How Can I Teach My Child to Pay Attention?

No matter what age your child is, getting them to pay attention can become a challenge for parents. In severe cases, your child may be diagnosed by a doctor with either ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) or ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), and they may be prescribed medicine to help them focus on tasks. There are various activities you can do with your child to help them work on focusing on tasks.

Things You'll Need

  • List of rules
  • White board, chalk board or magnet board
  • Stickers

Instructions

    • 1

      Reduce the amount of distractions in your home, or how many are on or nearby at one time. If a child needs to do homework, make sure the TV is off, as well as any music. In addition, any time you want them to focus on a particular task or need their attention to discuss something, be sure that all other "media" in the room are shut off, since children have a tendency to be easily distracted. All iPods, GameBoys, Playstations, etc. should all be put away as well.

    • 2

      Create a list of rules for your child. For instance, they should not be allowed to move on to the next task unless the first one is completed. A good example is homework: They must complete their homework before getting to watch their favorite TV show. Also, they must finish their dinner before going to play with their friends or siblings. Place the list of rules in a place easily visible by your child, and go through it with them so they understand.

    • 3

      Create a white board, chalk board or magnet board list of accomplishments. On the board, have different columns for each day of the week. On the left hand side of the board, have a list of accomplishments such as "Listened Well," "Followed Directions," "Completed All Chores," etc. Each day, have your child place a sticker or magnet next to the corresponding accomplishments that they successfully completed. The ultimate goal of course being that they earn all their stickers or magnets each day of the week. This will give them an incentive to work hard on problem areas you may have with your child regarding discipline and attention.

    • 4

      Establish reasonable expectations from your child. Let them know that you don't expect things to change overnight regarding their problems with attention, but that the problem needs to be fixed and that you want to work together with them on solving this issue. Many parents tend to lash out at their children, which can actually make the problem worse. Let them know that their behavior needs to change, but at the same time don't be afraid to punish them with time outs or by grounding them if they still aren't following through with established rules.

    • 5

      Establish a routine bed time. Be sure that your child is receiving adequate rest, which varies on your child's age, but they should get at least nine hours each night. They should have a set bed time each night. In addition, you may want to set a routine of having a bath/shower at a certain time, then downtime either reading or listening to a story told by a parent, and then bed. This will help them relax before bed time, and better wind-down before heading to sleep.

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