Take a Break!

Do you have a child with difficulty maintaining attention while completing homework, reading long passages, or during homeschool lessons? It may just be time to take a break!

It is widely believed that the average attention span of students is between 10-15 minutes. However, your child's ability to maintain attention to educational activities may be even shorter if they are in lower elementary grades. And this does not take into consideration the impact of ADHD or other executive functioning issues.

Homework and Daily Reading

As far as homework and daily reading assignments go, it can be tough for some kids to maintain focus for the hour-or-two's worth of homework they need to get through on the daily, even if they do not have any diagnoses inhibiting their ability to attend to lengthy tasks. If this sounds like your kiddo, then it might just be time to take a brain break--or two, or three--until the assignment is complete. 

How it Works in Real Life

With my own 13-year-old daughter, I allow her a short, five-minute break after every 15 minutes or so of work. This allows her to take a walk around the house, check on pets, and generally hit the "reset" on her brain. For example, if she is taking guided notes while watching a  video about homeostasis during her Life Science course, we stop after about 15 minutes, or when she tells me she is having trouble keeping her mind from wandering. I let her run free for a few minutes. When she comes back, she is ready to work!

Do What's Best for Your Child

In the end, it's important to remember that every child is different. If taking breaks isn't helping your child maintain attention, there are lots of different strategies parents and teachers can use to help students maintain focus. Check out some of the interventions recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics:

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/adhd/Pages/Your-Child-At-School.aspx