Smartphones, tablets, laptops, game consoles, televisions. All of these digital devices make us more connected yet more distracted than ever. As any adult office worker can tell you, constant Internet access grants instant information but also makes it easy to lose focus on the task at hand and enter a digital rabbit hole.
It especially affects our children. With all of these opportunities for information and distraction, students aren’t fully developing their ability to concentrate and focus. That means more than just being easily distracted in class—it means that the neurons in their brains don’t learn to fire in a way that allows them to focus. If their brains don’t fully develop this function, it could affect their successes in life.
“This ability [to concentrate] is more important than IQ or the socioeconomic status of the family you grew up in for determining career success, financial success, and health,” psychologist and journalist Daniel Goleman said during an interview on KQED Radio.
Not only will children be unable to focus on their academics, they might not develop social and emotional skills needed to become well-developed adults. So how can you help your children focus in this digital age of distraction?
These are just five ways to silence the distractions and help your child focus. By teaching him or her these valuable skills, you are giving your child the tools to succeed in school and in life.