My 4-Year Old's Attention Span at Preschool Is Really, Really Bad - HELP!

Well to really help you I'd need to know more about the problem. When does it occur? what is going on in the room? what does she do when she isn't paying attention? Is she learning/participating at all? I am a certified teacher of students with behavior and emotional disorders from preK-12 so I have alot of experience in this area. My guess is she's probably just bored.
A.

Hi E.. If I were in your situation, I would take notes of her behaviors, what times they occur, what does she do, do they occur mornings or afternoons, before or after she eats, etc. Having a new baby means more time you have to spend taking care of the new little one can affect your daughter too. Make some time for just her and you. Reading a book together, drawing, anything.
Besides, four year olds have short attentions spans - their kids. I think today, society believes they have to be robots, less time being a kid, more time, paying attention and with little or no inconviences. Talk to your doctor too. He/She might have some suggestions.

A.

Hi E.,

I had a very very similar problem and it was resolved. (I'm assuming your problem is not a disciplinary issue. If that's the case then other advice may be needed. My daughter was a sweet child who even though she was not always obedient, I saw that she really wanted to be.) It took me thinking outside the box and our lives changed so much for the better. If you're willing to do that then there's hope. Hear me out!

First of all, a 4 year old is a very small person that is exposed to many more things than an adult is. Her heart rate is faster. She breathes faster. She is also closer to the floor because of her height. Chemical toxins and outgassing is traditionally heavier than air so she is inhaling much more than you are. When you go to the grocery store and walk down the cleaner aisle, you can smell the chemicals. The bottles are not broken. Those are poisons that leach through the bottles. Do you get lightheaded in the aisle? Do you get lightheaded when you clean? There are alternatives.

I completely detoxified my house and my daughter's behavior and her learning corrected itself almost overnight. I changed cleaning products, bath and body products, and we stopped eating as many processed foods. This will not only help your daughter but it will also help your FRAZZLED state! This can be a costly endeavor, but if you want to try this, I can help you do it for no more or maybe even less than you are paying now for these type items.

My headaches are gone, my husband has lost a ton of weight and kept it off, my oldest had a medical condition stop progressing that the doctors said would only get worse and my Lydia's behavior and her learning has far exceeded grade level. My girls are now 12 and 15 and I wish I had known all this when they were small. Lydia was 7 when I figured this out so I went through years of struggle before then.

Please feel free to email me or call me on my cell if you like. My number is ###-###-####. I would love to help!

M. Howe

I suggest you reconsider her diet. She may be ingesting foods that don't agree with her body and the problem with her lack of attention may be a result of it. You may want to investigate "bioset allergy testing." This treatment not only gives a line by line list of foods good and bad for you, but it also provides supplements geared towards balancing a specific condition. The protease plus supplement really works well for children who become easily distracted. I give it to my 2 year old son before school and it's like night and day. He's not as scattered and can FINALLY sit attentively during circle time (thank goodness!).

Be Well,
S.

Do you have a personal email address? I have something that may help, but I need to forward it.

Hi E.:
My daughter went through the same thing as every 4 year old does. She will do better next year in kindergarden. I think the teachers need to learn how to deal with 4 years alittle better. I have about 6 girlfriends with little girls about 4/5 years old we all have gone through the same stuff please don't stress yourself. You can't expect a 4 year old to have a great attention span.

I also had a similar situation. My son was in the 3/4 year old preschool class at a church. My daughter was about a year old at the time. I was told he was hitting, not paying attention, not following directions, etc. They even had a counselor come in to monitor him. We had to go in for this big meeting and were told that he needed behavioral schooling through the county for pre-k. I decided against that idea. I took my son out about 3 weeks before the end of the school year. I put him in a different church pre-k and he was like a different child. He's in Kindergarten now and doing really great. I think it was a combination of the changes at home (with my daughter) and eventually I felt like my son was being singled out by the teacher. I mean, when I would get a call every day and she would say he's just not paying attention in class - COME ON! I mean, sometimes 3 and 4 year olds don't pay attention and does that mean I should get a phone call? My point is, your daughter will most likely grow out of this. We made it a point to take my son on outings by himself so he'd feel more special and talk to him about what was bothering him. It made things a lot better and most of all he just grew out of the behavior.

Hey there! Does she watch a lot of TV? There are studies that show that frequent TV watching can lead to limited attention spans. Get her outside and playing in this gorgeous weather we are having. The more shes involved with, she'll likely want to have down time at school and participate in her classes. Make sure to get her tons of "just the two of you time" so she knows you still love her just as much even with the new baby.
Good luck!

L.
atlantafamilycoaching.com

Chances are, your daughter is a bit distracted by all the changes that are occurring in her life with a new baby... it's normal for children to regress when a new baby sibling shows up.... I work with preschoolers as my specialty as a counselor and I will tell you that it is too early to worry too much about attention at age 4. You can however help her by doing "sequencing" activities such as together making a Chef Boyardee Pizza or making a simple cookie recipe... the steps of 1, 2, 3, then outcome are good for building more focus and convergent thinking abilities. Encourage her to make eye contact when she speaks to you and when you are speaking to her and ask her to repeat back what she hears while making eye contact. Most children who seem "scattered" or poor attention span are "divergent" thinkers which means they can think about many things at one time and this can be a great strength because the greatest inventors, artists and scientists are often "divergent thinkers." Try to identify what your daughter's strengths are FIRST and try to find ways to affirm her strengths and utilize the strengths to overcome the challenges. Too often parents and teachers hone in on problems first rather than strengths. Hope this helps. I don't know where you live but I lead a unique parenting seminar on Oct. 27 in Marietta called Parenting With Purpose and Vision which might help you at this point in your new role as mother of two.... If I can be of further help just drop me an email. Take care! - L. Louise W., MA, LPC