Question:

How do you get a 9 year old child to remain interested and not get easily distracted while doing class work?

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While sitting in class during lessons, my child is easily distracted by anything else that is happening around him. His writing has gotten worse and he is always in a hurry to complete his work, leading to mistakes.

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  1. talk to the teacher, eliminate refined sugars & caffeine from his diet, have him examined by the pediatrician for a physical cause, hold him accountable for his behavior, and spend more time talking with him -not at him.


  2. If you're child is a big video game guy (My two couldn't imagine life without them!!), you need to be careful how much, how often & the kinds of games he's playing.

    Video games are so fast paced, there's so much going on,  it takes SOOO much focus & thought to play... it's a LOT of stimulation.

    Once the child is away from the game their brain keeps searching for that stimulation.... & lets face it fractions just don't quite do the same thing...

    Good luck :)

  3. Ritilan

  4. Ask him what he thinks he needs to concentrate and get his teacher involved. The three of you can brainstorm and come up with ideas. If he is involved in the decision process, he may be more apt to do what is decided.

    My 12 year old had the same problems in elementary school. He and I had a meeting with his teacher and my son had some input on what we would do to help him. It worked and he does much better in school now.

    What helped my son was sitting close to the teacher, away from the window, and having a place he could go (in his case another classroom) if he was still having trouble concentrating. His teacher would also check on him when the kids were working at their desk to make sure he was working.

  5. A child who is 'easily distracted' is also easily stimulated. To focus his attention in an appropriate direction, he needs to become more interested in the task at hand than in anything else. If your child can become engrossed in a video game, then he can become engrossed in class work also.

    Ask his teacher for his learning assesment evaluation that he took upon entering school. If he is a tactile learner, as I suspect, he needs hands-on activities. Pattern blocks, fraction circles, flash cards, anything that he can manipulate will keep him focused; unfortunately, this activity requires interaction with a teacher or para-pro.

    The suggestion to limit processed sugar is a good one. Caffeine actually can have a calming influence on kids this age (Ritalin is actually a stimulant).  Try diet Dr Pepper or Diet Coke on a weekend and see how he reacts.

    Above all, show the teacher that you are willing to work with her. Defensive, frustrated parents are of no benefit to their kids.

  6. We went through this recently with our 9 year old too.

    Instead of assuming its some sort of chemical imbalance or hyper/activity, look at seeing if maybe he's just bored. Have him tested for the gifted program at your school. My son told me he didn't like to do his class work because he "knew it already" !!! Turns out he was just really bored with the assignments.

    Now we've got him doing some advanced work while still being in the same class. What a difference its made! He feels proud to show us his work now and take the time to do it correctly.

    Good luck!

  7. get him a more interesting teacher with more interesting material.

  8. hmm good question i don't know.

  9. There are many things that could be wrong, first a 9 year old has the attention span of a knat, a teacher is constantly having to keep them stimulated, so it could be a boring teacher, or maybe he needs glasses, or can not hear the assignments, or has trouble understanding. If he needs glasses he may be embarassed to tell anyone.

    Also, you might take him to the doctor and have him tested to see if he has an attenion disorder, it is so common now days.

    On your end, I would really watch his diet, cut sugar as much as possible, make sure he gets nutrious meals, gets to bed at a good time. Make sure his room and surroundings are neat and inviting to read, do homework and sleep. No tv while going to sleep or radios, it can make a difference. Read a book on how surroundings can make a difference in ones moods, mind receptivness, Feng Shui.

  10. Since you can't be there during class time, try teaching him concentration skills at the home. Make learning a game. For example, tell him if his handwriting improves, he'll get a treat or a day out with mom.

  11. I have the same problem with my daughter. When I have her do work she already knows she will not be playing or going outside until I check it and have her correct her mistakes. Make sure the TV is off! At first be tough and have him correct the smallest mistake and when he sees that redoing it takes longer the second time, he will learn to do it right the first time. Good Luck!

    BTW.. He will get mad and think you are unfair, but you are not his friend but his mother and you are tough for his best interest

  12. Sounds familiar.  My 11yo son has been this way since kindergarten.  He's very hyper and easily distracted.  I let the teacher know at the beginning of every year of how he has trouble sitting in his seat and if she has any papers that need to be handed out or pencils sharpened to please let him do it.  The trouble with my son is he doesn't have enough to do in class so he gets bored.  When he's done with his assignment I tell the teacher to give him something else to do.

    I wanted to add that I keep him active in sports as well.  That seems to help him get rid of some of that pent up energy.

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