Paying attention - hints and tips

Young children explore and learn about their world through play. At this age their attention span is short (less than 5 minutes). Therefore, it is important for adults to provide opportunities for child initiated play, whilst also starting to introduce adult directed activities.

• Expose your child to a variety of different play activities in their environments
• Introduce a routine/ structure to their day (they may benefit from a visual aid to support
  their understanding)
• Keep activities short and engaging
• Prior to any adult directed activity, provide movement opportunities and deep pressure
  input (lots of hugs, crashing into a bean bag, able to push or carry something heavy around,
  crawling, using playground equipment, etc.)
• Prepare a distraction free environment (limit visual distractions, only have the activity
  present, limit noise levels)
• During carpet time, provide a clear indicator of the child’s space on the carpet. Make sure
  this space is positioned away from distracting displays/toy boxes etc. You may wish to use a
  hoop or a cushion to indicate where they should sit
• Try using a weighted lap cushion to help the child to remain seated and engaged (max 5% of
  user’s body weight, max 20 minutes at a time)
• Keep adult directed carpet and table-top activities short and engaging
• When starting to introduce adult directed tasks, use motivating activities initially e.g. paw
  patrol, cars, dolls
• Play alongside your child, demonstrating different ways to complete the activity
• Try and gain eye contact before starting the activity
• Check the child’s posture, as if sitting unsupported, the child is more likely to fatigue quicker.
  Young children benefit from changing position regularly
• Gradually introduce new adult directed activities
• Record which strategies work

General hints and tips (over 5s)

You as the teacher/parent should:

• Minimise sparkly/dazzling jewellery
• Minimise patterned and textured clothing
• Minimise bright makeup and lipstick
• Be wary of the use of perfumes and deodorants
• Be aware of your tone of voice – some children may find a louder tone of voice causes them
  to feel anxious and may be misinterpreted as having done something wrong. Varying your
  tone (for example a sing song lilt), may help a child to stay engaged

Learning:

• Be aware of a child’s posture. If their feet are unsupported, they will be working harder to
  maintain an effective sitting position, rather than the task requested of them
• Start a learning session with a warm-up task, such as brain gym or movement activity
• Brief lessons result in greater learning, do activities in short bursts. Adapt learning tasks into
  small, well-defined steps and present the information sequentially
• Keep language simple – instructions should be clear and short. Some children find it difficult
  to look and listen to instructions at the same time. Using simple language such as “do this”
  to precede a demonstration may increase their ability to replicate actions
• Be aware of a child’s learning style
• Modelling or demonstrating activities will allow the child to learn visually and to improve
  their recall
• Use visual cues to support the classroom routine, such as visual timetables and “now” and
  “next” cards
• Consider using timing prompts. Some children will find time pressures overwhelming, so
  consider the type of timer you use, for example, some children respond better to gentle
  reminders, others may respond to a prompt to look at the clock, and others may respond
  better to the visual representation, such as a sand timer
• Use the child’s first name before giving instructions. Some children may require time to
  process instructions before acting, therefore allow up to 7 seconds before anticipating a
  response
• Give one instruction at a time; this can be upgraded as their ability to follow instructions
  improves
• Use written instructions so the child has both auditory and visual cues for following
  instructions
• Encourage the child to finish an activity before moving on
• Give positive reinforcement through praise, attention and rewards after each step. Agree
  with the children rewards and positive reinforcements (they must be immediate, consistent,
  achievable and fair)
• Use a cue for reminding them to focus on the activity e.g. a special hand gesture, or coloured
  cards, traffic light system, or thumbs up
• Set class rules and routines. Ensure the child has an understanding of what is expected of
  them. The use of social stories may help a child to understand situations and expectations
• Some children find it difficult to articulate their needs or ask for help. Provide a ‘time out
  card’, ‘toilet pass’, or other means to indicate that they may be feeling anxious and/or need
  to get out of the class
• Establish the use of an ‘emotions book’ to help the child to indicate how they’re feeling, for
  example, having a difficult play time may impact on the child’s ability to focus in class