Written by
Shefun Jiwani-Ali

Mrs. Shefun Jiwani Ali is the founder and Head Directress of Mosaic Montessori Academy. She has been teaching the Montessori method since 2003, and founded Mosaic Montessori Academy in 2010. Under her guidance, Mosaic Montessori Academy provides educational experiences that are deeply rooted in the Montessori Philosophy.

Mrs. Ali discovered her passion for early childhood education during her time at University. Through her research she learned more about the Montessori method and philosophy. The concepts underpinning the Montessori method resonated strongly with Mrs. Ali.

She completed her degree in education,, and went on to complete her formalized Montessori training at Vancouver Montessori and ECE College. She graduated top of her class, earning valedictorian honors.

Young blonde girl holding four markers with both hands concentrating on her workbook.

10 Tips for Helping Your Child Focus & Concentrate

The world is an exciting but distracting place for children. While learning to perceive the world around them, a child’s focus and concentration are tested — by learning good organizational and study habits, your child can more successfully learn and develop during their youth. At Mosaic Montessori Academy, we are dedicated to helping your child learn how to focus on activities and tasks that are imperative to their growth.

If you have any questions about how to keep your child focused while they are working or studying, please contact us — our friendly and professional staff can help you find the answers that you are seeking.

1. Focus on One Task at a Time

Multitasking may be a valuable skill utilized in everyday life, but it takes time and effort to develop. Multitasking can reduce concentration and diminish performance if it is not developed enough — children will have an easier and more successful time focusing on only one activity, or one smaller part of a larger task, rather than juggling multiple objectives at once. Skipping ahead in lessons or overloading your child with new things to learn can hinder their learning experience.

2. Set a Timer For Each Individual Activity

Children aged 4-5 can typically only concentrate for about 5-20 minutes depending on the task at hand. Focusing on enjoyable activities, one activity at a time, can help your child retain the information they are receiving.

Setting a timer for activities can help your child focus for the full duration of those 5-20 minutes — by knowing there is a limit to how long they need to focus on one task, your child is more likely to stay concentrated. As your child’s ability to concentrate increases, you can increase the full duration of their timer.

3. Utilize a Quiet & Pleasant Study Space

Eliminating distractions in your child’s immediate environment can help them stay focused. If you have the space to do so, set up a study area or room for your child free from extraneous distractions like TVs, cell phones, and other digital devices (unless they are needed for the task at hand). Making the area calm and inviting will help ease the stress of studying or learning for your child.

4. Plan to Take Breaks

After a period of dedicated focus, getting up, moving around, and switching activities can help your child concentrate more successfully. They will benefit from the chance to rest and reset their focus, especially if they are doing after-school homework.

Remember to schedule these breaks — after a certain amount of time you should encourage your child to get back to working or learning.

5. Help Your Child With Organization

If you can help your child organize their workspace and schedule, it can make the process of focusing much easier. By knowing exactly when to work on things and what tools will be needed to complete activities, your child will be able to focus more intently on whatever their current or upcoming objective is.

6. Make a List of Tasks

If your child has difficulty organizing their homework or household chores and completing them on time, it can help to work with them to make a checklist of tasks for them to complete. By segmenting activities and tracking their progress, it can make the action of completing items on the list easier and more satisfying for your child.

7. Don’t Hesitate to Fully Start Activities

The longer you and your child put off starting a task, the harder it can be to concentrate while completing it. By helping your child organize their schedule, you can show them the best time to start working on new tasks. Starting assignments right away or on schedule will also help your child not feel overwhelmed with work.

8. Practice Mindfulness With Your Child

Mindfulness exercises entail activities geared towards paying attention and focusing. One way to practice mindfulness is to sit quietly and focus on breathing. Taking some deep breaths or practicing breathing exercises can get your child into a more focused state of mind before they have to complete a task.

9. Help Your Child to Overcome Distractions

Even if you utilize all of the previously mentioned methods to help your child focus more consistently, there will be times that they grow distracted regardless — it happens to all of us. It is important for both you and your child to create good strategies for regaining focus when it is lost.

Effective methods include coming up with a signal for when your child gets distracted or saying a keyword that lets your child know to try and regain focus on their current activity.

It is also important to openly communicate with your child — if they are distracted for personal reasons, it will help if you sit down and talk to them about how they are currently feeling. Let your child know that you are always there to help them, whatever the reason may be.

10. Make Sure Your Child is Well Rested

A tired mind can have difficulty focusing on anything. Being well-rested will help your child be more successful in their studies and personal life as they will inherently be able to concentrate without growing as tired. If your child is dozing off during homework time or at school, you may want to have a discussion with them about their sleeping habits.

Young brunette girl focusing as she places a coloured magnet onto an associated play sheet.

Why Choose Montessori?

Bringing Joy into Learning

Our classrooms are prepared with authentic Montessori materials, chosen to foster a culture of independence, critical thinking, artful expression, and respect while inspiring a love of lifelong learning.

Experienced Educators

Our founder, who is a Montessori-trained teacher, warmly welcomed our first students in 2010. Since then, we’ve proudly created an enriching learning environment dedicated to guiding children in Calgary.

A Trailblazing Program

The Montessori Method, developed by Dr. Maria Montessori, has pioneered individualized learning, and we are proud to offer an authentic Montessori program.

Bringing Joy into Learning

FAQ

Experienced Educators

Who We Are

A Trailblazing Program

The Montessori Method, developed by Dr. Maria Montessori, has pioneered individualized learning, and we are proud to offer an authentic Montessori program.

Montessori Philosophy

Montessori Helps Develop Skills for Life

Collaboration

Independence

Creativity

Critical Thinking

Motor Skills

Respect

Resources & FAQ

Learn More

Montessori Philosophy

Testimonials

My family and I love Mosaic Montessori Academy, and we are so fortunate to have found them!

My son has been in the program since he was almost 3 and will be graduating and going into Grade 1 this year. I can’t say enough wonderful things about this school and [its] teachers.

Being transplants to the City, we struggled with finding a school for my son as he had never previously been in any group school environment with other children. He went from shy and quiet to a bright and curious boy with many friends and a love of reading!

We could not believe the difference being at Mosaic Montessori has made for him and our family. We are so happy here and can’t wait for our younger child to start soon! Thank you, Mosaic!

Some great positives are:

An excellent child-to-teacher ratio (one of the lowest I’ve found in our area)
Loving and wonderful teachers who lavish care and attention on each child.
A welcoming environment (this school is so much like a big family rather than the institutional feel that some of the big preschools have)
The parents at the school are so welcoming and helpful. We even have a WhatsApp group where we coordinate birthday parties and set up playdates!
Engaging Montessori curriculum (a wonderful curriculum of arts, science, math, reading, singing, and life skills). My child is extremely well-rounded for his age. Not only were his academics above average but he also showed all the other wonderful life skills Montessori teaches. This was one of the reasons that he was accepted into a very selective and competitive class for his Grade 1 school. I’m so proud and excited for him!

Daniel H.

My son graduated from Mosaic this June, and even though he has only attended Mosaic Montessori Academy (Royal Oak campus) for 1 year, it has been an amazing year. We chose Mosaic to ensure he had a great foundation before attending public school.

Every day, we find out something new he has learned. At dinner one night, he went over the Canadian anthem, provinces, their capitals, and flags! He really has come out of his shell and become a confident young man!

Thank you to all the staff for everything!

Daniel G.

I am from a smaller town, and so when I realized how much choice was out there for an education in Calgary, it was daunting and stressful! Every parent wants to pick the right option for their child.

Both my children are girls, yet they couldn’t be more different.

I have never regretted or doubted putting my kids in this school; it has been a blessing. They are very organized and consistent. They teach so many things that kids don’t always get in other preschools. Respect for teachers, other students, patience, [and] everyday courtesy, like letting others have a turn to speak or learn to clean up after themselves.

The setup and science behind the Montessori way are incredible. The activities are fun [and] self-directed, with the guidance of a directress. When I’ve observed 27 kids between the ages of 3–5 in a room, I have been shocked with the orderly, content way the children conduct themselves and respect other kids while there.

Their kindergarten year is the leadership year, and your child is shown how to mentor the younger children in the class. Both of my kids are strong leaders because of this program, and it visibly shows.

My younger daughter can have a strong personality at times but is extremely intelligent and thrives in this setting.

She’s recently shown me each province in Canada (that she meticulously punched out of paper using a pin, a popular activity in class), named each capital city for the corresponding province, and each flag too…amazing for a 5-year-old, right?

She’s also excited to learn to read and has had the confidence to read her book in front of the class thanks to their accepting, respectful class atmosphere.

She’s excited to go to school and learn every day, and her directress, Mrs. Maria, has a magic touch with her—and I truly believe she is getting the best education possible.

I would choose this school over and over again. Thank you for caring so much 🙂

Erin R.

Mosaic Montessori Academy is one of the most profound and exceptional schools in Calgary. Their knowledge and quality of teaching, with their supportive learning environment, is absolutely amazing.

I have seen my child develop reading and writing skills that I could not have taught them myself.

The knowledge they have gained in various aspects of real life is amazing. Mosaic Montessori Academy has allowed me to unlock educational opportunities for my children that helped them build a strong foundation for their school years.

Having my kids join Mosaic Montessori is the best decision I have made for my kids. Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Ali.

Zahra H.

We can’t speak highly enough about Parkdale Mosaic Montessori Academy.

Over the past two years, we have watched our children thrive under the kind and nurturing care of their teachers, each of whom are obviously passionate about what they do and their students. In particular we notice that the teachers genuinely seek to understand our children (their likes and dislikes, strengths and areas of growth etc.) and engage them with that in mind. Independence, which we value, is also encouraged. When we were considering kindergarten, the staff went above and beyond in helping us choose the most suitable option; their guidance was invaluable. Most importantly, our children continue to be excited about school, where they can find friendships and develop their love for learning. Looking back, choosing this school was a wonderful decision.

Thank you!