Evidence-Based Attention Strategies for Kids and Teens

In a world filled with so many distractions, we could all use a boost with strategies to help us focus and concentrate in better ways. This is especially true for kids and teens with growing minds.

Attention is a foundational skill for success. It’s the ability that helps us listen attentively to learn new information, focus on an important goal, and concentrate on a challenging problem. More importantly, kids and teens can absolutely learn new attention strategies to help them tune in, focus, concentrate, and work towards their unique goals.

What does an evidence-based strategy mean? Evidence-based approaches mean that significant research has gone into demonstrating that a particular strategy works. In other words, evidence-based strategies are backed by science and research. One of the best ways to identify evidence-based approaches is to look for meta-analyses. These are essentially reports that review many different studies altogether. Both individual research articles and meta-analyses (when available) are included underneath each strategy to provide supporting evidence.

Each attention strategy targeted below explains what it is, why it works according to the research, and how we can use these strategies to help kids and teens succeed.

Exercise

Regular exercise helps kids focus and learn. A meta-analysis found that physical activity has a positive effect on attention and academic performance overall (de Greeff et al., 2018). The biggest effects of this were found with regular exercise that was continued over many weeks. Additional research specifically highlights that movement embedded into classroom lessons can help increase attention and time on task (Committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education in the School Environment, 2013).

Exercise strategies for kids and teens:

• Start the day with a 10-minute exercise session on your own.
• Take a quick exercise break when you need a mental reset. Try going for a walk or jogging in place.
• Get involved in extracurricular activities that provide exercise such as playing sports.

Exercise strategies for the classroom:

• Start the day with a quick morning exercise routine. Try stretches, jumping jacks, or jogging in place. Students can even lead!
• Embed movement into learning, such as working at different stations or performing exercises while studying new material.
• Use exercise as brain breaks between tasks and transitions.
• Advocate for more physical education and recess time in schools.

Mindfulness and Meditation

Mindfulness is the practice of focusing on the current moment. Mindfulness can be practiced through a variety of different techniques such as mindfulness meditation, mindful breathing, guided relaxation, uses senses to observe and more. Substantial research has been done to show the many different benefits of mindfulness such as improved regulation of behaviors, reduced emotional reactivity, and increased overall well-being (Keng et al., 2013). Specifically when it comes to attention, a meta-analysis revealed that mindfulness practices yield significant positive effects on focused and sustained attention (Verhaeghen, 2021). It is truly one of the most powerful focus tools we can learn and build.

Mindfulness techniques for kids and teens:

• Practice mindful breathing.
• Spend time in nature, mindfully noticing your surroundings.
• Practice mindfulness meditation by sitting in a comfortable position, focusing on your breathing, and noticing the sensations you experience.
• Use guided meditations (many can be found online through audio or video).
• Practice mindful coloring.

Mindfulness for the classroom:

• Add any mindful practice as a brain break between tasks (examples: mindful breathing or mindful coloring).
• Use a daily mindful morning check in or breathing exercise to set the tone for success.
• Make time for mindful lessons and activities to practice together. These can be lessons integrated into SEL time or morning meeting. Find the mindfulness activities, lessons, and games that work best for you.

Breaks

Breaks play an important role when it comes to attention; they provide a short period for our brains to regroup and refresh. In turn, breaks actually increase our productivity and ability to focus. The research supports this. One study investigated the effects of passive breaks (listening to a story) and active breaks (physical exercise). In this experiment, both the passive and active breaks showed significant improvements with attention (Janssen et al., 2014). More in-depth research further explains that breaks from academics help lead to improved attention, more on-task behavior, and overall improved academic performance (Committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education in the School Environment, 2013).

Strategies for breaks for kids and teens:

• Try different styles of breaks and see what works best for you. Passive breaks might include activities like listening to a story or practicing mindful breathing, while active breaks involve physical movement and exercise.
• After completing a task at home, try taking a break before starting your next activity. Notice how the break makes you feel.
• Use a timer to keep your breaks structured (example: a 10 minute coloring break before more study time).

Using breaks in the classroom:

• Give breaks especially between longer lessons and activities.
• Use exercise and movement breaks between tasks and transitions.
• Use calming activities as breaks, such as coloring, drawing, or listening to music.
• Add mindfulness activities into your break routines. Try deep breathing or mindful journaling.
• Use breaks as relationship-building opportunities. Try standing in a circle and tossing a ball. When someone gets the ball, they can answer a “getting to know you” question.

Self-Monitoring

Self-monitoring is the process of checking in with yourself as you focus or complete a task. This technique encourages learners to evaluate, assess, and change their own behaviors along the way, making sure they are aligned with the goal they are working to achieve. For example, a student might pause to check in on their level of attention and realize they are off-task. They can then use strategies to re-engage themselves and get themselves back on track. A meta-analysis showed that self-monitoring is an effective strategy for students with attention needs (Reid et al., 2005).

Self-monitoring strategies for kids and teens:

• Encourage yourself to pause and check in with yourself while completing projects.
• Set a check in timer during longer working sessions. For example, set the timer for 20 minutes. At this time, ask yourself: How am I doing right now? What strategies are helping me? What could I do to improve?
• When working on a task, write a goal of exactly what you want to accomplish. Keep it on a sticky note and return back to it, as needed.
• After completing a task, journal about it. Consider: How did I do? What went well? What could I improve for next time? Write your response and review to help you make changes for the future.

Self-monitoring strategies for the classroom:

• Explicitly teach kids to “check in” with themselves during working sessions by asking: How am I doing? Am I on track? What do I need to be successful?
• Practice making checklists together for longer tasks. Students can check off the list as they go.
• Use a chime to encourage students to pause and check in with themselves during independent work sessions.
• Use reflection questions at the end of the day.

Breathing Techniques

Breathing activities are techniques that involve purposefully focusing on your breath and you inhale and exhale. Breathing techniques are strongly backed by science to improve attention and cultivate calm. One study found that purposeful diaphragmatic breathing help to improve sustained attention, decrease negative affect, and lower cortisol levels (Ma X et al., 2017). It’s important to point out that feeling calm and focused are linked; by using deep breathing to relax your amydala (an area of the brain responsible for emotions), you can calm yourself and become more focused.

Breathing techniques for kids and teens:

• Spend time practicing simple breathing techniques, such as closing your eyes and focusing on inhales and exhales. Do this for short periods of time at first and then lengthen it.
• Use breathing techniques before important focused work, such as just before a test or independent work time.
• Add breathing exercises into the day outside of school, such as before playing in a sports game or before going to sleep.

Breathing techniques for the classroom:

• Introduce breathing techniques with props. A breathing sphere or bubbles are some simple but meaningful ways to visualize the breathing as you learn together.
• Practice breathing exercises together to help calm and focus learners. Try deep breathing at the start of the day, after lunch, or before a test.
• Use engaging breathing activities like “Cool Off the Pizza” and “Cupcake Breathing” as fun ways to remember breathing strategies.
• Keep breathing exercise cards on a ring (or on craft sticks) and return back to them whenever you need a quick brain break.

Mono-Tasking

Mono-tasking is the process of purposefully focusing on one thing at a time. Research explains that when attempting to multitask, we are not actually focusing on two things simultaneously; instead, multi-tasking means task switching back and forth between activities (Gopher et al., 2000). In turn, this reduces our attention and productivity. It also means we make more errors and become fatigued more quickly. Mono-tasking is the solution because it helps to focusing our attention efforts on one goal at a time.

Mono-tasking strategies for kids and teens:

• Choose one focus and set a timer for that task.
• Blocking out time on your schedule for an important task you want to accomplish.
• Get organized. Keeping your materials neat can help you focus on just one thing at a time.

Mono-tasking strategies in the classroom:

• Encourage learners to focus on one task at a time.
• Give organization time before beginning a task.
• Keep directions simple and clear.
• On the board, clearly write what students should be accomplishing for independent assignments.

Nature

A wealth of evidence shows that time in nature settings improves attention and reduces attention fatigue. This idea is often referred to as attention restoration theory. A meta-analysis showed that working memory, cognitive flexibility, and attention control were all areas that showed improvement after exposure to natural environments (Stevenson et al., 2018). When getting outside isn’t an option, simply views of nature can be effective too (Berman et al., 2008).

Nature strategies for kids and teens:

• Spend time outside just enjoying nature and fresh air.
• On nice days, read or write outside.
• Ask friends to spend time in the local park together.

Nature strategies for the classroom:

• Integrate nature into the classroom curriculum when possible, even if it just means bringing a clipboard to write about a nature walk.
• Keep nature visuals around the classroom.
• Integrate mindfulness activities outside.
• Use nature-focused brain breaks to provide relaxation and wonder.

Direct Skill Instruction

Direction instruction is an evidence-based approach that helps kids and teens learn new skills (Hattie, 2018). By directly teaching and practicing the skills that students are struggling with, learners can build their own internal toolbox of strategies. This can encompass a huge variety of skills, depending on what the student needs such as reading, writing, math, task initiation, study skills, and more. Structured strategy instruction can also be beneficial for executive functioning skills (Meltzer et al., 2007). In many ways, this makes sense; if we want kids and teens to learn the skills, we need to teach them and give them the chance to practice.

Direct skill instruction strategies:

• Teach about attention skills, including strategies for staying focused and re-focusing when needed.
• Integrate executive functioning skill instruction into the classroom setting.
• Use peer tutoring to help students learn strategies they are struggling with.
• Use classroom conversations to boost executive functioning skills.
• Consider academic skill instruction in areas where needed, such as support for math, reading, or writing.

Coloring

Coloring is an activity that can help us feel calm and relaxed while boosting focus at the same time. In a research experiment, college students who spent time coloring experienced reduced feelings of anxiety and stronger selective attention (Holt et al., 2019). Another recent study highlighted that students who colored reported big improvements with their ability to concentrate in noisy environments, ability to manage distractions, and their ability to refocus (Suryagayathri, 2024). Keep in mind that this is a strategy for all ages, not just younger learners; even big kids and adults benefit from coloring.

Coloring strategies for kids and teens:

• Color for fun! Find coloring books suited to your interests, such as a coloring book with animals or cars.
• Color or draw for a few minutes before an important activity, like a big test or a sports game.

Coloring strategies for the classroom:

• Integrate coloring activities into classroom lessons and activities (even for older kids). For example, when learning about cells, add in a cell coloring page.
• Use focus coloring pages as a brain break between tasks.

Yoga

Yoga is both a physical and mental practice that involves holding postures for periods of time. A review of 18 studies focused on yoga and attention skills specifically suggests that yoga has significant improvements with attention in children (Yadav et. al., 2022). Other possible benefits include improved memory, reduced feelings of anxiety, and reduced stress.

Strategies for practicing yoga:

• Learn a yoga posture of the week or day. These can be found online or in books.
• Practice mindful breathing as you try yoga postures.

Strategies for practicing yoga in the classroom:

• Practice yoga as a mental and physical brain break between tasks.
• Watch a yoga for kids video and practice together.
• Integrate yoga into physical education time.

Brainteasers and Puzzles

Brainteasers are engaging puzzles to solve. They are fun and engaging while also helping to build focus skills at the same time. A recent 2022 study showed that children engaging with puzzles in a group demonstrated stronger self-regulation and attention skills (Winarsunu & Fasikkhah). Another study in 2016 split children up into two groups, with one group getting time with a brainteasers curriculum three days a week. Students who practiced solving the brainteasers showed an increase in attention span over the control group (Altun et al.).

Brainteaser strategies for kids and teens:

• Find brainteasers and work through them as a mental puzzle.
• Come up with your own brainteasers and share with friends.

Brainteaser strategies for the classroom:

• Post a brainteaser or riddle of the day as a “do now” for kids entering the classroom.
• Use a brain games workbook to solve brainteasers and build executive functioning skills like attention, perseverance, and more.
• Allow kids to do puzzles together in small groups during free time or as a reward.

Sleep

While this isn’t a strategy suited for the classroom, sleep a focus strategy worth noting. In the book Why We Sleep, Dr. Matthew Walker expresses ample research and evidence that explains the importance of sleep on many of our body’s daily functions, including focus. During high-quality sleep, your brain is hard performing many operations to help you focus well the next day. Lacking the proper amount of sleep at night decreases your attention span, reduces your concentration skills, and slows your reaction time (Walker, 2017). Simply put, sleep is a critical element for focus.

Strategies for improved sleep:

• Leaving electronics in a separate room before heading to sleep.
• Give yourself enough time for a full night’s rest by getting to bed early.
• Choose relaxing activities before sleep, such as reading or listening to music.

Choosing Focus Strategies

Keep in mind that as unique individuals, different focus strategies will work best for different people (and at different times). Choose from some of the evidence-based attention strategies above and assess your attention skills as you experiment with new techniques. Focusing on your focus is one of the best ways to help you do and feel your best.