Can You Do It?

When I talk about attention and focus, I often point out that as adults, we sometimes ask of children what is hard for us to do. The example I give is that when I go to a bank, I like to take note of how quickly people take out their phones when they get in the line, or what they do to fidget while waiting. It’s not much different from a child apart from the fact that the behaviours are generally more socially acceptable. Instead of running around or making noise, adults rock back and forth, shift bodyweight, use their phone, and some talk to others around them (ew!) Yet we then expect children to sit or stand completely still like statues and pay attention for extraordinary lengths of time. Children. Whose little brains are still developing and they have much less control and executive function skills.

I was reminded of this yesterday when I went to the cinema, and a mother (with her child on her lap) took out her phone at different times during the movie to check it. She wasn’t doing anything in particular that seemed urgent, but she would open the chat app, scroll through some messages, close it, then open a couple of other apps. It seemed as though she was restricted by the fact that she couldn’t listen to or watch videos, which was when she closed the apps and finally put away the phone. I found it interesting that she could not hold her attention to watch the movie, but her daughter seemed to be doing fine. (The daughter got a big fidgety at one point but she looked like she’s about seven years old so we will give her a pass!)

So today’s blog is more of an experiment. For how long can you focus on something, uninterrupted? Something you’re only mildly interested in, or not interested in at all? Try it and see! Can you read 20 pages of a slightly entertaining book without checking your phone? Can you write a report or do a work related task for 40 minutes without taking a break? How long can you go without checking your phone at all? For how long can you sit or stand without moving?

This is something I will try as well. Keep in mind that in general, we’re asking children to focus at school for 30-45 minutes for one class, multiple times per day. Particularly if it’s a class that doesn’t have manipulatives or multisensory learning, this can be a lot! Let’s see if we can get a better understanding of what their developing brains go through.

Who’s in?!