This happened a few months back. A neighbour reached out to me asking if I could tutor her son for a few days since the exams were fast approaching and he refused to study. It’s more like an academic babysitting profile.
I agreed, not having much of a choice. And what unfolded over the next few days was what I had seen earlier too in the classrooms.
He was distracted, would lose interest even before the lesson began, his attention was everywhere except where it was supposed to be.
The mother, like everyone, had assumed it was the lack of discipline and focus. I knew better.
After years teaching primary grades, I had learnt that it wasn’t the lack of focus but of an anchor, an objective, something meaningful to relate to, which made the children distracted and unfocused.
Attention Needs Something to Hold On To
You can’t simply ask a child to sit still and focus on something. That’s not how attention works.
But then again how many times have you seen them totally enraptured by something they are doing? Like making a Lego structure or playing with their toy cars or solving a puzzle.
Isn’t that concentration in progress? Children experience this constantly.
If they’ve to focus on something they find meaningless, or feel overwhelmed or disconnected, then their mind naturally drifts. Without understanding where to head or settle.
In the absence of a clear anchor, their brains are trying to process the enormous amounts of information coming their way.
They keep shifting from one thing to another, searching for something meaningful, or even important, to focus on.
It may look like poor concentration or lack of focus. What it actually is, is uncertainty or a lack of direction. They don’t know where to pay attention.
Focus Follows Engagement
Focus as a skill has to be developed, practiced. It’s not something you can expect a child to master from day one in class. Especially when learning feels disconnected from their interests or experiences.
Children are bursting with curiosity. They have endless questions and interests. The world fascinates them.
To ask someone with that mindset to sit calmly and pay attention to what’s being taught is asking for the impossible.
The same child who struggled to focus on one task can easily spend hours building something, reading about a favourite topic, solving a puzzle, or even master a game.
The secret is interest. Because they’re interested in something, they’re able to focus. They’ve found their anchor.
When children find an emotional connection or curiosity or challenge in an activity, they find it easier to pay attention.
The same boy, the one I was tutoring, who refused to do mapwork is now spending hours devouring the atlas because the subject suddenly became interesting. It was the first time he’d ever seen an atlas and now he’s exploring the world through those pages.
Creating Anchors Instead of Demanding Attention
This puts the onus on the parents and teachers. If the child is not able to focus or concentrate, then you need to create conditions that support it.
Try to create different types of anchors. Predictable routines for one can be a good starting point.
Hands-on learning, encouraging curiosity, meaningful conversations, and maybe even a calm environment can create anchors.
You can’t force a child to pay attention but you can guide them to discover what deserves it.
Because once something catches their attention, you don’t have to worry about focus. It’ll follow effortlessly.
Focus on Finding the Right Anchors
So the next time you see a child distracted, try to see from their perspective. Not ‘what’ but ‘why’ are they not getting interested in something.
You’ll find the answer easily, staring right at you.
Don’t label such distracted children as having discipline problem. There’s no problem at all other than the absence of an anchor.
Find that and they’ll surprise you with their concentration and focus.
When the anchor is right, focus will follow naturally.
