More and more often you can hear complaints from parents of first-graders: a restless child, what to do? Unfortunately, in the lower grades it is already quite difficult to deal with such a problem. It is necessary to combine corrective measures with training.

Reasons for restlessness in children

Parents and even some teachers consider restlessness a sign of a child’s laziness. Neurologists and psychologists strongly disagree with this approach. They see the reasons for restlessness not in the child’s laziness, but in his immaturity nervous system, mild anomalies in the development of brain activity and even poor nutrition.

A child’s restlessness at school can be caused by the following phenomena:

  1. The nervous system is not yet mature enough. What does it mean? Stem cells, the cerebral cortex, the sheath of nerve fibers are at a stage of development when long-term exercise is impossible.
  2. This is interesting: There is a test that allows you to quickly determine whether your child is ready for school. Invite a child about 6 years old to raise his hand and reach through his ear to the opposite ear. If it reaches his ear, it means his internal systems are already ripe for school.
  3. Developmental abnormalities: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, delay speech development, dyslexia, dysgraphia, episyndrome, autism and autism-like disorders.
  4. Depression. Yes, a 7 year old child can suffer from this disease. Childhood depression can be recognized by increased moodiness, fears and high anxiety.
  5. Poor nutrition. Children who are picky about food may not receive the necessary set of vitamins and microelements for brain activity.
  6. Pedagogical neglect. When parents do not engage in the development of their child in preschool age, starting from 1 year of age, by school his brain will not be able to develop enough to study. Babysitting in the form of TV and cartoons greatly harms children's brains.
  7. Cognitive motivation is not formed. A first grader is simply uninterested in class.

How can you independently recognize the restlessness of a child in preschool age?

It is best to prevent restlessness at school in advance. It is already visible in kindergarten. How to independently diagnose the prerequisites for school restlessness in preschool age?

This is easy to do with ordinary coloring. Invite your child to color a new coloring book and see if he can stay focused enough to color at least one picture. For the purity of the experiment, buy a book that will be interesting to the baby.

A 5 year old child can and should cope with this task. He will actively and with interest color the book. At 4 years old, loose painting, omissions and going beyond the line are still allowed. If the baby is capricious, doesn’t want to, is distracted and needs your help, something is wrong. This is a sign of obvious trouble and you need to look for its cause.

Neurological causes

Neurological causes usually make themselves felt even before school. Teachers complain to parents about the child’s restlessness in the garden, his inattention, and disinhibition. If this is also combined with speech delay, you need to be examined by a pediatric neurologist.

What behavioral difficulties indicate neurological problems:

  • difficulty falling asleep, disinhibition – hyperactivity;
  • moodiness, tearfulness, anxiety - depression, neuroses;
  • disinhibition, speech problems, hypersensitivity to various stimuli, manifested during the period of suspected autism or autistic-like disorders.

Correcting restlessness with the help of special classes

Special activities and games for restless children will help develop voluntary attention, and therefore the child’s perseverance. They are also aimed at mastering study skills and developing cognitive skills and thinking.

To prevent restlessness, psychologists advise starting classes at 2-3 years of age:

  1. Reading and looking at books.
  2. Drawing with pencils, felt-tip pens and paints using fingers.
  3. Construction of pyramids and various buildings from construction sets
  4. Looking at trees, clouds, grass, and any other natural objects on the street while walking.
  5. Learn poems and nursery rhymes from memory

Thus, by the age of 5 the child will develop inquisitiveness ( cognitive interest), voluntary attention and memory.

Correcting restlessness involves the following exercises:

  • labyrinths;
  • finding differences in pictures;
  • “proofreading test” - take old magazine, cut out a few paragraphs and invite the child to cross out a certain letter;
  • games: “Flies, does not fly”, “Repeat after me”, “Repeat only the movement with the word: “please”, etc.

Many little children are very active, they can do 1000 things in a very short period of time, and even a couple of minutes seems like an eternity for them. 2-3 year old children, due to their curiosity, constantly “jump” from one thing to another. A minute ago he was just drawing, and before you even had time to look back, he began to build a house out of cubes, but after a couple of minutes he abandoned this task too, without finishing what he started. Of course, as the child grows up, he will learn to concentrate on one thing, but for successful development parents also need to pay attention to the issue of how to teach perseverance to a child.

In order to instill perseverance in your child, it is imperative to develop his attention. At this age, the child’s attention is involuntary, which means that it is quite difficult for him to concentrate on one thing at the request of his parents. It is this property that helps the child receive and process a huge amount of information and try everything in the world. And, of course, something bright and attractive will help a two- to three-year-old child to arouse interest.

If you want your child to do something, get him interested in this task. For example, tell him fairy tale story, which is related to your task, or organize a competition.

Naturally, for activities that require concentration, haste and nervousness must be eliminated. The environment should be calm. It is worth removing unnecessary toys from the baby’s field of view, and be sure to turn off the TV.

When a child does something right, don’t skimp on your emotions. Rejoice and admire with him, and be sure to praise him.

U 2-3 summer children Speech is actively being formed and vocabulary is expanding, so it is important to comment on your actions and ask the baby to share his thoughts about what he wants to do. Thanks to the active development of speech and articulation of his intentions, the child will learn to plan his actions.

Never require a child to sit on one task more than he is capable of due to age characteristics.

Very in an effective way To develop perseverance is to involve the child in household work. Very often, children at this age love to imitate their parents and are happy to volunteer to help wash the floors or dishes. Although some parents are not very happy with this initiative, because after washing the floors you will have to clean up the puddles, and after clearing the table, you may also not have enough plates. Scolding a child and stopping his initiative is simply unacceptable, otherwise you will completely deprive him of the desire to do anything for you.

There are many games that require attention and perseverance: drawing, modeling, lacing, puzzles, mosaics, pouring and pouring. At the same time, take into account the child’s mood; if now he wants to run, let him throw out the accumulated energy, and then offer quiet games. And never compare your child with others. If a child is only able to pay attention to a game for 10 minutes, you should not force him to sit more just because the neighbor boy can study for half an hour. The most important thing is systematic training, which will invariably give the desired result.

A child's hyperactivity and restlessness often cause too much trouble for his parents. After all, they don’t have so much strength and energy to follow every step of their nimble little sneak. This situation is not the most in the best possible way affects the emotional, psychological and physical state of parents.

And, therefore, on relationships in the family as a whole. Indeed, against the background of chronic fatigue, parents become more aggressive, irritable and try to pacify their overly active child in all possible ways.

Reproaching a child for his hyperactivity is as pointless as punishing him for it. With the proper approach and a maximum reserve of patience, such a feature of behavior can be directed in a more “peaceful” direction or, over time, simply reduced to nothing.

To cope with too much active child, psychologists advise not to scold him (unless he really did something reprehensible). Shouting and threats, as a rule, will not achieve anything except the opposite result. In extreme cases, you will only intimidate your offspring, which will entail a whole series of additional behavioral problems.

First of all, try to understand the reasons for your child's increased activity. There may be several of them. And depending on the root cause, you should choose a scenario according to which you will influence your child.

Reasons for restlessness

Among the main factors due to which a child does not have perseverance, the following should be highlighted:

  • The child is unable to cope with the regulation of his motor functions. In this case, his activity and tirelessness are caused not by the fact that he wants to annoy an adult and because of this does not stop running around the room, but because he simply cannot do it on his own.
  • Your baby cannot concentrate on the same action for a long time. Almost all children are not able to do one thing for a long time, this is no secret to anyone. But if your child is not able to sit for even five minutes at the same activity, but grabs onto everything indiscriminately, then in this case parents should pay special attention to this.
  • And finally, your child may simply be too active due to the fact that he really has nowhere to put the energy that is splashing over the edge.

How to deal with restlessness?

Methods of dealing with restlessness in a child depend on the cause of such behavior disorder.

  • WITH Give your child a calm atmosphere. In the case where a child cannot independently regulate his motor functions, parents have to take on the role of “regulators”. It is extremely necessary to create a daily routine for such a child and strictly follow all its points. If you agreed that at 8 o’clock in the evening you bathe him, read him a bedtime story, and he falls asleep, then that’s how it should be. No “buts”, “good reasons” and “five minutes”. A regime is a regime.

Create a hyper-predictable microworld for your hyperactive child. All things should be in their place, everything should be predictable, simple and understandable. To any situation that goes beyond the understanding of your baby, he will react with useless fuss - screaming, running, stamping his feet.

Therefore, if your child is too active for no reason, it means that he is scared, excited or irritated by something. He just can't express his emotions any other way yet.

In order to organize your baby’s microworld to the maximum, it is not enough just to have order in the house and a certain algorithm of actions before bed. As many rituals as possible should be created for it.

Firstly, it can be interesting for the baby himself, especially if these rituals are presented in some kind of playful or fairy-tale form. Secondly, rituals create the most rigid daily routine, from which, if structured correctly, the child himself will not want to deviate.

  • Give your child individual lessons that focus their attention. . In cases where a child cannot concentrate on something specific, parents should be wary. Inattention manifests itself in different ways depending on the individual characteristics of the child.

The reason that a child does not want to participate in games or activities with other children may lie in the following: the child is simply not able to keep track of everything at once, and cannot complete the tasks that are required of him. Although at home he can do the same things and with great pleasure.

The fact is that in the classroom teachers try to unify tasks so that everyone does the same action. And at this moment the baby does not at all want to, for example, sculpt a cat out of plasticine; he would rather sit in a corner and look through the pictures in an interesting book.

There is also another side to this coin. The child participates in activities with other children, but constantly interferes with them, distracts them, pesters them with conversations, bullies or teases them. Experienced teachers, having noticed this behavior of a child, most often distract him from some more useful activities.

Let's say, instead of sculpting the same plasticine cat, he is asked to bring something, water flowers, help with something, or go somewhere. As a rule, this model of adult behavior fully justifies itself in relation to hyperactive children who are unable to concentrate on one thing.

Psychologists advise parents, first of all, not to send their hyperactive children to school-type children's groups, where the children all sit together at desks and do one task for everyone. At least until the age of 6, hyperactive children definitely have nothing to do in such classes.

If the situation around your disobedient, cocky and overly active child begins to heat up too much due to his behavior, which does not fit into the framework of the children's group, you should not wait until you are asked not to come again. In this case, it is better to leave on your own.

It's just a matter of how you explain it to your baby. You shouldn't tell him that he behaved badly and that's why you now need to look for a new one for him. kindergarten or a new section. Just say that the previous team was not suitable for him, so you need to look for one that would be just for him.

If you decide to conduct classes with your child on your own, remember that these classes should be completed in one breath using pre-prepared materials and without delays. Because they will be very short in time.

The child's attention will be concentrated on what you require from him from the strength of 5 five. And, if during these 5 minutes you yourself are distracted by searching for some material or thinking about the next task, you can consider that the lesson is over - the child’s attention will be lost.

  • Enroll your child in sports section. If your child simply cannot sit still, direct his mobility in a “peaceful” direction. Send him to a sports section or some other club, classes in which will involve constant physical activity and continuous activities.

However, you must send your child to any section only with his consent. Because without a special desire on the part of the child, they will not bring any positive results. The child will “shirk” classes and refuse to attend them. And being forced to visit an unloved section in the future can lead to completely unpredictable results. The child should like absolutely everything, from the sport to the coach.

The process of raising children is both labor-intensive, quite lengthy, and extremely important. And at some point in time, all mothers and fathers run the risk of encountering hyperactivity and disobedience of a child. At the same time, it is worth noting the fact that not all children can sit quite calmly even for a couple of minutes.

What should parents do with a hyperactive child?

Restlessness is a completely natural process for all children and growing bodies. And yet, very soon the time may come when your beloved child will go (if he hasn’t already) to school. And this is where a newly minted student will have an extremely difficult time without perseverance. Based on this, it is now necessary to actively accustom your favorite “live animal” to perseverance , concentrating your attention on a specific task or activity. It is for this that parents need a lot of patience, time and perseverance. Today we will try to figure out how to teach a child perseverance, and also answer the question about the main and most effective methods education.

In order for your child to become more and more responsible and disciplined over time, you need to help him in this and support him in every possible way. At the same time, it should be done in the form of an unobtrusive game.

In order to attract the main attention of the child for a long time, to focus his attention on one specific lesson, come up with some interesting fairy tale with tasks. The child will be interested in this.

We create the appropriate atmosphere

Try to rid the child as much as possible of everything that could in any way switch the child’s attention, distract him to something extraneous and unimportant. Radio, TV, music - all this needs to be removed and excluded. The atmosphere should be calm and friendly.

If your child begins to be capricious, try not to force him; in such a situation, it makes sense to postpone the game for some period of time.

Be sure to show personal emotions during the game - interest, joy, concentration - you've probably noticed that children often imitate parental behavior, they love to copy adults. Don’t forget to praise your baby for all his slightest successes; this will become an additional incentive for him in future efforts.

Try not to pull the child down if he is not at all interested, if it is difficult for him to concentrate his attention. Most likely, he is not yet ready for such a game; it’s better to invent a game that is more interesting and simpler.

Teach your child by example!

By our personal example, we demonstrate to children how they should actually behave and control personal emotions. During the period of playing together, it will be easier for the baby to learn perseverance, attentiveness and patience; he will learn to clearly adapt to different participants in the common game and solve assigned tasks.

Don’t forget: during periods of illness, it becomes increasingly difficult for children to focus their attention on a specific activity or game. Based on this, he gets tired very quickly; during his illness, you should not force him to do exactly what tires and irritates him.

Truly the best educational method of patience and perseverance is work. For the most part, babies don’t like helping moms and dads around the house, don’t drive them away at such moments, praise them and teach them to help. The child, most likely, will not help that much, but this will certainly become a good experience for him, it will help him learn to achieve the designated goals without quitting his job somewhere halfway.

Not all kids can sit quietly and not be distracted. Usually at the age of 3-6 years they are so curious and active that it is extremely difficult for them to concentrate on one thing. Child psychologists advise teaching children discipline already at preschool age, so that the problem of attention deficit does not arise during school.

Perseverance is the key to success

Why should parents be interested in the question of how to instill perseverance in a child? Because it is perseverance that largely determines a child’s ability to learn. In order for the material being studied to be effectively absorbed and remembered, it is necessary to concentrate attention and remain patient. If the child is constantly distracted and tries to switch to other activities, the learning process will not give the expected results.

In addition, lack of perseverance is a signal that the baby may be diagnosed with childhood hyperactivity - ADHD. Only professionals can confirm/refute the presence of the syndrome, but restlessness in preschool age is one of its main symptoms, so a visit to a child psychologist would not be a bad idea.

Developing perseverance

Many adults consider perseverance to be a characteristic of a child’s temperament. But it can also be seen as a skill that can be acquired or developed. “Breaking” a child’s habit of being distracted is not so easy - you need to largely reconsider his lifestyle, daily schedule, and even list of activities. In addition, parents should understand that perseverance develops with age, and it is impossible to develop it in a few weeks. The development of this “skill” requires patience, endurance and the implementation of certain rules that allow you to change the child’s attitude to the events happening around him. The development of perseverance in a child is possible under the following conditions:

  • Classes are tailored to the child's age and interests. You shouldn’t expect a three-year-old child to be involved in the process of learning, for example, a foreign language. He wants to run, play with construction sets or draw more. It is difficult for an adult to maintain perseverance during activities of little interest, let alone active children.
  • It is customary in the family to complete all the tasks started. In order for the child to understand the importance of completing processes, adults need to provide correct example. Don’t give up cleaning if you’ve already done it halfway, don’t get carried away with snacking - cook full meals, watch cartoons to the end, finish reading fairy tales, etc.
  • Calmness and patience. Children preschool age They don’t understand why their parents scold them for showing interest in things that have nothing to do with their current activity. Accordingly, attempts to instill perseverance with a “whip” do not give the expected results, but only lead to the development of stress in the child and aggravation of the situation. Only by remaining calm can parents attract the baby's attention and help him overcome restlessness.
  • No strict restrictions for children 3-4 years old. At this age, babies are the most curious - they are interested in everything around them. By cutting off or limiting access to new things, parents deprive their children of the opportunity to explore the world. Perseverance is still required in older children - at the age of 5-6 years. During this period, they are already able to consciously concentrate attention.

Exercises and activities

Besides general rules communication with overly active children, psychologists suggest performing exercises and conducting activities that require concentration and concentration. These include:

  • Puzzles, construction sets, mosaics. To collect beautiful picture or build an impressive toy structure, the child needs to work hard - carefully look at the details, connect them with each other. The work is scrupulous and difficult for a restless child, but the result is definitely worth the effort.
  • "Find the differences." Comparing two, at first glance, identical pictures and trying to find differences in them is a great way to teach a child to concentrate. Most likely, this will not work out right away, and the baby may need the help of adults, but over time he himself will become interested. The main thing is to select tasks according to age, otherwise the task will simply be impossible and will discourage the child from solving it.
  • Creation. Not every child can be captivated, so you need to look for alternative options. Modeling, appliqués, weaving, frescoes and other handicrafts not only help to teach perseverance, but also develop finger motor skills.

It is very important for parents to create favorable conditions for restless children during classes. Remove everything unnecessary from sight, turn off the TV. And be sure to praise your child when he completes his work - moderate praise from adults always motivates children.

Has your baby had problems with staying calm? How did you solve them? Share your tips and opinions in the comments.