Boredom is the enemy of every teacher. When children become bored they stop listening and learning. They also are more likely to be disruptive, making it harder for everyone. It’s easy to be frustrated. But, the truth is that children easily get bored. They generally have short attention spans.

If you want them to keep learning then you have to be prepared for their short attention spans and have some simple techniques to prevent boredom in the classroom.

It is worth noting that children which go to reputable early learning centres, such as this early learning centre in Beverly Hills, generally have better attention spans, are less likely to get bored, and are more likely to be successful in life. It’s worth parents knowing this!

1. Keep It Short

Once you realize that children have short attention spans it’s much easier to prevent boredom. Simply keep the lesson moving. It doesn’t matter if the children are absorbing the information or not. You can circle around and return to it as many times as necessary for them to gain the understanding they need.

This can be by including physical activities in the class or it can be by continually changing the subject to keep them alert.

2. Make It Relevant

The easiest way for children to learn is if they are doing something they enjoy. Therefore, you need to think about what activities they enjoy and what is relevant in their world. For example, choose a book or movie that most of the children will have heard of, such as Harry potter, then relate your lesson to that magical world and you’ll find they stay connected. They also learn more.

3. Make Them Move

Children tend to have plenty of energy and this means they like to be on their feet, moving around. There is no reason why you can’t use this to your benefit in the classroom.

Make them move around the room to emphasize a point in your lesson. Or, if possible, create a game that engages them. They will definitely stay connected.

4. Keep An Eye On Body Language

Children express themselves through their body language in the same way that adults do, even if they are not aware of it. In particular, as they get bored they will start to fidget; Keep your eyes open for this and change what you’re doing, ensuring you capture their attention again.

It’s surprising how easy it is to see when they are getting bored and how simply doing something different brings them back into focus.

5. Create A Quiz

There is nothing better that helps to keep children focused than giving them a surprise question and answer session. Do this periodically through a lesson to gauge how much information they are absorbing.

Not only will it help you target the right subject, but it will also keep the children from getting bored, they’ll be too busy waiting for when you’re going to give them another mini-test.