increasing the attention/concentration span

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dpmother

Registered User
hello mommies !!

any ideas on increasing the attention/concentration span of a 18 month old...

my lo loves books & can read them for 20-25 mins in one go...but its not same with toys...tho v've tried various types of toys...blocks, simple puzzels, balls etc...

Attention span is not just for toys.. its also for, when we sit with her to sing a nursery rhyme or tell a story or play some game.

Also when we take her out ?say to a park, she always wants to do her own thing ? at times which may be harmful to her (like for example walk on to the street). Its tough to make her listen to our instructions. Perhaps its quite normal, but we would like her to be more attentive without us raising our volume each time.

any feedback on the same will be much appreciated !
 
she is being an 18month old, testing her boundaries and learning what life is like.... all you can do is continue to guide her and teach her.
 
just need to be patient and firm with her....there is no need to raise your voice as she is only being a normal kid and not misbehaving. when my daughters want to walk by themself, i.e. not hold my hand when walking on the street, i tell them in a firm voice, there are a lot of cars and you must hold my hand if you want to go to the park. it normally works. if she insists of walking alone, then i will give her the choice of holding my helpers hand instead, if she refuses (which she hasn't) then we would seriously head home. it's all in a firm commanding voice, not raising it high or shouting. we give our children choices - but normally both things are what WE want her to do rather than what she wants e.g. if she wants to watch TV, i will say you can either read a book or play with your sister.

slowly but surely - patience and consistency are the key. :)
 
yes, guided choices:

1) getting dressed is not an option, but you can choose the red or the pink shirt
2) brushing/combing your hair is not an option, but you can choose a ponytail or braids
3) brushing teeth is not an option, but you can choose the pink or purple toothbrush
4) eating vegetable is not a choice, but you can choose 10 peas or 6 carrots
 
Children usually have an attention span of 3minutes per year of life for adult lead activities. The can concentrate much longer if it is an activity they choose themselves. Therefore to help increase attention span, encourage self-led, safe activities. Children have many developmental millstones to reach in the early years & that journey is unique for each child. Observe your child & she will guide you in what she is currently interested in. It is an evolving process and next week or month it will be a new area of interest. The toys she has no interest in today, maybe her favorite in a week or month time. Good luck & enjoy the journey.
 
My daughter is 20 months old and at times has an attention span of 20 seconds ;) When she's really interested in something, she can play it for longer stretches of time (20 min or so) - but she doesn't (and I don't think she SHOULD) have the self control to sit down and do something which frankly she's just not interested in. That skill comes a whole lot later.
 
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