Tips to Help Kids Concentrate in Class

All of us want our children to succeed in school. But for many kids and teens, concentration in this always-pressured, starved-for-time era can be difficult. Here are some tips for helping your son or daughter improve concentration and do better in the classroom:

* Take time for breakfast. Children who have breakfast and enough to eat during the rest of the day will be better able to concentrate in school, according to Head Start, the national child development program run by the Department of Health and Human Services.

* Introduce them to music. Playing instruments has shown to increase focus and concentration in other areas.

* Send them to bed on time. Studies show that children and most teenagers concentrate best after about nine hours of sleep.

* Give them space. Your kids will be better able to concentrate on homework if they have a clear, uncluttered workspace. And turn off the TV; they won't learn if they're squeezing their homework in during commercials.

* Get them organized. The National PTA suggests helping older students organize their assignments by recording them on calendars or planners, along with due dates and dates turned in.

* Discourage "cramming." It increases anxiety and interferes with clear thinking, according to the Department of Education. Kids do better on tests if they spread out studying over several days or weeks and can relate the information to what they already know.