By Kylee Hopper
Does your child flicker from one activity to another, seeming to not hold attention on one activity or toy for more than a couple of minutes? Have you wondered how you can help build attention span and create longer engagement with your child and their toys or activities?
Mum and Psychologist Melanie of Me Psychology shares her top tips on how to help your little one increase engagement and attention span with the use of Busy Books Australia‘s fun and educational Busy Books.
“Engagement in our children can be fleeting, that is normal and age appropriate, they really have very small attention spans! In fact, us adults do not have the attention spans that we might think we do either and most of us will find our mind wandering by about that half hour point.
Children who are capable of identifying and using their strengths are reported to be happier and have increased self-esteem and confidence.
BUT our children absorb information much quicker and more effectively than adults do. Their brain is wired to do so. When a child is engaged, they build on their ability to focus, concentrate and retain information more effectively. They are also witness to their strengths and weaknesses, having a stronger desire to challenge themselves and use strengths to their benefit.
Children who are capable of identifying and using their strengths are reported to be happier and have increased self-esteem and confidence.
So how do we help achieve engagement?
- Children are more likely to engage when they feel they’re good at something (aren’t we all?)
- Positive emotions occur when they are doing the activity
- An activity challenges them but they can still achieve it
- Activities are adaptable to their level and new tasks begin after they have mastered old ones
- A variety of senses are used
- Children can engage through the learning style that best suits them (spatial, auditory, linguistic, kinesthetic, mathematical, interpersonal, intrapersonal)
- The activity is visually appealing (this is mainly for younger children)
“Wow mum is that for me? Can I have a look?” says my 3-year-old the moment she sees the Busy Books Australia delivery.
I kid you not, she spent an hour that afternoon on the Colours Shapes Patterns Busy Book. I hadn’t had a chance to even look at it and I didn’t until she put it down.
Apart from us getting gifted time to have a warm cuppa, why is engagement important and what magic was at play here with the Colours Shapes Patterns Busy Book?
One of my favourite parts about the Busy Books is how it increases in difficulty as they move through the book. Looking above you can see that it has met 3 & 4 with this.
