The top 5 distractions for kids and how to deal with them

Competing priorities, ubiquitous technology, and the daily pressures of school and social life contribute to the many distractions students face while learning.

We at Sherwood High believe that having trouble focusing can affect children in lots of ways in school and outside of it too. It can be the regular things that we consider distractions and also be the little things that we might not even notice. We will be looking at the five most common distractions for children who struggle with focus and concentration and how to deal with them in this blog.

1. Web surfing, Social media, and electronic gadgets:

This is one of the most obvious and worst distractions children are facing in the digital age today. There are several things you can do with your handheld mobile devices like phones, tablets, consoles, and the internet offers a plethora of distractions such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, and so on. It has become exceptionally hard to extricate themselves from electronic devices, as children are using their computers and mobile phones for online classes and study during the pandemic situation.

One of the recent studies found that children nowadays spend 3.1 hours per day surfing the web on their mobile phones. This number equates to almost an entire day for a week.

This is a serious issue when it comes to focus and concentration. So how do you help kids cut themselves from this distraction?

The first step they can take in eliminating distractions from their phone is to delete every app that is potentially distracting with notifications and not useful or educational.
If they have to delete every app that gives you a notification, this would also include social media, which most of us would not agree with, to live without. So for those apps, they can simply turn off notifications while studying or make a resolve to put their phone away for the duration that they’ve set to study.

While there are many harmful and distracting apps, there are also productivity apps like; stay focused, self-control, focus boosters, and so on to block distracting websites for a specific period. You can encourage children to use these apps for better focus.

2. Studying in bed:

It has been said and repeated over the years about the disadvantages of studying in bed. The bed is something we all associate with relaxation, exhaustion, rest, and sleep. It is the same for children.

Although some people overcome this mental association, children may not be able to cut such an association, and it may affect their mood and levels of focus. Studying in bed is often a bad idea for most children as it can lead to a lack of productivity, inadvisable naps, and an urge to rest rather than the focus.

One way to beat this is making sure that your children have a designated study space, where they can concentrate and focus on their tasks at hand. A proper setup with an environment that is comfortable and study friendly with fewer distractions will go a long way in helping your child achieve well academically.

3. Television:

We have placed this separately from electronic devices because of how much TV time children today enjoy. Televisions and studies do not get along together; it can be movies, series, songs, videos, anything as it is always very easy to watch just one more episode, one more song, just one other video, while children keep promising themselves that they can study afterward.

While series and videos can be an endless time-waster, it is no different that movies are also a big distraction, as even the shortest films are about 90 minutes in length. Children cannot afford this amount of time to be wasted while they have to be utilizing it productively.

As parents, you can help children focus better by turning these distractions into rewards after children meet their study goals. You can promise to take them out for a movie if they’ve achieved the said grade on an exam or test or let them watch a half an hour sitcom if they’ve completed studying the said subject or finished the day’s homework and so on.

4. Family and friends:

Parents, friends, siblings, cousins, best buddies are all people who compliment who you are by adding positive features and memories to one’s life.

These are essential relationships! Yes, we agree. But as with all good things, these relationships must be managed to accommodate education.

A sibling throwing a tantrum or a friend going through an emotional crisis or just play buddies who want your kid to play with them irrespective of their study schedules are all people refusing to take their obligations as seriously as they should because these distractions can derail your children’s progress.

Communicate with your children that people would love them and care about them will also care about their progress and development. People will understand when they’re told how important it is for them to study and focus. Encourage them in being open with peers and buddies as that itself will take care of many distractions. The same applies to the family, siblings, parents, and grandparents as without their cooperation it becomes difficult for children to improve in their studies and meet their academic commitments.

5. Their own thoughts:

Children with focus issues aren’t always just distracted by outside factors but are very easily distracted by their own thoughts too. As a result of this, many children end up daydreaming while they’re supposed to be focused on studying.

You can help them by checking in on them at intervals and also to emphasize the importance of studying so they understand what they are supposed to be doing and make a conscious effort to block this self-distraction.

You can also help them by teaching them to break tasks into shorter chunks, as that will keep them focused on the primary task at hand without losing concentration. Along with this you can encourage them to use timers and set time limits for specific tasks as this will also help them to “stay present.”

In Conclusion:

As we always say, every child is different. While some children may not at all be distracted by these things or could be distracted by other things that are different, it is important to identify these distractions and nip them in the bud, so your children can study as efficiently as possible.

As parents, it is important to remember that everyone is distracted at some point, so do not be hard on your children. Help them use technology to their advantage and create a study environment that will allow them to excel. Be encouraging, as positive feedback will help children more than you can imagine.