Y1 DD, bright but can't hold concentration

[NaiceNickname]

Just had parents evening for DD. She is doing great, very bright girl according to her teacher, but she really struggles with concentration and is really slow at getting work done.

I've always known she has a problem holding concentration, and she has no sense of urgency whatsoever. Her teacher said that she struggles with actually completing work because it has taken her so long to actually start it that she's only getting a few words down or colouring a small amount in before it's time to move on, it's like she thinks too much before doing.

How on earth do I go about fixing this? I've spoken to her and told her that she needs to speed up or will get left behind but at 5 how can she really understand that.

Any tips on improving concentration levels? I can't do much about the speed thing if I am not there to hurry her along but I suspect that will fix itself with improved concentration.

Thanks for any help

[TeenAndTween]

Just throwing this in here for you to dismiss, as it probably isn't.

But.

Dyspraxics can be bright but not know how to get started on things if they are too open ended.

Once started can she concentrate and complete things if given time? Your op doesn't make that very clear. So is it concentrating and getting started, or just actually getting going in the first place.

[hippo123]

My ds is in year 3 now and has always been like this. Day dreams and fidgets as well yet is quite bright. Like his teacher said if the rest of the class has done 10 sums he's done 2. They have now recommended he gets put on the sen register so an educational psychologists and speech and language therapist can assess him (for understanding). Apd and add have been mentioned for my ds. Your dd is much younger though, hopefully she will mature in time. In the meantime have you had her hearing and vision checked? Cod liver oil makes a difference in my ds as well.

[NaiceNickname]

Sorry the OP wasn't very clear was it! She has no issues with understanding, or getting started with the work, she just loses interest quite quickly. If she has homework I'm conscious of her getting restless and she will usually say "I'm bored" when she's just over half way through but because I know how to focus her we can muddle through, but I appreciate her teachers don't have the time to sit there encouraging her constantly. Strange thing is she actually loves to learn, she is very inquisitive and has a great imagination and is wise beyond her years, she just doesn't seem to enjoy the practical side of learning, the sitting down and putting pen to paper. Unless she is writing her Christmas list, no issues concentrating there

Her ears and vision are great, doesn't take after me in that

Suppose I'll just have to see if it's something she grows out of and take it from there. My gut feeling is that it's nothing more than her just being a restless 5 year old, but I'll keep an eye on it and keep communicating with her teachers. Thanks for your input

[ReallyTired]

"How on earth do I go about fixing this? I've spoken to her and told her that she needs to speed up or will get left behind but at 5 how can she really understand that."

I think that five years old is a little young to say that she will get left behind. She is barely out of reception and ablity groups are far more fluid at this stage. Age makes a massive difference in year 1. Summerborn children find it harder to concentrate than older children.

I am wondering if your daughter is finding the task of writing for a prolonged period tough. Maybe she would benefit from a pencil grip. The issue may well be sheer tireness rather than concentration.

[Doublethecuddles]

Have you tried sitting down with her and doing things like jigsaw puzzles, to improve her concentration. Following lego instructions is another good one for concentration, she will be old enough now for Lego friends. Board games, when she is aware others are waiting there turn.
My DS didn't like drawing and writing when he started school, he had. O interest in it, but the term after Christmas was saw an improvement.
Remember she is very little, and schools seem to put a lot of pressure on young children. In Europe they don't start formal education until they are 6/7!

[Ferguson]

I was a TA / helper in primary schools for over twenty years. Now retired, and not very involved other than via MN, it does seem to me ever increasing amounts of effort and understanding is being expected of young children. It is, after all, only a couple of years since she learned to TALK!

Try not to focus too much on what she 'doesn't do, but celebrate all the amazing things she has already learnt TO DO!

Yes, Lego, jigsaws, board games - if she ENJOYS them - should help.

But, I wonder if she is just so clever that there is a great deal going on in her mind and imagination, which are important to her, that the things teachers and society expect from her are getting side-tracked.

So be patient, involve her in all the right things, and I am sure in the long run she will go on to do really well.