13 Mind-Blowing Tips to Increase Concentration in Kids

“Can’t you just stop fidgeting and finish your homework?” I’m sure we’ve all asked our children this at least a few dozen times while they’re studying. I know I have! As a mother of a vibrant, fun-loving, talkative eight-year-old girl, it is often a challenge for me to get her to sit in one place, focus on her homework and finish it without getting too distracted. And yes, I say “too distracted” because children are naturally energetic and exuberant and we cannot expect them to focus completely and not get distracted at all! But, having said that, it IS possible to help children increase concentration skills and focus on a task for a longer period of time.

Before we head there, here are a couple of things you need to understand…
Children are naturally curious with unmatchable energy…
And the main reason they face these concentration issues is because they are wired differently.

When the task they’re given isn’t fun, they get bored and quickly shift their attention to something more interesting — unlike us adults where we complete tasks whether we like it or not!
Having said that, there are ways to help improve your child’s concentration quickly and easily. Take a look!

13 Techniques To Improve & Increase Concentration In Kids

1. Playing helps build concentration!

Since children learn more by playing, it is always a good idea to try and make their activities a little more fun. Keep away gadgets, tablets and computers and allow children to play with regular toys, activities that improve concentration, and concentration exercises.
Studies have shown that gadgets actually reduce attention span of children so they should be used sparingly or not at all.

• Thinking games – You can train and strengthen a child’s ability to concentrate and focus by playing concentration games that require thinking, planning and the use of memory. Crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles and card games such as ‘Memory’ and ‘Uno’ actually improve attention for words,numbers and pictures, while picture puzzles—in which your younger child has to look for things that are ‘wrong’ in the picture or look for hard-to-find objects—also improve attention and increase concentration.
• Sequencing – The link between sequencing and concentration is a strong one. Following recipes, setting the table and putting things in alphabetical order are great activities for kids who have concentration difficulties.
• Just sit – This game involves challenging your child to sit in a chair without moving or fidgeting to see how long he can do it. Another concentration game in this category is ‘Statue!’ Through repeated play, the child’s brain is ‘exercised’ and challenged, which strengthens mind-body connections and improves focus.
  

2. Prepare the environment
Some children respond well in an environment that is soothing and calming but other children may thrive in an environment that has a lot of hustle and bustle. Understanding what kind of environment your child prefers to study is the first step to increase concentration level in him/her.

• Ambience – Soft instrumental music and soft lighting helps to set the mood for studying. “Manav used to be quite hyper all the time, but after I put a fish tank in his room, I find that he has calmed down quite a bit!” says Kalpana, mother of 4 year-old Manav. “I think just watching these fish calmly swimming around has had an amazing effect on him!”
• Gadgets – Ideally, all gadgets including televisions, iPads, cell phones etc. need to be switched off or kept in a different room to avoid distractions. If you need to use a computer to study, make sure that it is used only for studying and nothing else.
• Reachable material – Keep everything that is required at hand so that your child does not need to get up to get anything. All homework books, crayons, textbooks, pencils and even water can be kept on the table or nearby. This also helps keep track of how much work is left and helps you to manage your time better. All these help improve focus and increase attention in kids!

Understanding the environment your kid prefers to study is the 1st step to increase concentration.

3. Healthy eating
Eating healthy food has a direct link to how well a child concentrates. Eating junk food or food rich in sugar makes a child sluggish while food rich in proteins such as almonds, eggs and lean meat have the ability to raise awareness and increase concentration levels!

• Caffeine – A recent trend in the US shows that children have increased their intake of coffee and caffeinated energy drinks. This gives them an unhealthy dose of sugar which can lead to a “crash” of energy later.
• Green food – An interesting study in the University of Ulster, UK shows that eating toast and baked beans for breakfast increases cognition. Experts say that eating greens and fruits inject the body with antioxidants which in turn boost your brain power.

4. Routines are important!

Anita, mother of 4 year-old Rahul has everything planned to a T. “Rahul comes home from school at 3.30 pm and has a snack. At 4 pm, I take him outside to cycle or play with the neighbourhood children.”
“At 5 pm, he is back home, has a wash and snack and is at his study desk by 5.30. He studies or does homework till 7.30 pm after which he has his dinner and is in bed by 8.30,” she says.
While we don’t need to be as regimented as Anita, it is important to maintain a schedule for your child, even if it is a more flexible one. This not only helps with time management but also helps program your child’s brain to know when he has to study.

And this in turn helps to increase concentration! For example, Rahul knows that after playing, he has to study and automatically gets into “study mode” once play is done.

5. Naps and breaks boost concentration!
Most children are able to concentrate best after a good nights’ rest.
A power nap for twenty minutes after school or in the afternoon should also do the trick to increase concentration.
All bathroom breaks, hunger pangs etc. should be taken care of before the study time begins as they have the tendency to interfere with concentration.

A power nap for 20 minutes after school or in the afternoon helps increase concentration.

6. Divide bigger tasks into smaller tasks
Studying an entire chapter in one go is quite difficult for a child. It always helps to break it down into pages or even paragraphs so that the child feels a sense of accomplishment for finishing a small task and this will motivate him to continue on.
This is true not just for studies but for household chores as well. Nita, mother of 8-year-old Ankit says, “I had been nagging Ankit to clean out his cupboard for weeks but he never got round to doing it.”
“Then I started breaking it down and I’d tell him ‘today you need to do the bottom shelf’ and sure enough, by the time I get back home in the evening, it would have been done!”

7. Understand your child’s method of learning (visual, auditory, kinaesthetic)

All children learn in different ways. Some children process information easily when they see it, some when they hear it and some when they have practical knowledge of it and can touch it.
It is important to understand which category your child falls under, mostly because this will help them understand information better and the learning will be more long term than short term.

• Visual – Children who are visual understand information better when they are able to see it. In this case, the child will be able to concentrate better if she is allowed to read the information and write it down as well.
• Making flash cards – If your child is learning spellings or even concepts, writing them down on small cards and repeatedly showing them to her will help her understand and learn these concepts that much faster.
  

• Drawing – Asking the child to draw what he is studying may also help him visualize the material better. A bonus is that this also helps his fine motor skills to develop.
• Doodling – Often, we see our children scribbling while studying and think that they’re distracted but what really happens is that the doodling helps them recall what they have been studying at that point and so remembering it at a later stage becomes easier.
• Auditory – Children who learn better when they hear information are auditory in nature.
• Reading aloud – Children who are auditory in nature learn better by reading the material aloud or listening to someone else reading. In this regard, they might find audio books more helpful than paperback books.
  
• Music – Listening to music while studying may also help these children increase concentration and remember better.
• Kinaesthetic – Children who are kinaesthetic need to be able to touch and feel their subject matter to understand and process it better. For these children, learning by practical applications may be more helpful than reading aloud or writing. “When my child was learning about planets, I took him to the planetarium and when we got back home, we sat together and made a model of the solar system and coloured it. Ever since then, he has never forgotten the order of the planets or which planets have rings etc.” says Nina, mother of 5-year-old Prakash.
  

8. Prepare your child for the next task

When your child is busy, tell him what he has to do next, but allow a few minutes, till he stops and starts the new activity.
This helps, especially when a child is engaged doing something he likes and enjoys doing, since there would be reluctance to stop what he is doing and start something else.

9. Set short time goals for better concentration

Set a time limit for the completion of a goal. If it is studying, then you can say that a certain number of pages need to be done within twenty minutes.
Keep in mind that the average time for an adult to concentrate completely is about 42 minutes and so the concentration span of a child would be much less. Therefore, it would be wise to have shorter time limits such as 15 minutes to 20 minutes.

Another thing to keep in mind is that while some children thrive under time goals, other children might feel pressurized and may start feeling anxious and lose focus.

10. Reward system
Rewards don’t necessarily have to be tokens such as chocolates or toys.
They can also be in the form of praise or even further studying! Says Anushka, mother of 7 year-old Mansi, “My daughter loves to solve maths problems so as a reward for studying Hindi which she hates, I allow her to do a page of sums.”
This is sure to help build and increase concentration, right?

11. Allow time for distractions

Kids are naturally energetic and exuberant. Giving them time to vent out their energy once their time limit for a task is up may actually help them focus better on the next task!
It would help if your child did something completely different during this time.
For example, Shantha, grandmother of 8 year-old Shifrah says, “When I’m teaching my granddaughter spellings, we do 10 spellings at a time after which I allow her to run or skate around the house for a minute or two. I find that this helps her focus on the next 10 spellings.”
She finds that mixing a physical activity with a mental activity is very effective.

Giving time to vent out energy may help children focus better on the next task!

12. Use energy effectively

Some children have high energy in the mornings while others have high energy in the evenings.
Studying or doing activities during this time will help your child focus better on the task at hand.
Always start your child on the tougher activities during his high energy time.
As energy levels go down, you can always switch to a lighter activity.

This will help to increase concentration power!
13. Deep breathing and imagery
Combining simple relaxation techniques such as deep breathing with positive visual imagery helps the brain to improve or learn new skills.
For instance, you can ask a child to close her eyes and imagine that she is paying attention in class.
In her imagination, what can she see?
What can she hear? What is distracting her?
You can further ask her to imagine how she would take care of those distractions.
Once she is able to clearly picture this, you will find that her behaviour at school also changes!

Conclusion

Like any skill, concentration can be improved and made automatic. The trick is to be consistent. These 13 tips to increase concentration power are a win/win solution, because they not only help improve concentration but also strengthen the relationship that you have with your child.

Don’t forget to share these tips to your friends & family. And do let us know which worked best for you & your child, in the comments below.

10 Ways to Increase Your Concentration

1. Understand what concentration is: “Concentration is taking your mind off many things and putting it on one thing at a time.”
2. Decide what you want to concentrate on. In many ways, you become what you focus on — that is, you take on some of its characteristics. Have you ever noticed how couples who have been married for many years start to look like each other, or how people often come to resemble their pets, their cars, their hobbies, or their work projects?
3. Watch other people concentrating. Go see a good action movie. In the middle of it, look around at the people in the theater. What are they doing? They are absolutely still, eyes barely blinking, and their breath is slower. It would take a really major distraction to break their attention stream. These physical signs may give you a hint about ways to increase your own concentration abilities.
4. Avoid constant sensory input. Multi-tasking (trying to do more than one thing at a time), loud noises, and visual stimulation (such as from a T.V.) make concentration much more difficult, and being around them or doing them too much can put you into a habit of non-attention which can be hard to break.
5. Make it a point to put your full concentration on whatever you are doing. Don’t let anything distract you. It really helps to be in a quiet place, but you can learn to block out noise if necessary.
6. Stay calm. Deep concentration is a matter of increasing or directing your life-force or conscious, cosmic energy. The more of this kind of energy you have, the better. Scattered energy doesn’t help. It must be calm, focused energy. Learn to be calmly concentrated and be concentratedly calm.
7. Learn techniques to increase and control your energy. One such technique is Paramhansa Yogananda’s Energization Exercises. Controlling your energy is an important first step toward the ability to concentrate deeply.
8. Take breaks. Go outside and breathe deeply or take a brisk walk. Make yourself do this often and you’ll be able to return to your task recharged and ready to focus more creatively.
9. Learn to meditate. Meditation is the most powerful of all concentration enhancement techniques. Learn a few simple meditation techniques and practice them at least five minutes daily.
10. While meditating, watch your breath — don’t control it in any way, just observe. This teaches you to focus your mind on one thing at a time. As you observe your breath, it will slow down, along with your mind (this is scientifically well-documented), and you move into a dynamic, peaceful (but not sleepy) state of being. Your mind will become recharged and creatively receptive.
    

10 tips to crack your first job interview

Appearing for a job interview for the very first time can be a nerve racking experience, to say the least! You are a novice, fresh in the industry with no substantial experience other than a few internships that may not count at all. Face-to-face interaction with your employer is your only chance to make a lasting impression and get you hired for your first job.

But how can one do this? What we have here for you are the 10 tips that will help you face and successfully crack your first job interview.

1. Know The Company - Know About The Business

This goes without saying! This is what any employer expects from you and they aren’t wrong! Research well about the company you are applying for and know their aim, mission, vision, values and functions. Using this information in your answers will create the right impression in front of your employer. The research is the first and foremost task that you need to do before appearing in any interview.

2. The Introduction - Watch What You Say!

‘Tell me about yourself’ is every employers favorite question! So be confident in your approach while you tell them about yourself. 

3. What Can You Offer?

Thoroughly know the job title you are applying for, the responsibilities and why you are fit for the job. Remember a wide specturm of opportunities awaits you. so, for every point that you make, try to have an instance where you have used that quality.

4. Act Confident Without Hesitation

This can be quite a task considering it’s the first time you are sitting for an interview but you have to pull off this lie. You have to act confident and make the employer feel that you have it all together and perfectly fit the job. Only confidence can get you there without much hassle.

5. Never Lie In Your Resume 

Lying can backfire! The person sitting in front of you has ample experience of interviews and can easily know when you are faking it. So keep it real and only write in your CV, what you have actually achieved.

6. Dress Well 

"Job interview prepration" is not as formidable as it sounds. No one can stress enough on the fact that in case of an interview, ‘The first impression is the last impression.’ Put on your best clothes (formal of course!) and look neat when going for an interview for the first time or otherwise.

7. Have Your Questions Ready

Be observant and notice what’s going around you. Once the interviewer is done asking you questions, it is going to be your turn. Return the favor! Ask if you have any questions about the company and the role they are offering you. Just make sure they don’t come across as offensive or rude.

8. Be Eager To Learn

It’s okay to not know everything! If you get stuck on some questions and don’t know what to say, politely let the interviewer know. But also make it a point to ask what the answer was once they are done with all the questions. This shows your eagerness to learn, which is often considered useful from an employer point of view.

9. Deep Breathe 

More than anything else, it’s the anxiety that ruins most interviews. Just before entering the room, take a few deep breaths and relax your nerves. Trust me, It always helps!

10. Thank You Mail 

Whether or not you are hired, make sure you send the employer a thank you mail after the interview telling them how glad you are to get this opportunity and how you hope to get selected for the same.

So get going and all the best for your job interview preparation!

10 Interviewing Rules

Advance prep will help you stay calm during your next job interview.

In the current job market, you'd better have your act together, or you won't stand a chance against the competition. Check yourself on these 10 basic points before you go on that all-important interview.

1. Do Your Research

Researching the company before the interview and learning as much as possible about its services, products, customers and competition will give you an edge in understanding and addressing the company's needs. The more you know about the company and what it stands for, the better chance you have of selling yourself in the interview. You also should find out about the company's culture to gain insight into your potential happiness on the job. 

2. Look Sharp

Select what to wear to the interview. Depending on the industry and position, get out your best interview clothes and check them over for spots and wrinkles. Even if the company has a casual environment, you don't want to look like you slept in your outfit. Above all, dress for confidence. If you feel good, others will respond to you accordingly. 

3. Be Prepared

Bring along a folder containing extra copies of your resume, a copy of your references and paper to take notes. You should also have questions prepared to ask at the end of the interview. For extra assurance, print a copy of Monster's handy interview take-along checklist. 

4. Be on Time

Never arrive late to an interview. Allow extra time to arrive early in the vicinity, allowing for factors like getting lost. Enter the building 10 to 15 minutes before the interview. 

5. Show Enthusiasm

A firm handshake and plenty of eye contact demonstrate confidence. Speak distinctly in a confident voice, even though you may feel shaky. 

6. Listen

One of the most neglected interview skills is listening. Make sure you are not only listening, but also reading between the lines. Sometimes what is not said is just as important as what is said. 

7. Answer the Question Asked

Candidates often don't think about whether they are actually answering the questions their interviewers ask. Make sure you understand what is being asked, and get further clarification if you are unsure. 

8. Give Specific Examples

One specific example of your background is worth 50 vague stories. Prepare your stories before the interview. Give examples that highlight your successes and uniqueness. Your past behavior can indicate your future performance. 

9. Ask Questions

Many interviewees don't ask questions and miss the opportunity to find out valuable information. The questions you ask indicate your interest in the company or job. 

10. Follow Up

Whether it's through email or regular mail, the interview follow-up is one more chance to remind the interviewer of all the valuable traits you bring to the job and company. Don't miss this last chance to market yourself.

It is important to appear confident and cool for the interview. One way to do that is to be prepared to the best of your ability. There is no way to predict what an interview holds, but by following these important rules you will feel less anxious and will be ready to positively present yourself.

How to pray : 21 Ways to Build a Stronger Spiritual Life

Because we live in a culture that increasingly leans toward commercialism, materialism, and secularism, it is not always easy to keep the soul nourished.

The challenge of these days, when times are not hospitable to spiritual growth, is how to nuture, feed, heal, restore, and renew the soul. Here are 21 practical suggestions for building a stronger spiritual life.

1. Be a river, not a swamp.

The Bible says: “Rivers of living water will flow from the heart of those who believe in me” (John 7:38, margin).* Remember, it is the mountain stream that carries fresh, life-giving water because it flows out. However, the swamp is stagnant and life-devouring. A swamp collects and retains water that comes its way. Don’t be the kind of person who seeks to accumulate much before allowing a little to flow through.

As Christians we are to let blessings flow through us and on to others. When we hoard and dam the blessings in our lives we are in danger of becoming spiritually stagnant, emotionally detached, and intellectually cynical. Resolve to break up the dam and let blessings flow like a river. The freshness is in the flow.

2. Identify blessings.

Too often we go through life oblivious to the good that comes flowing into our lives. Try this spiritual exercise for one week: At the end of the first day, identify a blessing that came to you from a family member. At the end of the second day, a blessing from a neighbor. Third day, from a friend. Fourth day, from a work colleague. Fifth day, from a stranger. Sixth day, from a child. On the seventh day, a blessing that came from an “enemy.”

3. Be like Moses-speak words of blessing.

One of the most beautiful and compassionate passages in the Bible contains these words of blessing pronounced by Moses:

May the Lord bless you and protect you.
May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace
(Numbers 6:24-26).

Get creative with language, and speak words that will uplift, encourage, hearten, and bless other people. As you build them up, your own spirit will get stronger.

4. Nurture a shared prayer life.

Increase the amount of time you spend in prayer by sharing in prayer with others. Some ways to do this include:

Letting friends know you are always available for prayer.
Attending regularly held prayer groups.
Participating in a prayer chain.

5. Take a step of faith.

Spiritual growth means taking a leap of faith from time to time. Rather than trying to get everything in place before you start something important, why not follow God’s leading and allow the plan to evolve? This means taking a step of faith and trusting God to provide what may be needed for success.

6. Restore someone’s faith.

Today, make time to heal a wounded heart, to extend kindness to someone who really needs a friend, or to help gather up pieces of a broken dream. Today, do whatever you can to radiate God’s unconditional love.

7. Be a grateful person.

Start every day with a morning prayer of gratitude to God for the gift of a new day. Do this even if the day ahead appears ominous. Conclude every day with an evening prayer of gratitude to God for the gift of the preceding hours. Do this even if you’ve had a very tough day.

8. Share the journey.

Hook up with one other person who is seeking to grow spiritually. Agree to meet once a week for a period of time to study and reflect on spiritual matters. A friend of mine, who is a busy executive in Toronto, Ontario, met for six months with another man to do Bible study. “No matter how hectic our schedules, we always met each week during our lunch hour at a downtown church that kindly provided us with a room for our meeting. Those were good months when a lot of spiritual growth took place,” he says.

9. Serve.

Look for ways to serve the community, especially tasks that promise no reward, such as picking up litter on the streets. Read and reflect on the action of Jesus in John 13:1-5.

10. Cultivate a little solitude.

“Solitude makes us tougher toward ourselves and tenderer toward others; in both ways it improves our character,” noted philosopher Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche. Spend some time away from the crowd and the noise of life. Set aside a few minutes to be alone-just you and God. In quietness we turn our minds away from the problems of life and fix our thoughts on the mind of God.

11. Fast and pray.

Prayer linked with fasting was often done by people in the Bible. Ezra 8:23 reports: “So we fasted and earnestly prayed that our God would take care of us, and he heard our prayer.” The next time you are asked to pray urgently for someone in difficulty, consider combining your praying with some fasting.

12. Turn worries over to God.

This is a clear teaching of Scripture: “Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you” (Psalm 55:22). Do this each time a worry crops up.

13. Spread love wherever you go.

That is the advice of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who advised: “Spread love everywhere you go: First of all in your own house. . . . Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting.”

14. Keep your priorities straight.

Know what is ultimately important and what is not. Consider the words of former President George Bush: “I am blessed with a close and wonderful family, and I want to spend the rest of my life letting them know how much I love them and appreciate them,” he said. “One of my most important accomplishments, one I am still working on, is to be a huge success in the grandfather business. I would like to be remembered for integrity, service, and family.”

15. Strive for excellence.

The Bible tells us: “Whatever you do, do well” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). Be the best that you can be at whatever station in life God has placed you.

16. Use it or lose it.

God has generously endowed each of us with unique gifts and talents. Make use of them or you will run the risk of losing them. “Use your gifts faithfully, and they shall be enlarged; practice what you know, and you shall attain to higher knowledge,” noted ninteenth-century poet Sir Edwin Arnold.

17. Meditate on Scripture.

The Bible is loaded with verses of comfort, encouragement, and wisdom. Make it a habit to read and study your Bible in a regular, disciplined way. Highlight verses that speak to you. Meditate on those words. Memorize some of the passages so you can recall them from memory at a future time.

18. Be reliable.

Do what you say you will do-whether it’s convenient or not. Follow through on all of your commitments, large and small. By your actions, show others you are a person who can be trusted and counted upon.

19. Ask God to make you a blessing today.

A great way to grow in wonder and amazement is by asking God to turn your life into a blessing. Do this each morning before resuming your daily activities. Offer a short, simple prayer like this one: “Dear God, on this day make my life a blessing to someone, somewhere.” Then pay close attention to every person you encounter during the day, as God will honor your prayer, sometimes in surprising ways.

20. Spend time in nature.

This was something done by the psalm writers, and they gleaned spiri-tual lessons from their time in nature. “The heavens tell of the glory of God. The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship” (Psalm 19:1). “When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers-the moon and the stars you have set in place-what are mortals that you should think of us, mere humans that you should care for us?” (Psalm 8:3,4). “Mountains rose and valleys sank to the levels you decreed. Then you set a firm boundary for the seas, so they would never again cover the earth” (Psalm 104:8, 9).

21. Exercise your power of choice.

No matter what happens to you, you always have the freedom to choose. You can select joy over despair. You can select love over hate. You can select forgiveness over revenge. You can select growth over stagnation. Remember that a crisis can evoke the best in us or the worst in us. The choice is ours!