How do you interest a 6 year old with a 10 sec attn span!

[Howstricks]

My ds is fab. He is smiley, fun and a bit shy. I would love him to have a bit more confidence and at school he is with some very high achievers and due to an unfortunate ex teacher..problem now resolved!!!.. he feels he isn't quite 'up there' with them.(had a real confidence knock). Of course he is and of course all children have diff talents but I want to give him a boost. What can i do to help him learn a bit? I have the whole summer hols coming up and i would love some tricks to boost his self belief and keep him up to speed with where a 6 yr old nearly yr 2 should be at...but..heres the hard bit..it needs to be fun, energetic and really interesting!!! Any suggestions..at home or out for the day are really welcome. Thankyou.

Listen to him. Answer his questions. Say "yes" as often as humanly possible when he suggests an activity. Go to fun places, like the park or the supermarket (he can make the list and be in charge for the whole expedition)

And back off the academics. Really.

and, ps, if he has a 10 second attention span, that is because whatever is being foisted on him is really boring. Watch him doing something he truly loves to do. 10 second attention span? No, thought not. Build on the things he loves - give him more opportunities to do them!

The best confidence boost for your son will come from doing things he enjoys, and from having a bit of a break from being compared with others in the way that children are constantly compared at school. When looking out for things for your son to try, don't think at all about whether they have "educational value", whether they appear worthy. Focus entirely on his happiness and engagement. He will show you what he loves. If you have some examples of things which really excite him, you could post on one of the Mumsnet boards or ask your friends locally about what similar things he might like.

I agree with ommmward, mostly. However, I do have a 7yo with a very short attention span even for things she enjoys. So I would say that although the inability to concentrate on something for long is very often an indication that the child is being pushed too hard in the wrong direction or in the wrong way, for some children it's just how the child is. I expect that you as a parent know whether your child has a naturally short attention span or whether he simply isn't engaged with the particular tasks which other people are making him do. Does he spend ages doing the things which he likes, or does he always flit from one thing to another?

I have found that my daughter is quite capable of learning; it just doesn't look like school-style learning. Her behaviour in a museum is a good example. I admit it frustrates me that she whizzes happily round at speed, showing an interest in many things, asking questions and not stopping to listen to the answer, pulling me into the next room before I've had a chance to look at an exhibit properly. Nevertheless, she does take things in. After a few visits to the same museum, it's clear that she has remembered what she saw last time and that she is building on her previous visits, noticing new things about an exhibit each time she sees it, exploring ideas from various angles.

Likewise, we don't tend to have proper conversations about a topic. Instead, we have lots of mini-conversations. But the same themes often crop up repeatedly over the course of weeks and months, and I can see her undrestanding evolve. In educational terms she may be unable to digest a three-course meal, but she can still thrive on a diet of frequent healthy small snacks. There's nothing nutritionally superior about eating several substantial meals a day, it just happens to be what is fashionable in our society at the moment. If you are able to leave this expectation behind and focus instead on what is right for the individual, the child's self-esteem doesn't have to suffer.

Try the old games - the reason they are old games (around for many years) is because they are fun and educational and they work. They are also free, can be done in virtually any situation and can be adjusted to suit any starting level. To us they may sound a bit mundane or boring, but we have done our childhood and know these games inside out. Our children are just discovering these games or tricks.

Play:

I SPY - this teaches children to take turns, to listen to others, to keep trying, to recognise LETTER SOUNDS, improves memory (which words have been said), to tolerate failure, improves vocabulary....

SIMON SAYS - this teaches listening, attention span, turn taking, it can be very physical or musical or whatever skill you like could be concentrated upon in the instructions

MEMORY GAME - [memorise all the items on a table, cover them up and remove one, what is missing? This can be done on the move by using a bag, tip out everything except one item and guess what is missing] this teaches concentration and memory

SNAKES AND LADDERS (0r other board games)- this teaches turn taking, adding (and if you count how many squares you went down the snake, you can also do subtracting), persistence....

All of these can be done outdoors. The first three can be played for just a few minutes at a time and are infact much better that way as little and often, produces better learning. For example you are at a playground and the little chap comes over to you after wearing himself out. You play Simon Says and give just 4 instructions to do before he's 'out'. So it is his turn to be Simon and you do the instructions (which are probably the sames ones you've just given him, so remember to vary your own instructions each time you play). He loses interest and goes off to do the slide. On the walk back to the car you play I SPY and have just 2turns each.

Don't expect him to spend 20 mins on something when it is a game of your choosing. But do join him in his games for 20 mins a day, follow his lead, let him dictate what you both do during this quality time. It may be he is digging at a crack in the mud in the garden. Go sit beside him and do it too. If he moves off to push a bike around, pretend you have a bike, mimic him and follow him, if he strikes up a conversation just chat about the stuff he is talking about. Dont bring up why he left the toilet seat up again or what you had planned for next weekend, this is his time and you talk about the here and now and what you are both currently doing. "You are digging that hole. It's getting really big. I bet you could fit a whole dinosaur in there"

Wow..what fabulous replies and some advice to ponder. I am quite excited about the summer holidays..I so want him to go back happy and ready to take on the world and if digging in the mud is the key, so be it.

Definitely stick to fun things and not anything formally academic. Try baking with him or put him in charge of planning something enjoyable.