Why is my child distracted in class

Different students have different learning styles : some learn best by seeing, some by hearing, and others by doing. For example, if your child is a visual learner and they are reading a very boring book with no pictures, maybe they need more visual stimulation to draw their attention. According to Dr. This little fact changes everything. Not without some serious change-up. Inattention can also be a result of feeling under, or over-challenged.

They might start to lose interest in the material, stop paying attention altogether, get lazy at school and actually have worse grades because they zone out.

Brain development and growth depend on nutrition and lay the foundation for learning and behavior. According to the Society for Neuroscience, recent studies reveal that diets with high levels of saturated fats actually impair learning and memory. Avoid giving your child processed, sugary foods such as boxed breakfast cereals and snacks.

Set a positive example by following a nutritious daily diet yourself. Parents can also refer to our top 7 brain foods you can offer your children to optimize their chances of having a good day at school.

So what can parents and teachers do about this? Like any skill, concentration can be learned and improved. You can subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest updates delivered straight to your inbox and find more parenting coverage here.

At Everest Education, we design our classes to engage students from the start to manage these potential challenges. If your child is having severe problems in the classroom, such as constant disruptions, distractions, or poor grades, and you have ruled out the other items on this list, it could be time to look into possible learning difficulties.

Each of these can be addressed with the help of a tutor and learning plan, so your child can improve his or her focus and succeed in the classroom. For more tips on how to help your child improve his or her concentration skills, check out these tips from the experts. Our Privacy Policy has been updated to meet new regulations. Please read it here. Contact A Location. Being hungry can have an impact.

The same goes for lack of sleep. But when kids have ongoing trouble with focus, it could be caused by ADHD. Ongoing trouble with focus is a key sign of ADHD. It can show up in many ways and change over time. Kids might have a hard time:. Learn about signs of ADHD in grade school , middle school , and high school. That could be playing sports or video games, following politics, or reading books about animals. How does that happen? Find out why some kids with focus challenges can sometimes be hyperfocused.

The best way to help kids who struggle with focus is for families, teachers, and medical professionals to share information and work together. Share notes on what you see, and look for patterns. Parents and caregivers: Get tips on talking with your child about trouble with focus.

Educators: Check out this teacher guide for talking with parents about difficult topics like focus challenges. Paying attention is more complicated than people realize. They typically go to bed between 7pm and 9pm, and wake between 6am and 8am. Once they are over the age of 12, hours sleep may be enough, but teenagers often need more!

Next, check that your child is eating a good, nutritious diet with minimal junk food and sugar. Lastly, talk to your child about how much time they are spending on the computer or tablet. You might need to set some limits and make a deal or contract that there will be no screen-time until Friday night or the weekend.

For school-aged children, the recommendation is no more than two hours per day of screen-time. This is hard if your child is older and is using the computer a lot for homework. If this is the case, monitor it carefully and make sure your child is not playing video games or using social media excessively. This can help prevent kids becoming isolated from their peers and losing confidence in their ability or willingness to learn or make friends.

The diagnosis and treatment of both ADHD and learning difficulties will be discussed in a separate blog. These are important issues to address, but it is important that we think of and manage all the common causes of attention and concentration difficulties first, before embarking on assessment for these problems.

We all want happy, healthy kids who are keen to learn so try these strategies first.