5 reasons why some children have low concentration

Children have a low attention span as their natural curiosity and tendency to shift focus impact their ability to concentrate on regular activities and pre-primary curriculum. Children's concentration problems and their major causes have been identified, with 5 key factors affecting attention spans in young learners.

Concentration is defined as the ability to focus on, maintain, and attend to a particular task. Children should demonstrate age-appropriate concentration levels, which can be assessed by comparing them with their peers. Key aspects of concentration include listening, following verbal and non-verbal cues, ignoring distractions, staying quiet, sustaining attention over time, and focusing on relevant information. Parents can identify concentration problems through several common symptoms. These include difficulty maintaining a train of thought, needing repeated directions, inability to focus on one task at a time, taking excessive time to complete tasks, and displaying fidgety behavior.

Additional warning signs include organizational challenges with tasks and belongings, as well as appearing not to listen when spoken to directly. Children may also show difficulty returning to stories after interruptions. Task difficulty levels can significantly impact concentration. While pre-primary syllabi are typically designed to be manageable, some children may struggle with specific areas that require identification and attention.


Children with low concentration frequently lose track of their belongings. Common distractions represent a primary cause of concentration problems. These can range from television and video games to toys lying around, necessitating the removal of potential distractions before study time.

Children may display poor concentration when seeking attention from parents. Regular communication and quality time with children are essential to address this underlying cause.


Diet and sleep patterns play crucial roles in concentration ability. Children require 8 to 12 hours of sleep daily and should maintain a balanced, nutritious diet while avoiding junk food that can decrease attention spans.

Personal problems and family issues can severely affect a child's ability to concentrate. Troubled home environments or significant events like the death of a loved one can impact focus and regular activities.

Experts emphasize the importance of identifying specific causes of concentration problems in individual children to implement appropriate solutions. Professional support from educational institutions may be beneficial in addressing these challenges.
The relationship between proper concentration and task quality is significant. When children can focus effectively, they typically achieve better results in their activities and studies. These findings suggest that while concentration problems are common among children, understanding the underlying causes allows for targeted interventions and support strategies to help improve their focus and learning capabilities.