DS Easily distracted & lacks concentration - Any advice?

[LondonSuperTrooper]

My son is in Year 3 and is a bright boy. He’s doing well in class but I’m getting the constant feedback that he is easily distracted and lacks concentration. I’m at my wits end as his teachers feel that he is/may miss out if he doesn’t knuckle down.

Is there anything that I could do to help him improve his concentration and to not get distracted so easily? His teacher complains about his behaviour but has offered no advice on how to improve it. Do you think that this is a phase and he’ll grow out of it?

TIA

things you could consider:

Ask where he sits in class.
Is he sitting near the front and facing the front?
Or near the back facing sidewise looking directly at another child who may distract him?

Is the work challenging enough, or is it too easy so he finishes early and mucks around? Can he be given extra points for asking for extra?

Is the work actually too hard, so he mucks about as an excuse for not doing it?

Is the distraction better or worse in particular lessons / times of the day?

What is he like at home?

I could write the same post op. Ds, also year 3, is bright enough but with zero concentration. The school always pull me up over it and I just want to scream, yes I know, I have to live with it!!! He's always been the same.
Teen makes some good points. Ds now sits by himself at the front of the class but I feel this is kind of isolating him from his peers. Have you had his eyes / hearing tested?
I'm at my wits end as to what to do with it. However I can see that being in a class of 30 kids is distracting. I can only work (essay style) in silence in a libary etc myself. Yet his class of 30 isn't going to change so I guess he needs to develop techinques to cope with it. My ds concentrates better if he has headphones playing music on. I don't think this would be allowed at school though.
I hope you find a solution, let me know if you do!

When is he being distracted? When teacher is speaking to the class, or when they're supposed to be getting on with work on their own or in groups? How is his concentration at home e.g. homework or favourite hobbies?

Maybe the next time the teacher gives you that feedback you could turn the question back, ask what they're doing about it and what you can do to help.

Hi London I feel abit foolish to add this to all the other great advice you've got from pp but does your DS have access to one of those foot wibble wobbly things (sorry don't know its proper name)? They have them at my DS school - they look like a little traffic cone that sits ontop of something that when your child puts their feet on it it wibbles and wobbles about and they have this under their desk. I've spoken to a couple of teachers at DS school and they say they help children who have trouble concentrating due to fidgeting.

My DS is like this (Yr2) he's improved much since Yr1, personally I think he's matured within a year and the fact that his teacher this year is really great (I can't stress how much DS likes her and she's very fond of him and is an excellent teacher with all the class) with him and knows how to get through to him iykwim?

Do you get the feeling that his teacher is getting through to him or seems to despair of him (DS teacher was like this last year)?

I get this op, my son is year 2 and I've been getting this kind of feedback from his teachers since reception. I have no problems whatsoever with him at home but I think that's because he's not sitting with a class of thirty six year olds.

I've got first parents evening next week and I'm dreading it coming up again but I'm going with my hard hat on and will ask what the school suggest as a way of sorting the problem out and I will do whatever I can to help them. I can't see what else I can do as I'm not in the classroom with him.

Like an earlier poster said turn it round on the school and ask them what plan they intend to implement in order to bring about an improvement, obviously stressing you will assist in any way you can to help.

My son is a slow learner and is on the SEN register but I am very happy with his progress even though it may not meet the national average in every subject.

Thanks for the great advice. He sits at different tables for different lessons as his school streams classes. He sits on a table with 6-7 other children.

I haven't asked of when he loses concentration- will definitely ask this.

Fab advice on asking the teacher what strategies she's using to help improve his concentration - thank you! Stupidly it hasn't occurred to me that they should be helping him as I've been feeling that it's somehow my fault/ problem that he gets distracted so easily.

His attention levels are a bit of a hit & miss at home. Usually depends on whether he's feeling tired or not. Also, he can only do his homework if someone is standing over him otherwise it'll take forever to get done as he's always toying with pens, pencils etc.

Many thanks for all if your super advice, I really appreciate it.

He sounds just like my ds1. He's in year 4 now and we still get the feedback he is easily distracted - its simply part of who he is. He is less distractable in smaller groups/classes. But he is getting much better at being a self starter and doing his homework by himself at home nowadays and seems to be developing his own coping techniques to zone things out

Also his attention is dire in the afternoon if he doesn't eat his lunch so I've asked school to ensure he eats

I had this feedback last year with my ds. as it was the last term I told my ds if he tried really hard to concentrate he would get a good school report and if he did he could choose a present that he really wanted. don't normally like to use bribery but there is not much you can do when you are not actually in the classroom to make sure they are doing what they should be.

Does.your ds do the recommended hours exercise each day ? preferably in the fresh air ?At home playing board games such as monopoly and chess (which need sususainted concentration rather than snakes and ladders ) can help. Limit screen time particularly cartoons which move quickly and don't need such concentration.

Y3 DS is easily distracted and fiddles. His work and behaviour are good, but he needs to get started faster.

I only have girls so this may be different for boys but we tried doing things that require calm/ patience.

Photography of nature: DD2 (who's a little fidget) loves squirrels, birds, etc... so we encouraged her to take photographs of them. This required being quiet. Being patient. Being alert.

We also take both DD1 and DD2 out on nature walks and have taught them that if they're quiet they'll see things - a young deer, a badger, a field mouse, beetles, catapillars, butterflies, etc...

You can do a lot of nature observation just in your own garden. Encourage your DS to watch what ants or bees are doing. What plants are the bees attracted to - let me know so I can plant more? Where are the ants - we have a problem and I need to know where their nest is? Kind of tasks.

Gatekeeper butterflies - late summer thing: www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/species.php?species=tithonus - are very territorial - so if you have some of these watch them defend their patch.

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My brother (who is a primary teacher) also swears by reducing intake of fizzy drinks and sugary foods. and believes in a healthy breakfast - oatmeal/ yogurt, fruit & granola/ eggs/ etc...