| raging a young child to participate in an educational | | | | weight. Set a specific time to sit down and work or |
| activity can be very difficult. Some children, especially | | | | play with your child, be it once a day or once a |
| those with learning delays can have a hard time | | | | week. Although it does not have to be at the same |
| staying focused on one specific task for even | | | | exact time each day, it is recommended to be at the |
| several minutes. There will always be something to | | | | same interval of the day, such as after breakfast or |
| catch their attention and divert their focus. This can | | | | before bath time. |
| be very frustrating for parents that want to work | | | | Another good tip is to minimize the number or items |
| with their children on developing their learning skills. | | | | on the table at any given time. If the activity includes |
| Parents and caretakers often feel that they must | | | | several steps, introduces the items used in those |
| settle for a minute or two of their child's attention | | | | steps only when needed. For example, when drawing |
| that they are able to capture. While every minute of | | | | a picture, first introduce the crayons, and then the |
| learning does benefit a child to some degree, nothing | | | | stamps and then the glitter at the end. The items |
| compares to sitting with a child and completing an | | | | not being used should be out of sight (on the floor). |
| activity from start to finish. While this may seem like | | | | This helps children focus on the task at hand and |
| an impossible task for some parents, there are ways | | | | keeps them excited about what's coming next. |
| for parents to improve their chances of keeping their | | | | It also helps to minimize the number of possible |
| children interested. | | | | distractions. If you’re in the family room, |
| One important tip is to create structure for the play | | | | make sure the television is off. It also helps if the |
| session. Most children thrive in structured | | | | room is relatively clean and free of clutter although |
| environments that force them to focus on one thing | | | | this is understandably very often unrealistic. |
| at a time. The more structure, the less room there is | | | | The last tip is to stay focused yourself. If you are |
| for distractions. The best method of accomplishing | | | | interrupted by phone calls or other responsibilities you |
| this is by setting a specific location and seating | | | | are likely to lose the child's interest. |
| arrangement for your play sessions. Invest in a | | | | These ideas should prove to be useful and produce |
| child-size table and chair set and place in a particular | | | | positive results, but always keep in mind that some |
| area of your home. It pays to spend more an | | | | children are just very excited by the presence of |
| purchase a wooden set, since they tend to last much | | | | parents and loved ones and may not work well with |
| longer and are more likely to support an adult's | | | | them because of no fault of their own. |