities with sand, water and dough, which have all of the above characteristics, are among those that captivate children. It is not unusual to walk into a pre-school setting and record children playing in the sandpit for 20 or 30 minutes at a time.
But unfortunately, the very type of activities that hold children's attention for long periods are not always perceived by adults as promoting concentration. Sitting still to listen and being quiet is often seen as the only measure of whether children can concentrate. In reality, it is a poor measure. How many of us have been in situations where although 'listening', we are actually not really concentrating?
Fortunately for practitioners in England, the Foundation Stage curriculum guidance stresses that developing children's concentration skills comes through allowing children to explore and be active.
For those practitioners who are under pressure to make children 'sit and concentrate', it is worth considering ways of acknowledging children's concentration when they are playing. This could include reporting back to parents when a child has maintained attention, or taking photographs of children when they are fully absorbed in their chosen activities.
