Early Childhood Activities to Improve Attention of Preschoolers

Early childhood is the most mischievous period in the life of a normal child. Usually, teachers find it difficult to keep the attention of the preschooler for a long time. Preschoolers can’t concentrate on an activity for a long time. They can't remain attentive for more than three or four minutes on a particular activity. Teachers should plan methods through which they can increase this time span in a periodic way but not attempting for a sudden increase. Read on to find activities which increase the attention span of a preschooler without much effort.

Preschoolers love to hear stories. Read aloud to them for four or five minutes. Carefully choose stories which can arouse interest in the minds of preschoolers, so that they should insist on hearing the rest of the story. Small pictorial stories about natural phenomenon like rain or the solar system, funny detective stories, and animal stories can be used. Read continuously for a few minutes, carefully stop at that point where preschooler inquisitiveness will be aroused, and then give them some time to relax. Wait until they ask to hear the rest. Initially allow preschoolers to interrupt your reading with their own questions, but slowly decrease the number of questions that can be asked in each session. Encourage them to ask questions at the end of each session. Don’t plan sessions longer than five minutes. Gradually increase the time period of each session and select more lengthy stories.

Treasure hunt is another interesting team activity which a teacher can use to increase the attention span of preschoolers. Hide the treasure (dolls, crayons, etc.), and give the children intellectual clues to find the treasure. Don’t use too many clues; let them find it in five clues. Gradually increase the number of clues, and this will help in developing their concentration skills.

Preschoolers' fancy can be aroused by experimenting with colors. Teachers should give the students papers with the pictures of birds or animals. Each type of bird should be arranged in pairs: one picture should demonstrate its original form and the other should be the outline. Now give them clues so that they will find the right pair of the bird, and then let them color the pair in a similar way. This way, they will spend more time on an activity.

Another interesting activity is puzzles. Teachers can use big picture puzzles which depict easily identifiable animals, birds, and cartoon characters. As your preschoolers become proficient in it, increase the size of the puzzle and select a bit more complicated pictures.

Physical group activities are another method which teachers can effectively use. Here teachers can even use simple exercise techniques where the teachers should instruct preschoolers to do simple exercises like stretching their hands up and down or jumping. At the beginning of each activity, announce a prize for those who listen and follow the instructions carefully until the end. During the activity, instead of saying up and down in a rhythmic way, say "up, up, and down" or "up, down, and down." Remove all those who have made a mistake. This is a simple technique which teachers all over the world use in various forms. But, it is effective in helping preschoolers to keep their attention on a single event for a long time. It is also a great way to burn off some excess energy!

As most preschoolers like clay modeling and building blocks, teachers can use them, too. Make models of sphere or box . Instruct preschoolers to make a similar one in size, shape, and color. Let them take their own time. Once they have finished the work, show them a bit more complicated model, and repeat the above activity. The same technique can be used with building blocks, too.

Like children of all other ages, preschoolers too love to play computer games and watch TV shows. Even though this can keep the attention for a long time, teachers should not allow pre-schoolers to spend more time on this as it will harm both their mental and their physical growth. The most important thing which a preschool teacher should remember is that they should select only those activities which their preschoolers are interested in. By choosing early childhood activities to increase attention that the children are interested in, preschool teachers will equip young students with a skill that will help them throughout their lives.