We need calm bodies to be able to settle down and take information in.

When we are calm we are in a place to receive and retain information.

Find a routine or method that works to capture and measure your readiness to take new information in.  (For your child/student). Setting is very important.  Children are very easily distracted and developmentally do not have the tools to discern what is important.  Developing this awareness or minfulness is a very important skill that when shaped will serve them the rest of their lives.

Perhaps sitting in a same place,  or criss cross applesauce, or hands up landed on your knees, and take three deep breaths in and out slowly.

Focus on what or who is right in front of you - close your eyes if looking around distracts you, the goal is to calm to be ready to take information in and to get comfortable, but to remain alert.  Model this for your child.

For younger students keep the time of requested attention to a minute per their year.  Realizing this sounds incredibly short, it is better to be realistic and build on this attending skill then to become frustrated and give up too easily.  This is one reason why young readers books are short -  the length and duration matches their attention span.  3- 5 minutes is realistic, you can work to add to this.

What I like to refer to as "the learning how to learn skills" or early learning skills, are essential for your child as they learn how to be in school, and often this work directly relates to many childrens goals, these may include attending and how to gain attention appropriately.  If they do not learn these skills early this can be a stumbling block to take and apply information and skills.

Have an idea of realistic goals for your child.  Do not allow yourself to get into the comparison game with other students/parents.  You know your child best, you are their first teacher.  Our littles have a wonderful way of letting us know when they are bored or need more, and ready to move along.  When you spend that five minutes on the floor playing or exploring with them, be present, enjoy it and it will support or encourage giving you that same five minutes of trust and attention, then build on it.  Have fun.  Play along like a child...

Please share some of your observations or tips, we all can learn from each other and we are the Mullanphy Little Lions!