Use Brain Breaks to Keep Your Child Focused

Have you ever found your child falling asleep in the middle of an English lesson? Or noticed their attention drifting even though they weren't tired? 

In this blog post, we’ll explain why this happens and suggest ways to get your little one(s) “back on track” when it does. As a bonus, many of these activities use English, so in addition to staying alert, your child can practice the global language at the same time.

Brain Breaks - What Are They?

The brain works hard to process and store information, so it’s easy for a learner to lose focus as early as 20-30 minutes into their study session. And if adults have trouble focusing for long periods of time, of course it will be even tougher for kids to concentrate.

That's why it's important to take a quick break — a brain break. The length of the break should depend on your child’s age:

• If your kid is under 12 years old, they should at least take a three-minute break after 20 minutes of studying.
• If they’re 12 or older, they should take a break of at least five minutes after 30 minutes of study. 

These breaks have lots of benefits: They boost physical fitness, improve mental health, develop creativity and increase productivity at school — which is exactly the result that we want!

To make these breaks even more meaningful, you can incorporate English into the activities your child does. We’ll share some you can do with toddlers and teens below. 

What Can My Young Child Do?

Before deciding on a type of brain break, consider your child’s mood and personality. If your son or daughter is usually energetic and unable to sit still, try calming them down with some of the following activities:

• Yoga for kids: Simple poses and stretches, breathing exercises and meditation can ease your child into their studies. Additionally, they improve balance and flexibility while also helping to calm your child's mind and manners. Here are some great yoga videos in English to get you started.
• Taking a walk: If the weather is nice, take a short walk. Walking can help clear children’s minds, allowing them to concentrate better and improve their academic performance.
• Pet time: If you have a pet, encourage your child to play with them during breaks. Like our other suggestions, doing this can help children calm down. 
• Creative activities: Have your child do some simple arts and crafts, like making an origami bird or coloring a page in their coloring book. Or if they like Lego, have them build something. To make sure they don’t lose focus, present the activity as a challenge (e.g. “Let’s see who can fold a bird faster!”). 

If your child’s energy level is low and they have trouble staying awake, we suggest brain breaks that will get them moving. You can try any of the following:

• Play some fun English songs and have them dance along.
• Play Simon Says: “Simon saaays …bring me an apple!” 
• Play a game like hide-and-seek, tag or Hot and Cold.  
• Play a short game of charades, in which players use movements and gestures in order to get their teammates to guess a specific word or name.

What Can My Teenager Do?

For teens, you’ll need age-appropriate activities, such as:

• Laughing together: Watch a Try Not to Laugh Challenge together.
• Video games: Play a few short rounds of Tetris or perhaps a hidden objects game.
• Cooking: Make a simple dessert together, like this speedy banana ice cream. Recipes often require preparation in advance, but the actual cooking takes just a few minutes. There are many recipe videos in English, so your child can practice their listening skills and gain new vocabulary.
• Videos: Let them watch educational videos such as “How bubblegum is made” or anything they might be interested in. Check out our blog post for related listening activities.

Depending on your child’s interests, you can have them work on more creative activities, such as drawing. They might also enjoy writing in English as a brain break if you give them some fun prompts, such as a list of things to do this summer or the top three birthday presents they would like to receive. 

Wrap-up

Remember, it's hard for all of us to concentrate for long without being distracted, especially younger people. So when you feel like your child needs a break, give them one! Just make sure that they get the biggest benefits from that break that they can.

For more helpful advice for young learners of English, be sure to check out our other kid-focused articles on the Engoo blog.