Short Attention Span

[jedamum]

smurf:

he can read and can recognize many words (credit to his preschool phonics), though he can't spell yet, but he can recognise.

he often choose those books which is too advance for him, and when he brought back, he wouldn't read.:(

choose books with dialogues. take turns reading.
choose books with short sentences on both pages. you read the left, he read the right. etc.
5-10min of reading is ok; i dont expect my preschooler to read more than 15min.
teach him how to use the computer in the library to search for books that he like; if he get to choose the books to borrow, chances are he will at least read it at home.
JMHO.

[smurf]

Good idea. Will try it.:)

[Cherylg]

is your son interested in piano in the first place?


I wanted to put my child in some music classes too when she’s older… but I wanted to wait till she have an interest first.

if no interest, there is no point putting the child in the lessons as it will bore him/her out.

[peanut_butter]

Hi smurf,

Some kids are clearly not fans of learning audibly. I had a piano student with ADD who went into daze by the 3rd word I spoke. But she doesn't hate reading. She was told to scribble a summary with a few key words on the white broad. Her mother shared this tip with me. Getting your boy to move either his body or hands might do wonders.

Alternatively, get a Suzuki teacher. The method emphasis on learning a music instrument by ear, like a picking up a new language. So there will be little reading involve initially. Learning the violin may be a better option too because the student is usually standing. Not that frustrating for an active kid.

[atrecord]

My DD who started P1 this year has got v short attention span, and i’m also trying to find a way to improve it. All the teachers whom we spoke to during the teachers-parents meeting from her childcare centre onwards said the same thing. in Apr, her P1 chinese teacher used a phrase i’ve not heard for a long time to describe her in class - 神游！


Now coach her for homework is high-maintenence job. The moment takes your eyes off her only, she’ll not focus. In fact, even when eyeing her, she often plays with her stationery, hair, clothes, etc…

[Leoleo18]

Hi


I have a problem with my child, he is 6yrs old in K2 this year.
He cant do his work (either in class or at home independently). Meaning in school he sits beside his teacher while doing his work and will ask his teacher if he is doing correctly. His teacher did ask or go through w him in class and he is able to understand and reply but when coming to doing the work, he jz need to sit beside his teacher. His teacher told me that we need to build up his confident level in doing his work as he understand and capable of doing his work without any help.
At home I will have to sit beside him and see him work and he will also post me same question : if he is correct in his work? Sometime i realised that he is lazy to think or recall that y he kept asking how to do this and that?

Any mummies out there to advice.
Next year he is going Primary 1, no teacher will be sitting beside him to watch him… really worried.

[atrecord]

Leoleo18:

Hi


I have a problem with my child, he is 6yrs old in K2 this year.
He cant do his work (either in class or at home independently). Meaning in school he sits beside his teacher while doing his work and will ask his teacher if he is doing correctly. His teacher did ask or go through w him in class and he is able to understand and reply but when coming to doing the work, he jz need to sit beside his teacher. His teacher told me that we need to build up his confident level in doing his work as he understand and capable of doing his work without any help.
At home I will have to sit beside him and see him work and he will also post me same question : if he is correct in his work? Sometime i realised that he is lazy to think or recall that y he kept asking how to do this and that?

Any mummies out there to advice.
Next year he is going Primary 1, no teacher will be sitting beside him to watch him... really worried.

This sounds so familiar. my DD is like this too. Now that she's in P1, she'll call either DW or myself in the morning (she's in afternoon session most days, and we're both working) to ask this and that, often treating it as a helpdesk!!

High maintenance it is. We're hoping that with peer pressure, she will see that other classmates can do homework on their own so that she will learn to do the same too.

[cherrygal]

Boys by nature, have shorter attention spans than girls at this age. My Ds wanted to learn piano so we enrolled him for a 1-to-1 course at a music school with a young teacher. After a month, he said it was boring. I pulled him out. Well, he can’t blame me for not letting him try ya? If he decides to take it up again later, I will let him.


To me, music / ballet lessons are not mandatory. If you have the talent, I will let you take the lessons. It’s that simple. If you don’t, then give up. It’s not like you need to know how to play the piano to survive. It’s a nice-to-have, not a must-have. And if the kid doesn’t progress till Grade 8 teaching / performer cert, it’s as good as nothing achieved.

In fact, the kid’s time could be used on more useful areas such as learning to read, mental abacus, financial knowledge, baking etc.

There’s no need to force your kids to take up music / ballet lessons to fulfill your own dreams. Go with their inclinations.

[cherrygal]

Hi Leoleo


My son used to be unsure too, esp for Maths. He would always ask his teacher if he did it correctly.

If I sat beside him at home, he would also try to ask me if he was correct at every step. I refused to give him any affirmation till he completed the whole exercise. I told him I would only mark once he has checked all his answers. In fact, coaching doesn't mean spoonfeeding them the answers. You should ask him \"what do you think?\" instead.

Now, I would tick the pages he needs to do, tell him to do within 30 mins, then leave the room. I would check after 15mins to see if he was actually doing the work, then leave again. Once completed, I give him a last chance to check then I will mark it.

I also praise him profusely if he gets the answers correct on his own. He beams. :lol:

[LittlePrinz]

smurf:

my 5 YO boy also has short attention span. he is K2 now, and whenever I read to him,he wiould be very restless. and ssometimes, even after 1-2 mins (of me reading), he will yawn and look up and down. he will also look away from the book, fiddle with something he can find on his hand.


I dunno what to do, I dun expect him to read by himself, but me reading to him, also cannot.

I have a slightly different problem with my 2 yr old son. Whenever I try to read to him, he will close the book and walk away. But there are many times (everyday), he will pick his book and browse on his own (he can't read obviously since he's only 2) and when I try to take over to read to him, he will close it and walk away. So I'm at a loss now. :idea: