What’s the most difficult thing you face when you are sitting with your child trying to make them study or wanting them to focus on their homework? Sometimes its physiologically impossible to get your child to focus and you struggle to figure it out, but fail. Unlike other blogs you read here on our site, we decided to step it up a notch today and get some practical information to help you boost your child’s energy and get them to focus. Make the focus not just on the studies but also on their extracurricular activities while practically improving their health. We are attempting to get the information to you via our nutritional panel, on how to boost your child’s attention span, how to get them be more energetic, how to help their brain be more alert and more focused on the task that they are performing.
Why is it important to improve the attention span right from a young age?
Initially, because the brain is still developing at a rapid rate until the age of twenty, post which, the development slows down. Furthermore, all the crucial academic decisions are to be taken by the time your child is twenty. So at each stage clearing the exams, getting into a good secondary school after year 6, entrance exams, competitive tests such as 11Plus and of course admission in universities undoubtedly, requires a strong brain. Performance of your child in each of these set goals in academics depends on how you help your child with their studies. With a focused brain, a brain trained to solve complex academic problems, will help your child clear all hurdles without any hiccups.
As a parent and a teacher your first subconscious goal is the well-being of your child. You focus so much on their overall health, but for a growing child it’s very important to feed them nutritious food. Now there are certain foods which target the brain and its alertness. They help your child assimilate the information better, pay more attention on practical subjects where its most needed like Math’s, Science and boost memory for subjects like History, Geography, Languages etc. Even if your child is extremely attentive and healthy, this food will only add to their health and do no harm at all.
Why is it so important to focus on diet related to brain functionality?
While there are numerous physiological ways to boost a child’s attention, those will fail if the diet is not correct. Optimum nutrition is essential to help perform any kind of mental or physical activity. I can’t run if my calcium and iron are out of sync. I can’t be happy if my serotonin levels are not in place. I cannot focus if my vitamin D3 is out of order.
So let’s get started on what can be done to maintain your child’s brain health.
1. Nuts to the rescue
We all know how beneficial the nuts are, being full of healthy fats and proteins. There are certain nuts that specifically work for the brain. I don’t need to say it out loud as you already would have guessed it; Walnuts & almonds.
Walnuts are rich in calcium, folate, magnesium and fiber. All of which are great for the brain development. If added to your children`s diet they also help control childhood obesity. We recommend 1-2 walnuts daily with breakfast.
Almonds are rich in vitamin E, which is necessary for growth. Almonds boost the immune system and also help in enhancing the memory. 4-5 almonds daily can totally benefit a student of any age.
2. Eggs all the way
I am sure everyone eats eggs for protein sake, but did you know that the same protein is crucial for brain development. It’s been proven to improve the attention span in children, boosting memory and helping them concentrate better. Choline, B12 and selenium in eggs, help boost the cognitive function in abundance.
How can you serve it better: Poached or boiled or scrambled , or stir it up with the greens. Try putting an egg yolk into a milkshake (they won`t even notice) Anything will work, well that’s the best part about eggs!!!
3. Full fat yogurt
Fat is super important for the brain , hence full fat yogurt which is enriched with good fatty acids, and huge amounts of vitamin B12 can instantly kick in energy and increase the attention span. The neurotransmitters and the enzymes especially benefit from full fat yogurt. Neurotransmitters help relay the information, so you can figure out how important it is to keep them functional. Good carbs in yogurt also help boost the much required energy, that’s a good bye to refined sugars!
I actually did a full-fledged experiment once on myself. I consumed Greek full fat yogurt for ten days and by 11th day, my daytime lethargy was gone and I could feel more energy and I felt that I am able to retain the things that I was reading or working on. I definitely worked better. Not to mention, my stomach and intestines were feeling rejuvenated.
4. Oatmeal
I know that everyone eats oats for fiber, but this fiber not only keeps your intestines clear but also your brain arteries clear. Most kids eat fortified cereal for breakfast, which maybe full of sugar. Although sugar gives a pseudo energy boost to the brain, it’s an unhealthy option. So, its oatmeal all the way. Replace the sugars with some healthier options like honey. Even if you try to switch to oatmeal twice a week, it will give your child a great deal of benefit.
Now how do you include all these options in the daily diet of your child? It`s super easy isn’t it. Everyday breakfast habits need to modify just a little bit and you are good to go for the whole day. Of course there are loads of other things that boost the brain health, but I picked the easiest four simple options that actually work. There are so many kinds of fruit, fatty fish or green vegetables that can do the same kind of work, but these are often included weekly in some way or another. It’s the simple things that are missed out from the diet. You can certainly start the family day (why not?) with some walnuts and almonds, followed by mixing the oats in fatty yogurt and honey , alternating it with eggs every other day. Keep it simple and keep it healthy.
With multiple activities to tend to, and multiple subjects to focus upon, diet becomes crucial. Other than diet, it’s important to focus on the schedule. At Champs Learning, we focus on the schedules and discipline critically. This now, is so ingrained in our staff and our students. Why don`t you give it a trial and see for yourselves?