Five-year-olds are notorious for being curious and energetic. They are quickly learning about the world around them as they take everything in like little sponges. While it’s inspiring and encouraging to see your child explore their curiosity, there are times that call for them to be still and quiet.
From learning their ABCs and colors in school to behaving in a store, your child does have to take time to pause their rambunctious activity – at least for a little while. Here are some tips for keeping your five-year-old engaged and focused.
Set Aside Time to Practice Focusing on Specific Tasks
The concentration span for young children ages 4 to 5 is between five and 20 minutes, depending on the task. They will spend less time on new or challenging tasks, and more time on intrinsically-enjoyable activities, says PBS. Set aside time in the day to practice focusing on one task. Alternate between challenging and fun tasks.
Do One Thing at a Time
Adults are better able to multitask, whether at home with chores or at work in a demanding environment. In kids, though, multitasking has been known to reduce concentration and diminish performance. Tackle one task at a time with your five-year-old. Sing the alphabet while pointing out the letters, perhaps. The point is to avoid looking ahead to other problems or tasks; instead, focus on one at a time.
Take Frequent Breaks
Whether you’re reading a book or working on numbers together, it’s important to build in planned breaks frequently. That’s because small kids need to get up and move around after they’ve been concentrating for several minutes. Let them take this time to rest and recharge by giving them 10 minutes of playtime or providing a nutritious snack.
Break Big Tasks into Manageable Pieces
Instead of telling your five-year-old to go clean their room, break it down into smaller chunks that are easily understood. This will give your child the best chances of success. To them, cleaning an entire room is a big challenge. Give them an area to start with, such as their reading nook, followed by another task: make the bed. To help them avoid dilly-dallying, you can even set a timer for 10 minutes before they have to come back to you and ask what the next task is.
Supervise
Even the most diligent and focused child will need some prodding every once in a while. Stay close by and supervise them to ensure they stay on task. Offer gentle reminders and words of encouragement as needed. Saying things like “how’s the cleanup going?” or “I can see you’re putting a lot of effort into that” will help them snap back to attention if they are waning.
Get Creative
It’s no secret that kids learn best when they’re having fun. Mundane tasks like tracing letters or numbers are OK for a little bit, but sparking their creative sides is a much more effective strategy. Instead of structured, repetitive tasks, infuse some fun into any dull activity by getting their creative juices flowing.
Instead of having your child draw the letter T with paper and pencil, have them make it using toy cars or wooden blocks, or have them draw it with chalk. They can even make letters out of Play-Doh.
Boost Brainpower
There are ways to strengthen your child’s attention span. When completing a puzzle or preparing dinner together, point out some small yet interesting details about the process that incorporates the surrounding environment, suggests Parents. As their concentration increases with practice, your five-year-old’s ability to be focused will get a boost as well.
Enroll Them in Our Excel Program
Here at Country Home Learning Center, we offer a five-year-old Excel Program that aligns with state standards for public school kindergarten and that is accredited by Cognia. This program offers a truly accelerated environment whereby degreed or CDA-certified teachers teach children within exceptionally small classes for more one-on-one attention. At nearly half the size of most public school kindergarten classes, we offer our Excel students a variety of educational and fun field trips in addition to extra-curricular activities and enrichment classes.
Some of the program highlights include:
- Language Arts
- Reading and Phonics
- Mathematics
- Computers
- Science and Geography
- Writing
- Social Studies
- Spanish
- Creative Arts
- Dramatic Activities
- Music and Creative Movement
- Physical Fitness and Gym
- Practical Life Skills
- Positive Self-Concept
- Social Development Activities
Check Out Our Excel Program at Country Home Learning Center
We welcome you to learn more about Excel Program for five-year-olds – a program we are very proud of here at Country Home Learning Center. Contact us today to schedule a tour of our facilities and see if our Excel Program would be a good fit for your child.
