4 Year Old Losing Concentration

You don't say what form of "school" she is in. If it's a preschool, consider whether she is going for too many hours each day and her concentration flags because she is simply too tired. See if you can have her in half-day preschool if it's full-day, or have her in preschool 3 days a week instead of five, for instance.

Also consider whether this preschool is the right fit. If they are trying to be too "academic" with children this age, please reconsider and think about finding another school. Preschool is about socialization; learning to follow directions from an adult who is not mom or dad; learning to stop one activity and transition to a new one without upset; learning to share and get along with other kids. It is not about how many worksheets kids can do or how many projects they can complete. If the preschool is focused more on academics than on socialization and learnign through play, it may be doing her a disservice. You live an an area that is very competitive and very academically driven (I know -- I live in the same area!). So do a reality check and ensure you're not letting other parents' attitudes about what kids are "supposed to know" by any certain age get under your skin.

Ask yourself: Are the teachers' expectations, and your own, truly realistic for a four-year-old? Or are you expecting behavior she is just not developmentally ready for at four because no four-year-old really is? Have you looked up some good books on child development to check out where she really should be right now?

If you feel that expectations and the school's activities are realistic for her age and stage, then get details from the teachers and as others noted, ensure she is being compared to four-year-old peers, not to the behaviors one would expect of older kids.

You also mention that she gets bored and wants to stop in after-school activities. That is completey typical at her age and not a sign of anything wrong with her attention span. Ensure that her activities are ones SHE really wants to do; if she says she does and the attention still flags, check:

Is the activity/class session too long? (30 miinutes to an hour max at this age.)

Is the activity after school when she is already tired out and maybe hungry? (Consider whether she is over-scheduled and/or needs a protein snack and down time before going from school into another activity. If she has more than one after-school activity at this age, consider dropping down to just one. Kids need down time.)

Is the activity too repetitive so it's the same week after week and is boring her? (Sit in and really watch the teacher.)

Is the session of the activity or class too long? (Four is young to have an activity every single week for the entire school year; look for sessions of six, eight or 10 weeks that end after that period.)

I had a son around this age that would get into his own little world and when he was in first grade would wander after lunch, I found out he was low in iron, simple blood test. after the Doctor corrected that he was a great student . Not to say this is what your little girl has but all children like adults have different interest and attention to certain things, this is a good thing so we all are not like robots. She may be very deep thinker, a possible artist. Those that do not follow the crowd may be very intelligent! Uniqueness it to be celebrated.

We need to structure activities around the child, not structure the child around the activities.

She is only 4. She really isn’t supposed to be concentrating on anything. Your daughter might not be interested in the activities that they are doing in school. She could be just now figuring out what she likes and dislikes. Have you ever seen little kids play T-ball and soccer? They twirl around, pick flowers, sit down, look at the sky, etc. I pulled out a loose tooth once in the outfield when I was a kid. My son is 4. I have never been able to sit him down and read a book with him. We rarely watch a DVD together. He wouldn’t “focus” on anything really, until one day he asked to cook with me. Now he cooks with me with the determination of a Master Chef. His fake kitchen is filled with things he plays with every day. He watched a concert with me once, and now he has a guitar and sings while I play the drums in the living room. He’s a great student at his preschool, and most likely loses focus a lot.

I know you are just worried about your daughter’s well being and overall enrichment and education though, and rightly so. She is growing and changing every day, and she will start forming interest and self discipline soon enough. In the meantime, make sure she gets plenty of fresh air, play and more importantly, trust that you support her no matter what. As for her teachers, ask them what she does pay more attention to. What her strengths are. When she hits kindergarten, assuming she is only in preschool now, pay attention to her issues in class. Is she starting trouble? Is she developmentally delayed? If your gut truly speaks to you and says something is wrong, go the pediatrician.

Good luck and keep us posted. Kids are nonstop aren’t they?

Xoxo

She's 4 (four) years old, right? That seems awfully young to expect great focus or concentration.

It bothers me that we expect this age group to be able to function like a 7 or 8 year old. Do caterpillars fly without wings? It all takes time to develop.

Perhaps there is a problem . . . if so, a traditional classroom setting is the last place I would want her to be.

Good luck.

ETA: B B completely misses the point - my point is that we increasingly expect 4 yr olds to function well in a traditional classroom setting (which is ridiculous in my opinion). The system *itself* is the problem. Who knows why other kids in her class may or may not tolerate it better. Kids are individuals, not robots. Good grief.

Her teachers are not comparing her to 7 year olds. They are comparing her to the rest of the class. Every child has strengths and weeknesses. Concentration and sticking with an activity is very important for sucess. I think you should ask the teachers more questions to understand why and when your daughter does this. Also, they should offer you suggestions and things to watch for in case this does develop into something that she may need help with later on like ADD.

Hi, KL:

Tell your daughter what you have been noticing
and ask her what is going on.
Then ask her what does she need to do whatever
it is that you are concerned about.
Good luck.
D.

I assume she's in preschool?
At four she's not developmentally ready to concentrate for very long. Yes, some kids DO have that ability at a young age but it's not the norm. Even in kindergarten children are taught in very short stretches with lots of breaks and time to get up and move.
I would be concerned that your daughter's teachers don't get this, especially if it's an accredited preschool.