How Do I Teach a Child-led Curriculum: Attention Spans of Children

By -



This week I am posting a 5-day series on a subject that is close to my heart: How Do I Teach a Child-led Curriculum?

Today, I am talking about attention spans of children.  Here is the rest of the schedule:

Tuesday: Attention Spans of Children

Since this is a preschool blog, I will be discussing the entire subject with a focus on young children, but the principles can also be applied to older children (who can often have even more input in planning their schedules).

Attention Spans of Children


Your children's attention span is one of the most important things to be aware of and monitoring as you teach!  Whether you use child-led techniques, or not, children will misbehave if you expect them to focus longer than they are able.

How long should a child be able to focus?  Different experts have different opinions about what you can expect:  some think children should be able to focus on a task for up to five minutes for every year old that they are (so that would be 25 minutes for a five-year old) while others say to expect one minute plus an additional minute for each year (giving the five-year old a six-minute attention span).  I have found this rule most helpful in planning: expect a need for change after a child focuses on a task for one minute for each year of their age.  This does not mean that your five-year old can only do math for five minutes, but it does mean that you should not expect a five-year old to do a math worksheet or the same type of manipulative for more than five minutes straight.

The beautiful thing about child-led learning is that most children can focus much longer when they are doing something they are interested in.  They get excited about what they are learning and want more!

Choice Theory, Attention Spans, & Behavior


I love the Choice Theory concept by William Glasser (a psychiatrist)  because I think it explains why you can "do" more school (and your children can learn more) when they choose the subjects.

According to choice theory, humans have five basic needs: survival, love & belonging, power, freedom, and fun.  Our behavior is driven be the desire to meet those needs.

How does this apply to school?  When having fun becomes a higher priority than a school lesson, the school lesson can can no longer hold the child's attention, and the child will behave in such a way that will meet the need for fun.  When the child chooses the lesson, though, the subject is more fun, the child has exercised power and freedom, and the child experiences love & belonging from the teacher or parent.  Simply by using child-led teaching, school meets more of the child's needs, and the child is able to focus longer and enjoy school more!

Take Home Message


Does your child misbehave during school time?  If not, wonderful!!  If so, why?  Are there any of Glasser's basic needs that are not being met?  If so, would using a child-led curriculum help?  If so, give it a try!


How do you feel about Glasser's ideas?  Could they improve your child's attention span?


How Do I Teach … 5 Day Blog Series is brought to you by the following blogs:
Enchanted Homeschooling Mom ~ Homeschool Gameschool ~ Are We There Yet? ~ Life with Moore Babies ~ No Doubt Learning ~ Mrs. Redd’s Classroom Blog ~ Proverbial Homemaker ~ My Joy Filled Life ~ Preschool Powol Packets ~ Adventures in Mommydom ~ Vicki Arnold ~ Only Passionate Curiosity ~ Living Life and Learning ~ Farm Fresh Adventures ~ 3 Dinosaurs

Disclaimer: These posts are based on my personal and professional experiences.  What works well for our family may or may not work best for yours!



I may share at any of these parties!

Comments

Unknown said…
Hello I found your page looking for fun stuff for the grandchildren,I like your teaching idea's , my oldest granddaughter just started preschool and her best friend has some problems behaving , but I know him he needs to by really intrested in the subject and he will listen and engage , I think if he felt he had some control he would do much better .

October 20, 2013 at 12:59 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Science Experiment: Elephant Toothpaste

By -
Image
Update: "Elephant toothpaste" is a science experiment that I used to do with my high school students.  It is a strong multi-sensory demonstration that goes great with a lot of chemistry concepts. It is also very popular with preschoolers and homeschoolers!  The internet loves it too! It has now been read by more than 3.9 million people! This was the post that started the trend on science activity sites across the internet and "irl!"  Thank you for being here...I hope you enjoy it as well!  💕  This exciting science experiment works great in a discussion on reactions, as a demonstration, or as an actual experiment. We've also done seasonal twists with "elephant toothpaste" like making it in a pumpkin and using it for " reindeer toothpaste !" To use it as a science project, perform it once with your child, then ask your child what might happen if you changed the amounts or left out an ingredient.  Any time you experiment...
Read more

Kind Words Sensory Lesson Friendship Activity

By -
Image
This sensory lesson includes a kindness activity for kids that is short and sweet,  and makes teaching kindness a beautiful thing! Learning to use kind words with our friends is one friendship lesson that I think we can never cover enough...kids always need reminding (sometimes adults do too)!  You will need these simple supplies for the kindness activity: cotton balls, course sandpaper, cup, Should I Share My Ice-Cream by Mo Willems Directly teaching good friendship skills, like using kind words, serves two purposes: 1- You can refer to the lesson when someone forgets or needs reminding, and 2- These skills are not intuitive for all preschoolers. This is a perfect age to bring empathy and kindness to their attention and help them cultivate these skills! You can use this lesson plan exactly as I did it with our kiddos, or adapt it to fit your group! 1- Read  Should I Share My Ice-Cream  by Mo Willems.   {Image below is an Amazon Affi...
Read more

Crazy Cool Giraffe Science Experiment

By -
Image
Do you know what color giraffe skin is? Today we're using a capillary action science experiment to make our own giraffe skins in this fun giraffe science experiment project! (Read on...I'll tell you the color in a moment! AND I have a few more fun giraffe facts at the end! Anyway, go on and make a guess before you see the answer!) Fun Spot  Giraffe  Fact:  There are four different giraffe species:  the Masai Giraffe, the Rothschild Giraffe, the Somali Giraffe, and the Nigerian Giraffe.  Each has its own unique spot pattern.  Even more unique, every single individual giraffe has a different spot design.  Just like fingerprints on people and stripes on a zebra, spots on a giraffe are unique in every individual! Giraffe skin is mostly grey. (Were you right?) It's also really tough and thick.  The coat is a shade of tan with brown spots or patches.  Male giraffes actually get darker as they get older! To make our "giraffe ...
Read more