Do you know this problem: You're really well-versed in a subject and have prepared thoroughly for a test or exam? But after just a short time into the exam, you can no longer concentrate on the topic and the questions? Are you worried that you won't pass the exam because of it? Then you're not suffering from laziness or poor preparation, but rather from a lack of concentration .

This lack of concentration can occur as early as childhood and affects all age groups. Medical jargon generally doesn't refer to it as a "disorder" or "illness," but a lack of concentration is often considered a serious problem. So, there's no need to be embarrassed if you find yourself unable to concentrate properly after a short period of time.

For many, external circumstances are the underlying cause of this weakness. However, you can actively address this problem. With a few special exercises to improve concentration, you can correct a mild to moderate deficit.

The right environment promotes concentration

Whether you're a child, an academic, or in your daily work life, anyone who wants to achieve good mental performance needs the right work environment. So our tip for you: tidy up! A messy desk is a real distraction for the eyes, making concentration significantly more difficult. It's also important for children to have the right environment for doing their homework. A child-friendly desk, for example, looks like this:

As few distracting stimuli as possible—both visual and acoustic. This also implies that, in addition to a tidy and orderly environment, there should be no sources of noise that could distract the child.

Disturbing factors can be:

• Siblings
• Noise from outside
• Parents who watch TV or listen to the radio loudly while their child is supposed to do homework
• Radio or music in the room
• TV in the room
• Internet (especially tempting for teenagers to have a quick chat with friends while doing homework – be sure to turn it off and avoid it!)

All of these distractions should be reduced as much as possible. The same applies, of course, to anyone who also has difficulty concentrating when distractions are right in front of them.

Age-appropriate exercises for high educational effect

Fundamentally, people are only able to concentrate on one thing for a certain period of time. This applies to both children and adults. To help you gradually extend this period, there are various exercises to promote concentration . These exercises and tasks, when practiced regularly, should help you slowly but steadily improve your concentration. Exercises to promote concentration should always be age-appropriate. Of course, it doesn't make sense to have children solve tasks for adults, or for adults to complete tasks for children. You won't achieve any beneficial effect that way.

Special programs are available online, but professional literature can also be the right approach to finding the right exercises for you or your child. It's especially important that you don't overtax yourself or your child. Therefore, it's important to always work slowly and in steps, and to praise children regularly. This promotes motivation and makes it easier for children to continue with the concentration training.

Promoting concentration through experiences of success

Concentration exercises train your memory and simultaneously provide positive experiences when mentally focusing on a topic. This creates a sense of achievement , which in turn strengthens your confidence in your own abilities. This positive dual effect makes these exercises so effective, regardless of your age. Concentration exercises are just as valuable for children as they are for adults who feel overwhelmed by the daily flood of information.

There are numerous exercises for everyday concentration training , for example, at lern-training.net or specifically for children in the online forum hallo-eltern.de . These exercises are ideal for integrating into your daily routine and can be completed, for example, during a bus ride.

Training self-awareness especially in children

Perception exercises promote self-control . They are especially important when children are easily distracted and react intuitively to internal and external stimuli instead of staying on topic. Through perception exercises, they learn to distinguish between relevant and unimportant lines of thought and to focus specifically on a topic.

An ideal exercise for controlling distracting impulses is to use a gong to alert the child to digressions during conversations. The impulses that led to the digression are noted in key words. This not only makes the distracting impulses more conscious, but also teaches children to independently recognize and let go of off-topic thoughts.

Another way to become aware of one's own thoughts and feelings and avoid negative behavioral patterns in stressful situations is to analyze suitable everyday examples and practice optimal courses of action to specifically avoid conflicts. In this way, children learn to direct their actions in such a way that they lead to the desired results, thereby fostering determination and the ability to think independently.

Clear solution strategies that point to a concrete way out of the situation are important. Only when the child in question recognizes problem situations and knows how to influence them can they develop the necessary motivation to solve problems constructively. You can find further information on this in our magazine article " Difficulty Concentrating in Children ."

Concentration-enhancing learning techniques

Study techniques help you avoid stressful situations and provide practical support when things get tricky. This way, students can, for example, improve time management, overcome test anxiety, or learn how to successfully prepare for presentations and tests by structuring the material.

Many learning methods can be used effectively to improve concentration, not only when preparing for the next test, but also in your studies and professional life. These include mind mapping , visualization , and creating flashcards for systematically learning vocabulary, data, formulas, and definitions. It's best to try them out for yourself and see which learning method suits you best!