School Success

Research is now showing that engagement and persistence are among the various things that will determine school success. The more I think about it, I have to agree. A child will be much more likely to learn letters, if they can engage and persist in the task. A child will have a larger vocabulary, if they can be engaged in learning. So while alphabet knowledge is important, engagement and persistence comes first. Saying that is easy and possibly obvious to you, but how do we do it? How do we engage those children who cannot focus? How do we get those children who give up or switch tasks almost as soon as they begin, to persist?

I have come to believe that one way to help children learn to concentrate and focus is to provide them with routines. I believe that routines help children organize their minds and be less scattered in their thinking. Eliminating distractions can help too. Maybe not all the distractions because that is not the way the real world works, but major distractions. Turn off the TV when reading to children. Give children one thing to do at a time. Just because we adults are always trying to multitask, we shouldn't demand this of our children.

Teaching persistence will also help with engagement. When a child knows how to persist, he or she does not need to go on to something else when the task has some difficulty. Teach persistence through memory games, hidden picture searches, mazes, and recalling events of the day. Read to your child everyday, but as time goes on read longer and longer books. I know several 5 year olds, whose parents did this. These 5 year olds are happy to sit and listen to their parents read chapter books to them. Most importantly learn about the child and figure out how to encourage the child to continue, push them to keep trying by telling them you know they can do it. Don't be so quick to jump in and help. Help them handle minor upsets and go on. No I'm not suggesting you push children to do things they can't. We don't want them to fail, but keep in mind the old saying that success breeds success.

Sometimes one of the best things is to talk to children about the topic. Here are a few books to help start the conversation:

Tightrope Poppy and the High-Wire Pig by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen
Apple Batter byDeborah Turney Zagwyn
Pearl's New Skates by Holly Keller
Amandina by Sergio Ruzzier
I Am Really, Really Concentrating ( Charlie and Lola) by Lauren Child