Attention

Some children struggle to pay attention because their brains get distracted by too many things at once. Sounds, lights, or even the feeling of their clothes can pull their focus away. Others may look calm and focused in class but still find it hard to listen or finish tasks because their minds wander. Children who have certain developmental delays may also show similar attention challenges.

This doesn’t mean they are careless or not interested — their brains just work differently. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 6.1 million children in the U.S., or roughly 1 out of every 10, have attention-related challenges. With support, patience, and practice, children can learn to focus better and make learning easier and more fun.

Signs of Inattentive Behavior in Children

Children may have trouble paying attention because their brains find it hard to plan, organize, or stay focused. This can make listening, finishing tasks, or remembering instructions difficult. Some children also get distracted by things they see, hear, or feel around them.

The skills that help us focus and get things done are called executive functions. These include starting tasks, making plans, setting goals, solving problems, controlling emotions, and checking how we’re doing. If a child has trouble with these skills, it can make schoolwork, friendships, and daily life harder. Understanding this can help parents and teachers support children in learning to focus better and manage tasks more easily. Parents and teachers can also help children communicate better by involving specialists such as speech-language pathologists. If a child has trouble with these skills, it can make schoolwork, friendships, and daily life harder. Understanding this can help parents and teachers support children in learning to focus better and manage tasks more easily.

Types Of Attention

There are various types of attention that kids can struggle with, each impacting function and independence in occupations of daily life for children in different ways. Mastering these types of attention are necessary for learning, safety, social skills, and function.

Sustained Attention

Holding attention over a period of time is necessary for the focus and concentration needed in learning,  listening during lectures, paying attention during conversations or instructions. Reading a book requires the ability to pay attention over a period of time without becoming distracted. As reading requirements become more advanced in the older grades, sustained attention is challenged by chapter books and reading comprehension.

Activities to Improve Sustained Attention-

• Word search- cross out all letter a’s, etc.
• Write out a list of words that start with a certain letter. Identify a certain number of words.
• Ordering information into alphabetical or numerical order
• Set a timer and complete a task or reading passage for a certain number of minutes

Selective Attention

By nature, we are able to select the input we pay attention to. Consciously, and unconsciously, we are able to select the input which is most important. This is visible by the student who listens to their teacher during a lesson while a lawn mower is running outside the classroom window. Anyone familiar with a classroom can imagine all of the stimuli which is thrown at a child at any given time: a fly on the window, the first snowflakes of the season falling outside, a flickering fluorescent light, a fellow classmate with a bad cough, a janitor cart passing by in the hallway, a student’s pencil that drops, a tapping of a shoe, a rumbling belly waiting for lunch…there is a lot going on which challenges selective attention! Having the ability to select from the many points of visual, auditory, interoceptive, tactile, stimuli in order to focus and attend to just one, is the brain’s ability to select and respond to just one factors that matter most.

Activities to Improve Selective Attention-

• Use visual cues
• Work on auditory skills
• Limit visual distractions
• Reduce background noise
• Position kids away from windows or hallways in the classroom
• The Focus Game

Alternating Attention

This type of attention refers to the ability to switch or immediately transfer focus from one activity to another. Switching points of concentration is needed to make sudden switches in alternating attention in tasks which require different cognitive skills. One example of this is cooking a meal and performing various tasks at once (boiling water, chopping carrots, and helping kids with homework is just one example. As a side note, it seems like teachers and parents excell in alternating attention 🙂 Alternating attention requires the ability to use the other attention types in tasks.

Activities to Improve Alternating Attention-

• Cooking with kids activities
• Musical chairs
• Eye Found It Game
• Animals restaurant
• Flip cards in a deck and perform actions based on the suit, color, or number
• Sort coins or colored items
• Practice performing a task that can easily become distractible such as going online to send an email…or shopping in Target 🙂
• The Sneaky, Snacky, Squirrel game

Divided Attention

Divided attention refers to one’s ability to focus on two or more things at the same time. Simultaneously concentrating on various factors is evidenced by driving and holding a conversation simultaneously. This ability to multi-task isn’t always an easy thing to manage. The ability to hold attention to various simultaneous point of concentration can require practice. A teen who is learning to drive will need the radio turned off and the only conversation in the car being verbal instructions from a parent or driving instructor. Only through practice does that new driver learn to concentrate on the road while the radio is playing.\

Complete Comparison of Attention Types in Children

Helping Hands at Listening Ears

Recently, Listening Ears hosted a Parent Interaction Workshop focused on understanding attention and behavior in children. The session guided parents on how to identify early signs of attention difficulties and introduced fun, easy home activities to improve focus and listening skills. The event encouraged open discussions, making it easier for families to share experiences and learn together.

Inside Our Practice

At Listening Ears, our Behavioral and Occupational Therapy team works closely with children who face challenges in maintaining focus and completing tasks. Through structured play, sensory-based techniques, and customized attention-building exercises, therapists help children strengthen their ability to concentrate while keeping learning enjoyable and stress-free.

Keep in Mind:

Some kids find it tricky to pay attention, and that’s okay! Every brain works a little differently. With the right help, practice, and fun activities, children can learn to focus, switch between tasks, and handle more than one thing at a time.

At Listening Ears, we help children learn how to pay attention, focus better, and enjoy learning every day. With small steps and the right support, every child can grow confident and successful in school and life!