Easily Distracted and lacks focus.

Toppers Jnr is in year two and is a bright lad. Does well with his reading and his maths but not so much with his writing. Following parents evening we need to start working on his focus because he is very easily distracted. He’s only 6 so can’t really explain to us what’s going on but I was wondering if any of you fine people have any experience of this and could offer any tips on how we can help him achieve his potential.
No pudding will be withheld.
Thanks.

He’s only 6

😕

Can’t think where he gets it from 😉
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/easily-distracted-and-lacks-focus-1

You are asking people surfing STW during office hours about focus ? 🙂

Yes. 😆

fit him with blinkers and a shock collar?

Here’s a quarter. Go downtown and have a rat gnaw that thing off your face

He’s only 6

So he still wouldn’t have started school in some other European countries. My tip is that the school needs to get a grip.

Obviously he’s got childhood out of the way, and I’m sure he’ll look back at his formative years with fondness, it’s time for him to buckle down and sort out his carreer and make plans for his pension. I’d be hard on him and put a firm timetable into place and not allow the next activity to start until the previous has finished. Children of this age only undertand one thing.

I was going to say something but I noticed the advert over there.

Toppers Jnr sounds exactly like me at that age. And look how I turned out.

literally yesterday i received my lad, 13yrs, school report. said exactly that… and every report since pre-school has said the same.

good luck because we can’t think of a way to sort him out and its damn frustrating.

Toppers Jnr is exactly like Toppers snr. And he doesn’t know how to help him be a bit less like Toppers Snr.

Just nod and smile on parent’s evening, though obviously some lego, scalextric and a train set would be the usual prescription.

Following parents evening we need to start working on his focus because he is very easily distracted.

Bit young for a focus isn’t he? Maybe an Islabike would suit him better.

If it helps we got exactly the same feedback for our six year old boy.

six year old kids are easily distracted, if he’s anything like his dad he’ll be

hey, a plane!!

and another

He’s only 6

As others, I would not pay any attention to that sort of comment at that age. Nonsense and nothing to be concerned about.

And if he is getting distracted in school, then it is up to his teachers to remove the distractions….

Lack of Focus?

Sorted.

six year old kids are easily distracted, if he’s anything like his dad he’ll be

I know he’s only 6. I know it’s too young to worry. But that doesn’t stop me worrying. Cause I’m 41 and I have struggled with concentration and focus since forever. And I know it’s held me back from things. And I want better for him. So if I can get some tips to help then it’s worth asking. Because the schools ideas are **** stupid.

Focus is a pretty good option, the estate is inexplicably huge so it’s great for hauling bikes, though the cabin’s not as well laid out as it used to be. But he seems a wee bit young to be driving?

That exact phrase followed me through primary school in the mid 70’s until it was changed to ‘Lacks focus and coordination’ at High School.

I survived.

C.

You’re happy to accept the schools assessment but not their ideas for improvement?

he is very easily distracted.

They said the same about my middle lad.

I suggested the lessons were probably boring. Teech didn’t much care for me after that.

Because the schools ideas are **** stupid.

What do the school have in mind then?

Sitting him on his own behind a partition.

Toppers Snr sounds exactly like me at that age. And look how I turned out.

Easily Distracted and lacks focus.

Sounds like my 14yr old daughter!

My eldest is 8 and is the same. He was diagnosed as high functioning autistic when he was 4ish, so he’s/we’re lucky that the school have got extra measures in place for him, to the extent that he’s got his own desk in normal lessons.

I’m the same too (other than the diagnosis) and it’s just something I’ve had to live with. I’m crap at concentrating on one thing, if the school are that concerned and there’s no underlying reason for it then they’ll have to come up with a solution.

Do ‘normal’ kids get IEP’s? Maybe something to discuss at that time?

I think the best thing to do is… …wonder what the weather’s doing tomorrow? Might go out if it’s dry… Chicken Jalfreizy Tonight, I reckon. Sorry, lost my train of thought, what was the OP about?

I find my kids classrooms to be almost perfectly designed as a distracting environment. Every cm of wall space is filled with stuff, there are mobiles hanging from the ceiling and they even have screen savers running on the screens at the side of the room.

There is also a theory that the structure of childrens TV programming is less than helpful in this respect. Can’t remember the exact details but its related to the bitesized nature leading kids to have shorter attention spans.

I often like to play this to my eldest, it winds him up no end

I had the same conversation with my 7 year old last night. I asked him to put his pyjamas on, clean his teeth and clear a walkway through the lego to his bed so we didn’t stand on lego in the night.

He spent a good 10mins rolling round on the floor with his feet in the air and his pants on his head, playing with a technic lego battery thing he had made.

He’s smart, bright and (generally) a complete delight. Focus, though, is not a strength.

I’m told it’s normal. I didn’t believe it last night.

Wow. They say such things about 6 year olds?? Bloody twerps.
My kid was easily destracted (especially by the idiotic ones that made him laugh) (ie. his father) when he was a nipper. Now he’s in the top 10 acheivers in the school (unlike his father) (who can’t even spell achievers). (or distracted)

Another vote for

He’s only 6

There are more important things than focus at that age, mental health for example. At that age you want them to want to go to school and enjoy the environment and learning. If you give him focus related performance anxiety at 6 the guy is never going to be happy.

Good at English and maths but lacks focus on writing? Sounds to me like he’s not interested in what the teachers want him to write. Part of their job is to get the kids to engage. Tell them that.

I had similar with my son. He’s got an awesome concentration span if he’s doing something that interests him. But also lacked concentration on writing. His teachers changed what they were aging him to do and hadn’t had any issues since.

6 year old boys lacking focus is hardly cause for concern.

I know he’s only 6. I know it’s too young to worry. But that doesn’t stop me worrying. Cause I’m 41 and I have struggled with concentration and focus since forever.

I think steve-g nails it:

At that age you want them to want to go to school and enjoy the environment and learning.

As it goes, I have a 5-year old who loves reading and maths, but is less keen on writing. I’m not pushing it at all because she absolutely loves school, and the last thing I want to do is dent her enthusiasm.

My chihuahua has problems with focus. I sort it out with cocktail sausages, maybe get the teacher to try that.

How many kids with a short attention span does it take to change a lightbulb?

Let’s go and ride bikes!