How to work with children with low attention span

[ck123]

Hi aggellim


How I wish my son would be like yours. Still waiting for him to tell me not to worry. Yes my boy can learn his spelling fast too but only short memory will forget the next day. (10 mins on the spot to get all correct). :oops: :roll: dont understand how his brain works.

[Fettuccine]

EN:

Hi Fettucine


My daughter was one of those who did not copy down important notes on the board. Since I have highlighted the short attention span my daughter has, the teacher will check on my daughter immediately after she wrote the notes down. Just to prompt my daughter to copy it down. The short attention span should get lesser when they grow older if you tackle it early ensuring that they are not left behind in class. For eg my daughter hates math & her mind automatically switch off. It takes patience, effort & perseverance in getting her to at least try to learn the subject & be interested.

It also pays to be in touch with your kids classmate's parents or parents from other classes. Our kids might not be able to absorb everything that was said or written. Exchanging ideas or reminding each other helps to alleviate the problems. Even us adults in working world when received an instruction maybe on new project or processes, different individuals might perceive the instruction differently or not able to catch it at all. What do we adults do? Talk to each other & straightened out the information.

Hi EN,

My son has been too playful and is a chatterbox in class. His spelling tests all turned out ok but he just won't focus on what teacher is writing on the board or what teacher instructed to do/bring for tomorrow, this/next week. Teacher has highlighted problem to me, so now he will just have to learn to speed up copying and to pay attention in class the harder way. Like you said, need patience..

You got a point about keeping in touch with classmates parents, son has been calling his classmates often to get info he had \"missed out\", so much his classmates parents knew who's calling before he identify himself :lol:

As I am typing this message, he is doing spelling with me for today's test.
Hopefully, his attention span problem will improve over age.

[Celyw]

tamarind:

I thought it is very common for a child to have short attention span ?


My almost 4 year old boy has super short attention span. When I am teaching him to read, he can read one word, then his eyes will wander off for a couple of minutes.

I teach him for at most 10 minutes, let him off to play for half to one hour, then call him back to study for another 10 minutes. He is able to read quite well for his age now.

I also offer rewards. For example, I told him that if he finish reading a page, then he can watch his favourite DVD. Or he can only go out to the playground if he finish studying. This usually work very well.

I would advise parents to learn about Multiple Intelligences. Please read this page.

http://www.thomasarmstrong.com/multiple_intelligences.htm

For example, many children have spatial intelligence (\"picture smart\"), meaning that it is best to teach them using pictures. Such children are not suited to the traditional drilling methods (such as those used in Kumon).

It is important that we find the correct teaching method that suits our children.

I am worried my 3YO son has this ADHD too...as he seems to have all the characteristic.

Teacher feedback to me he has short attention span when he is doing his worksheets he will do awhile then the eyes wander off to somewhere where noises coming from. And teacher also feedback that he need repetitive enhancement of learning which really surprised as when I asked him similar qns at home he can answer very well so why in school he seems to forget? He is also very talkative love to distract his classmates according to teacher..*sigh*

oh ya he is super hyper too when we are out he cannot walk properly... must run, jump etc.

But when he is doing something he likes he can stay still for quite sometime e.g. his logico set he can complete afew pages himself and want to do more? And he learn things very fast you do or say once he can immediately pick up.

[jedamum]

if the child has low attention span, should the parent


1. teach the child the school syllabus in advance at home for fear that the child may not be able to catch up in school; or
2. NOT teach the child the school syllabus in advance at home so that the child will not daydream in class?

[en107rn.01056yahoo.01056com.01056sg]

Whether to teach in advance is highly dependent on the child’s capability.

Both my kids have short attention span for anything that they are not interested on. I teach my daughter in advance to ensure that she is able to follow through the classroom teaching. That will boost her morale and in the case when her mind goes wandering, she has less difficulty in joining back the classroom discussion/teaching. Without advance teaching, when her mind goes wandering, it will be difficult for her to join back the discussion/ teaching and the whole period will be wasted.
As for my son, I do not do advance teaching cause he doesn’t seem to have problem in joining back the class when his mind wander. Advance teaching my son does not equate to day dream but more likely of him being a nuisance, interrupting teacher, reading, yakking, playing etc. Better for him to learn in class.

[jedamum]

EN:

Whether to teach in advance is highly dependent on the child's capability.

hi EN,
thanks for sharing.

[RRMummy]

Fettuccine:

My son has been too playful and is a chatterbox in class. His spelling tests all turned out ok but he just won't focus on what teacher is writing on the board or what teacher instructed to do/bring for tomorrow, this/next week. Teacher has highlighted problem to me, so now he will just have to learn to speed up copying and to pay attention in class the harder way. Like you said, need patience...

Hi all, I have the exact same complains from my DD1's CC teacher (K1). Latest I heard on Friday, she is now being asked to stand up to listen to the teachings or sometimes she told me her teacher would make her stand outside the classroom... :shock:

She has been showing signs of distress lately.. even asked me to change school... I spoke to the principal in private last week but really lost and don't know what else I can do.... :?:

[tamarind]

jedamum:

if the child has low attention span, should the parent


1. teach the child the school syllabus in advance at home for fear that the child may not be able to catch up in school; or
2. NOT teach the child the school syllabus in advance at home so that the child will not daydream in class?

My boy has very low attention span. His K1 teacher complains that he is always dreaming in class and not paying attention.

I think a child of low attention span is not suitable to learning in a group, because he gets distracted by others so easily. Such a child needs one to one attention, and consistent learning everyday, which can only be provided by mommy at home. That is why I have to make sure that I teach him at home. Because I sit right in front of him, every time his loses his focus, I lightly touch his cheek to bring his focus back again, so he knows that he cannot dream because I am always looking at him.

Whether we teach more advance things at home, all depends on how well the child can absorb. I think I have found an effective method for teaching my boy, so his reading is now far more advanced than other kids the same age. All I have done is to let him read out loud one page from the Ladybird Key Word series a day for more than a year. So his K1 teacher commented that he does very good work in school even though he does not pay attention.

[tamarind]

RRMummy:

Hi all, I have the exact same complains from my DD1's CC teacher (K1). Latest I heard on Friday, she is now being asked to stand up to listen to the teachings or sometimes she told me her teacher would make her stand outside the classroom... :shock:

She has been showing signs of distress lately.. even asked me to change school... I spoke to the principal in private last week but really lost and don't know what else I can do.... :?:

I am really shock to read what your girl's teacher did. I will definitely change school if my boy's teacher do this to him.

Has the principal done anything ?

[RRMummy]

tamarind:

RRMummy:

Hi all, I have the exact same complains from my DD1's CC teacher (K1). Latest I heard on Friday, she is now being asked to stand up to listen to the teachings or sometimes she told me her teacher would make her stand outside the classroom... :shock:

She has been showing signs of distress lately.. even asked me to change school... I spoke to the principal in private last week but really lost and don't know what else I can do.... :?:

I am really shock to read what your girl's teacher did. I will definitely change school if my boy's teacher do this to him.

Has the principal done anything ?

I have been adviced to be patient and the principal will speak to the teacer again.. the thing is.. I have heard of snatching cases, I don't-friend-you cases lately and according to the teacher - ALL cases started by my DD!!!

I have a nasty feeling that the teacher has something against my gal because months back I commented in the comm book after finding out abt her neglecting to highlight to me certain things which all other kids had but my kid did not...(that's another round of stories)..

Another comment that the teacher made which made me upset was that my gal \"talk non-stop and about nonsense, talk about things not related to school work la\" The teacher highlighted in particular abt my gal talking abt our hse-hunting, the way the teacher told me repeatedly was my gal kept repeating it like she was bragging?!!! :x :x :x If she had really spent time understanding my gal for the past 6 mths, she would know that my gal doesn't know what is bragging!! I mean please, this is a CC, kids spends 10 -12 hours there, that's like their second home. I don't see what's wrong with this kind of sharing of their thoughts, what they did over the weekend etc.. in fact I encourage them to share this..

so if any fault, it's mummy's fault!! :stupid: :stupid: :stupid:

Principal finally said... tolerate while she try to talk to the teacher... at the very most tolerate for another 6 months then get to change teacher when she goes to K2!!! :!: :faint: