Short Attention Span

[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.

[Sun_2010]

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.

May be the problem is that you are reading to him. His nmind is free to wander. He may not even be involved( at a mental level)
Just some tips:

1. are u reading bcos he wants u to or bcos its a good and a very essential habit?

2. Did he get to choose the book? U may need to get books that he likes - something on wheels, planes, space, anything topic that fascinates him. NLB is a treasure house, get him to choose the book.

3. If he can read words or short sentences? if so make sure for every page he reads one sentence or a few words as much as he can comfortable do. May be you could point to a slightly diff word for him and get him sound it out \"syllabilically\". Lower the bar till it is just a wee bit out of his reach.

4.Start in short sessions. When he is tuning out stop. Maybe a minium of 5 mins. Do again later if you can. Once he does his part well, a tiny weeny reward may make things attractive for him

5. Most important that i tend to forget when dealing with kids is -
Its not me AGAINST the kid.
It is me WITH them.
Together we can. :celebrate:


All said, it will be emotionally draining... be mentally prepared. Take it easy. Small steps. The effect may take time, make it enjoyable.


Gtg, will be back on some tips on improving attention span later

[heyhoe]

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.

My 5 year old boy is in K1 and I find that some kind of structure is very important. Normally, we will get him to play piano for 5-10 minutes on a daily basis. Then he will go thru phonics by reading his level. I'll reward him with a story book of his choice. I'll also help him with his weekly tingxie and spelling.

Thereafter, he knows he's free to play or watch tv. Hope this helps.

[smurf]

thanks for the suggestion. but I think my boy really hates reading. brought him to library, he is more keen in the PC (those searching for deta kind), and he will sit in front of the PC, typing, dunno what he type about, cos u need username and p/w right? he just want to sit there and type, instead of reading...


I read to him because he wants me to read to him,but after 5 mins, his mind is elsewhere, and turn his focus...and then he will wander off, leaving me reading alone...I tried not to be monotone, but no use.

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.:(

[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.