Activities To Help Kids Focus – Do They Work – Yes They Do

Hello friends, welcome back to Azy Reading Journey website. As mentioned in the last post, Azy was off to a slow start and was still on the first DVD for Lesson 1. We are using the suggested weekly viewing schedule of the reading program. He is still on the same DVD, and that’s ok. He will be there for a while because we need to find some ways to help him stay focus while he is learning. Do you know of any activities to help kids focus?

Activities To Encourage Focus

I am aware of some activities that might help with improving his focus and I mentioned some before. Now we need to make a list and start putting things into place. I believe that the following are important:

1. A reading schedule
2. A steady routine
3. A designated area
4. A distraction free atmosphere
5. Reading time frame

A Reading Schedule

I believe a reading schedule is very important because you would know exactly what to do and not have to be concerned about creating one. If there is a schedule to follow, using it will make teaching and learning easier. Eventually, it will make the reading process go smoother. However, there might be times when you might need to make some adjustments to the schedule to fit into an area of interest.

For example, if the reading program is being used to help older kids who may need help in a particular area. In this situation, the older kids might not need the alphabet, but they might need the flashcards, phonics books and some of the printable worksheets.

A Steady Routine

When Azy is at daycare he is required to listen to his teachers, sit and participate in the activities that are being presented. He has a steady routine there; he eats at certain time and takes nap at a certain. Now we have to gently guide him into a steady reading routine at home to help him settle down. We have to try to start teaching him at the same time every day.

As time goes by, he will become aware that at this time I should be on the computer doing my lessons. Once a steady routine is in place, we have to do our best to stick to it. There might be times when we are not at home at the time we should be teaching him. However, we can do it after we get home or continue as normal the next day. A missed day should not disrupt the routine too much.

A Designated Area

At this time, Azy is sitting at the dining table. He will be getting his table and chair later on. He is comfortable where he is now, or maybe he is too comfortable because he wants to lay down on the chair or on your lap. His chair will be small, so he will have to sit.

After Azy watched the DVD for a while he wanted to go on the carpet to do the flashcards and the phonics book. He wanted to lay the cards out and then take them up. We are allowing him to do so now but as we continue working on the activities to help kids focus, he will be sitting at the table to complete the lessons.

A Distraction Free Atmosphere

I believe that this is a must have. There is usually no noise when we are teaching Azy because the DVD is playing so it would be chaotic to have other noise going on at the same time. However, even thought the place is quiet and only the DVD is playing, at times, Azy is looking around while following along with DVD.

The reading program was purchased almost a month ago, but we are now looking to set things up to get Azy rolling. He has been listening to the same DVD for some time. In addition, he is accustomed to repeating the alphabet at daycare. So, it is easy for him to follow along. In sitting with Azy, I noticed that he needs help to identify the letters.

Reading Time Frame

Azy is still in the playing mood and his attention span is very short right now. However, he did make some progress, yaay. The first two days he watched the DVD for 10 minutes and then started to get restless, so we ended the lesson. On the third day he watched the DVD for 15 minutes because he wanted to use the phonics book. So, he catching on, and will continue to move along nicely.

He is also going along with the phonics part of the DVD when the rhyming words are being said. He likes “Zat the Bat, and he goes on further with the sentences. Azy is making up his own melody and dancing when he is doing the lessons, so I take that as a sign that he is enjoying the learning materials. He is making learning fun. So, if that works and helps him to spend a longer time watching the DVD, that would be great.

Putting Things In Place

Based on how the program is set up, seven days should be spent on each lesson. So, Azy should have spent seven days on the DVD that he is currently on, then moved on to lesson 2. In addition to the DVD, there are five phonics books for lesson 1, plus the flashcards and printable work sheets. So, he has a lot of learning to do.

However, since we are just working on putting things into place to actually start teaching him, he will continue watching the first DVD until it is time for him to move on. Once he settles down to the point where he can go through lesson 1 with little or no distractions, he should be ready to move on to lesson 2.

I believe that once he gets a good understanding of the materials in lesson 1, it will be smooth sailing from there on. I also believe that the activities to help kids focus will work well for Azy.

Thank you for taking the time to read about Azy’s reading journey. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think, and if you know of any activities to help kids focus.

Thanks for the visit.

More to come.

Jackie