Focus and Self Control

Darlene, pictured here playing "dress-up" as a child, has taken the leap and submitted our first entry for our blog. She has shared some great thoughts and personal examples, and I think you'll enjoy her perspectives. Happy reading!

The first chapter of Galinsky’s book presented the topics of focus and self control in children. Nineteen suggestions of positive ways to promote these skills were offered by the author. While a majority of the suggestions appeared to be common sense to the typical parent, they could also be easily overlooked. I found that throughout reading the first chapter, the suggestions that were offered were reminiscent of the strategies that my parents and teachers used throughout my own childhood. They also proved to be insightful for a Child Development major such as myself. In addition to that, Galinksy’s suggestions opened my eyes to concepts that I never considered would be beneficial.

As I have previously stated, a number of the suggestions offered by Galinsky reminded me of my younger years. In the twelfth suggestion, the author offered the concept of having children play games with specific rules that need to be followed in order to help their working memory. I personally related to this idea during my childhood and especially liked playing games with rules that I had to abide by; I enjoyed the challenge. Although I did not realize that these games were targeted at improving my memory and focus, they surely accomplished what was intended. Just like Galinsky’s example, “Simon Says” was a game that I really enjoyed. When this game was played with my siblings, I would try my hardest to remember that I could not make a new gesture until I heard my mom or dad say, “Simon says.” In my mind I was not playing the game in order to advance my working memory, but rather simply playing the game for fun competition with my brothers and sisters.

Although I did not personally relate to all of the author’s suggestions, I did agree that the strategies seemed to be helpful tools for children. Galinsky presented the notion that children need to be well rested with a sufficient amount of breaks. As the text states, it seems to be agreed upon by many that it is a necessity for everyone, not just children, to receive an ample amount of rest. Therefore, recess is implemented in schools as a means of giving children that free time to themselves before regaining focus. With that being said, although I agree with Galinsky’s logic, this also raised a few questions in my mind. Are extracurricular activities, such as sports, band, or dance, considered to be ‘breaks’ for children or do they require breaks as well? I pose this question with true inquiry because in today’s society, it seems that children seem to be filled with busy schedules at such a young age. Kids spend their days at school and then immediately jump into an activity straight from school and finish just in time to get home to homework and bed. Although children participate in extracurricular activities for enjoyment purposes, are they able to have fun if their day is not filled with enough breaks? In these instances, I wonder if children are able to fully focus through these busy times.

Last but not least, one of the suggestions in particular in the first chapter of the book opened my eyes to a new concept that was somewhat enlightening to me. The fourteenth suggestion to promote focus and self control for children is to make and follow through with plans. Prior to reading the content of this suggestion, I wondered why children needed to plan ahead because that seemed like something adults should be doing. Galinsky suggested having children at school make lists of their tasks for the day, choose and complete each assignment, and then discuss what was learned. I really liked this concept because it truly does aim to prompt children to focus. If children are exposed to this behavior at an early age, its frequency can make a lasting impression. Like some of the other strategies mentioned by Galinsky, this technique can be carried into adulthood. Numerous adults make lists and plan ahead without even realizing they are doing it.

In conclusion, focus and self control are aspects that people at every age are continually working to improve. Although there are no definite answers as to what is the perfect way to be fully focused and have ultimate self control, there are a number of strategies that help a person refine those skills. Through our everyday experiences we have learned how to adjust ourselves so that we can stay more focused and have control, which therefore leads me to conclude that developing skills at an early age can be more beneficial for the future.