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A successful school year starts with a good home plan. By the time we're a few weeks into each school year, our kids' true colors in terms of learning and behavior habits become pretty clear. While kids are being given time to settle in, it's not too early to start supporting good habits at home for better classroom performance and behavior.

The strategies I want to share with you today can promote better attention for all kids. For children with suspected or diagnosed attention problems, this approach can be key to having a successful school year.

Here are 5 important tips that can go a long way to support your child's attention in school:

1. Collaborate with your child's teacher to create a simple behavior checklist that tracks attentiveness, which can be used at school and sent home daily or weekly. This visual system can be very helpful, even if used for a short time. Once your child shows consistent positive behavior, weekly emails can replace the chart to maintain communication as long as necessary. This way, you can continue to support your child's progress and help them develop healthy self-management skills.

2. Reinforce your child at home for positive classroom behavior. If he loses interest in the current reward system, adjust it to keep him motivated.

3. Help your child practice getting organized by preparing materials and managing transition times, like getting to his seat quickly in the classroom.

4. Talk with your child about paying attention to the teacher and avoiding distractions that interfere with learning. The goal is to gently increase his awareness so he can start taking ownership of his behavior. Use support systems like cues from the teacher, reminders from you, and a behavior checklist between school and home to help him monitor and improve his actions.

5. Keep an eye on your child's homework time or give him small tasks to complete, like writing a note or doing chores, to practice paying attention. Give him feedback, such as "stay in your seat until you're finished" or "keep your eyes on your work". You can also say things like "check your answers" or "make sure all the toys are picked up before telling me you're done".

We love this helpful guidebook filled with practical strategies to help kids get organized.   

Helping kids with executive functioning skills is so important to support healthy attention levels.

This workbook helps kids develop good executive functioning skills to support focus, complete tasks, and foster self-control.

Taking these steps to support your child's attention in school can boost their self-confidence and improve their overall success in the classroom. As they see their own progress, they will feel more motivated and capable. Also, working together with the teacher helps build a strong foundation for your child's overall academic success.

Grab your FREE copy of our Classroom Behavior Chart for preschool and elementary students!

Want to learn more about healthy ways to promote attention for kids? Check out these other HealthSmart! Kids blog posts:

Thinker Helpers for Your Child with ADHD 

Teaching Kids to Stop and Think: Managing Impulsive Behavior

All blog content shared through HealthSmart! Kids is for informational purposes only and not to be construed as medical advice. Always talk with your qualified health care provider for managing your health care needs.