Attention

Attention is the ability to focus on one thing while ignoring others. It helps children:

• listen and follow instructions
• stay on task, concentrating on one thing at a time
• ignore distractions around them
• make sense of what they see, hear and feel
• build memories

It also shapes how they understand the world. What they focus on can change how they see and experience things.

Even newborns show signs of attention. For example, they turn their heads toward sounds or touch. These early reflexes help them respond to their environment and continue to support learning as they grow.

Types of attention

Children use different types of attention depending on the situation:

• sustained attention (concentration) - focusing on one task for a period of time
• alternating attention - switching between tasks that need different types of thinking
• selective attention - focusing on one thing while ignoring distractions
• focused attention - quickly reacting to sudden sights, sounds or touches
• limited (divided) attention - trying to do more than one thing at the same time (multitasking), which often reduces focus

Ways to improve attention

Even children without attention difficulties can benefit from strategies to improve focus. You can help by encouraging:

• single-tasking (avoid multitasking) – focus on one thing at a time
• good sleep habits – sleep helps regulate attention, so getting enough sleep is important
• mindfulness – paying attention to the present moment

New research is helping us understand how attention works in the brain. This could lead to better support for children with attention-related conditions like ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).