„You can’t study on a full stomach“ and „In a sound body, you will find a sound mind“ – two sayings, which not only aptly say that concentration and mental capabilities cannot be viewed on their own, but are closely related to physical and mental states.
Your child’s ability to concentrate can be encouraged and improved by means of a whole range of factors – and quite naturally in the process:

• Make sure that your child gets enough sleep. For demanding days are best coped with well rested.
• Give your child breaks so that he/she can recharge his/her batteries. Children need quiet breaks now and again for just playing or daydreaming.
• Organise your child’s spare time in such a way that it balances out his/her day at school. Allow your child to let out his/her need to be active in the afternoon to make it easier for him/her to stay quiet at school and pay attention.
• Lay down specific times for watching TV or playing computer games and keep them to a minimum.
• New stimuli and incentives motivate your child and bring strength and energy.
• Make sure that your child eats healthily and gets enough exercise, especially outdoors.
• See that lighting conditions are favourable for working and playing – as much natural sunlight as possible.

Relieve stress with exercise – and clear the mind for better concentration

Exercise is an important escape from mental tasks: romping about often comes up short during sport at school and during breaks – that is why it is all the more important to make sure that your child can give in to his/her need to be active in his/her spare time. This even begins with the layout of your child’s bedroom: caves, mountains and lakes made from pillows or a tunnel to creep through will stimulate his/her imagination. Balls, cloths or a small trampoline all offer ways of exercising. Most important, however: make sure not to “cram” the room full of too many things and don’t put every single toy out to play with all at once – for this will spoil the novelty appeal.

Also encourage your child to exercise outdoors: this increases “happiness hormone” or serotonin levels, which, in turn, has a positive effect on learning ability. With a little creativity, you can also make walks and trips more exciting: for example, you can collect flowers or stones together with your child and use them to make things at home or you can think out some exciting destinations for a walking tour. You don’t always have to go walking during the day, however: twilight walks or a night hike are exciting alternatives.

The right type of sport – choose carefully and then persevere!

If your child is interested in a new type of sport, he/she should try it out first of all at least three times. After this, you should carefully decide together with your child whether he/she seriously wants to pursue it further: he/she should then persevere for at least half a year. Of course, he/she will experience motivational lows, but he/she will just have to get over them: learning to deal with defeats strengthens mental endurance.

More and more schools co-operate by means of local clubs or are open-minded about new ideas. Often, adults can get together: one or the other parent is perhaps active himself/herself or knows people who would join in in supervising a football, dance, tennis or swimming club.

Recognise fears, show understanding – and motivate your child

If it’s not going well at school, lots of children get scared about what their parents will say and how angry they will be. Subliminal comments and the fear of a „withdrawal of love“ undermine their motivation as do comparisons: that their brother managed it or that their dad did the same thing at school „blindfold“ increases frustration. At the same time, pressure mounts up with the next task or class test.

If there are problems at school, parents are instead needed to act as psychologists and motivators as it were: on the one hand, they need to recognise anxiety symptoms among their children and on the other, to tease some optimism out of them: „I always forget a lot of what I have learned“ is a typical reaction – then ask your child what he/she was able to remember and why it was easier for him/her to remember this in particular. For acknowledgement of what he/she has achieved is the best form of motivation.

Signs of stress – and indicators for parents that their child needs attention

• Crying
• Troubled sleep, nightmares
• Aggression, anger
• Fooling around in the classroom
• Retreating from class mates
• Lack of self confidence („I can’t do that“, „that’s too hard“)
• Concentration problems