Educational fun to keep the children busy this holiday
Children need to keep their minds entertained with educational activities according to Amanda Williams from Bet-Shalom.
POLOKWANE – Teacher and Head of Department (HOD) at Bet-Shalom, Amanda Williams says although it is a school holiday, children need to keep their minds entertained with educational activities.
“It is often a challenge for mothers to get their children to sit in one place, focus on their homework and finish it without getting too distracted. Children are naturally energetic and exuberant and we cannot expect them to focus completely and not get distracted at all,” Amanda added. She explained that it is possible to help a child focus on a task and increase concentration skills for a longer period of time.
“Children are naturally curious with a lot of energy. The main reason they face these concentration issues is because they are wired differently. We all know that every child behaves in their own way and we need to observe them to see what they like and what they do not in terms of keeping them entertained whether through TV, books or educational activities,” she added.
Read more: 6 ways how to keep the kids busy during the school holiday
Amanda said that when parents give children tasks which are not fun, they get bored and quickly shift their attention to something more interesting. “This is unlike us adults where we complete tasks whether we like it or not, especially when we know it needs to be done. It is not that easy with kids as they need extra attention, patience and skill to be able to concentrate,” she said.
She explained that since children learn more by playing, it is always a good idea to try and make their activities a little more fun. “Try keeping gadgets such as tablets, cell phones, TV games and computers away from children. Allow them to play with regular toys or do activities which will improve attention and concentration such as concentration exercises,” she advised.
Amanda added that technology has the ability and tendency of reducing attention span and memory power of children. “You do not have to keep them away from them all the time, they should be used sparingly. Make them play with paper games or puzzles,” she concluded.
