Experts Say This Is the Key to Improving Kids’ Attention Spans

In a world of instant gratification, kids are accustomed to being rewarded. Tap a button, and bright animations explode on the screen. Press a fidget toy bubble, and there’s an immediate, satisfying pop.

It’s all fun and games (literally) until you notice them struggling to stay focused in school or having routine meltdowns when asked to sit at the dinner table. When kids are used to constant, rapid rewards, slower experiences—reading a book, or practicing a new skill—can not only feel less enticing but also frustrating for them and you.

So, how can you meaningfully improve the attention spans of little ones and big kids alike? Especially when, let’s be honest, you probably struggle with your own procrastination scrolling too.

Attention is a combination of nature and nurture, says Anna Malia Beckwith, M.D., AVP of ambulatory medical practices and section chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Children’s Specialized Hospital in New Jersey.

For example, there are known genetic components that put certain kids at risk for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but external factors, including the number or type of distractions, and even tiredness and hunger, can make a big difference in anyone’s ability to focus, Dr. Beckwith says.

In a modern world filled with unavoidable distractions and toys and tech built to provide a steady diet of low-effort rewards, it's natural that many parents would be worried about their kids' attention spans—even if ADHD isn't top of mind.

But here’s the thing: It’s developmentally appropriate for kids—particularly young kids—to have short attention spans. Their growing brains haven’t learned the necessary skills.

Attention requires activation of the frontal and parietal lobes in the brain, Dr. Beckwith says. Both of these areas rapidly mature in infancy and adolescence, but don’t fully develop until the mid-20s.

Executive functioning, which includes cognitive skills such as working memory, emotional self-regulation, task initiation, planning, and problem solving, is also key to being able to hold your attention, and these skills only happen with age and experience, says Dr. Beckwith.

“This is a critical piece of information, as parents should not expect a child to attend to a task for the same duration, or with the same intensity, as the adult,” she says. “The child’s brain simply isn’t ready.”

What is certain is that you can expect a gradual improvement in attention span with age, but the pace of that trajectory will be different for each kid over time and even day to day, says Dr. Beckwith.

With age-appropriate expectations in check, how much should you worry about your kid’s concentration skills? This is to say, how much weight should you give to the attention span of a boundless 5-year-old or a phone-obsessed teenager?

“I think the better question is: What is attention actually made of?” says Becky Kennedy, PhD (aka Dr. Becky), clinical psychologist, mom of three, and founder of Good Inside, an online parenting support service. One big thing that feeds into attention is frustration tolerance. “Kids can’t stay with something hard if they haven’t learned that frustration is survivable,” she says. It’s more difficult to build this skill when kids are surrounded by modern distractions, entertainment, or rewards that offer a quick-but-satisfying dopamine hit.

What’s more, a child’s ability to stay on task (even briefly) tends to affect not only the play time or project itself, but other aspects of their daily lives, says Carina Fischer, a high school teacher, mom, and content creator, who shares DIY activities and play ideas for babies and littles on her account @prepandplay.toddlers.

“Intellectually, sustained engagement through play allows children to explore ideas more deeply, like repeating actions, testing cause and effect, and practicing different skills,” she says. “Socially, children who can stay with an activity are often better able to participate in back-and-forth interactions, whether that’s playing alongside another child or engaging with an adult. Emotionally, when children feel overwhelmed or overstimulated, attention is often the first thing to fall apart.”

The good news is that you can start building a foundation of resilience from an early age. The first step is to “think about your child’s relationship with frustration and your relationship with your child’s frustration,” Dr. Becky says. “Kids can’t learn to tolerate feelings we don’t tolerate in them.”

When a child gets frustrated, avoid the two extremes of either scolding them or rescuing them. Instead, acknowledge their feelings (“You’re right; this is hard”), then offer support. “They may keep whining or need a break, but over time, this builds frustration tolerance, and that’s a big building block for attention later,” Dr. Becky says. “A child who has learned that discomfort won’t overwhelm them becomes a child who can eventually stay with the effort required to focus, even when the reward isn’t immediate.”

Research has shown that kids who spend a lot of time on screens tend to have more socioemotional problems. Maybe that doesn't surprise you. But, here’s the thing: To cope with all those big feelings, they often turn to the very thing that stoked the fire in the first place: screens.

A January 2026 report from the American Academy of Pediatrics, published in Pediatrics as well as in an accompanying policy statement, noted that it’s not just about limiting the time kids spend in front of screens, but the type of content they consume, and the behavior modeling they witness among caregivers that matters.

The bottom line per the AAP: Tech that’s designed to support healthy development has its place; unfortunately, the goal of many games, shows, or social media platforms in today’s online ecosystem is focused on keeping kids (and heck, adults) obsessively glued to the screen.

Screens turn kids into passive recipients of nonstop stimulation, says Dr. Becky. Over time, the brain starts to expect novelty and entertainment with little or no effort everywhere, which makes it much harder to commit to challenging tasks that take longer to deliver that sense of accomplishment.

“This doesn’t mean screens are bad or that parents are doing something wrong,” Dr. Becky says. “It means screens are powerful, and powerful things require intention.” Think of screen time as a tool—sometimes a necessary one. “What matters is whether the tool is working for your family or against it,” she says.

If you notice more dysregulation, meltdowns, rudeness, or quick frustration in your kid, these may be signs to limit screens or make changes to how they engage with them, says Dr. Becky.

Screens can become the only way a child knows how to be alone. To reduce dependency, build independent play skills, she says. Completely remove screens from their sight and tell them, “You play, I’m nearby.” Start small with just two minutes, and slowly add time until you get 10, 20, and then 30 minutes of independent play. “You’re not just reducing screens; you’re expanding your child’s capacity to entertain themselves, which supports attention long-term,” says Dr. Becky.

When screens are being used, remember how and what they watch matters, too. There are three important factors to consider, according to Dr. Becky:

• Size: A TV is generally better than an iPad or handheld device, which are more face-to-face, all-consuming, and swipe-driven.
• Pace: Following one slow storyline supports attention better than a constant stream of fast-paced video clips. Even if the short videos are “educational,” the swipe-and-reward loop can have a huge impact on attention.
• Control: A single choice beats autoplay. The latter pulls kids into a pattern of “what’s next?” This bypasses boredom for novelty, which trains their brain to stop paying attention the moment something isn’t 100% fulfilling.

Despite the realities of modern parenting (screens, schedules, burnout), there’s plenty that parents can do to “provide or shape an environment that makes focus more likely to emerge naturally,” says Fischer. This happens mostly through play.

“Play isn’t just something children do when they have excess energy; it’s one of the main ways they regulate,” Fischer says. “When a child is deeply engaged in play, especially play they choose themselves, their nervous system often settles. You’ll see them slow down, their focus narrow, and their mood become more balanced. That’s why a child who seems restless or dysregulated can sometimes suddenly appear calm once they’ve found the ‘right’ kind of play.”

Here, Fischer and Dr. Becky share tips, tricks, and DIY play ideas to encourage longer or more focused stretches of play tailored to any age.

Babies and Toddlers (0–2)

• Keep play toy options limited and play space uncluttered. Too many possibilities can overwhelm babies and littles.
• Don’t feel pressured to try a new activity every day. Repetition is how focus begins.
• Set up “yes spaces” as an antidote to “off-limits” zones in your house. Ex: One kitchen cabinet with plastic tupperware a child can creatively explore on their own. This invites them to pick things that interest them and come up with their own ways to play.
• Remove the pressure to play a certain way. Follow your kid’s lead, even if that means they aren’t playing with a toy the way it was formally intended.

Preschoolers (3–5)

• Offer open-ended items such as art supplies or random toy parts to encourage creativity and endless play that follow their own internal motivations.
• Know when to back off. Resist interrupting independent play—even if it looks repetitive or “boring” to you.
• Choose one theme per play session: vehicles, animals, building, stacking, art. Having multiple versions of a similar toy often leads to richer play than constantly introducing new things. Try one theme (dinosaurs!) for your next play session, or go all in on whatever your kid is obsessed with currently (arts and crafts!) and create a week’s worth of fun.

Elementary Kids (6–9)

• Provide “unscheduled” time every day (even 20–30 minutes) so they can get comfortable when there’s “nothing to do.”
• Resist going into “fix-it mode” for homework and school projects. Instead, sit nearby, stay calm, and help them take steps forward as needed instead of doing it for them.

Tweens and Teens (10–17)

• Protect their focus. Remove phones from the room when it’s study time. Simply putting the screen face down doesn’t count because it’s still within reach.
• Acknowledge when something is hard, and cheer them on. Try saying something like “Ugh, that assignment is really hard. I believe in you. You’ve got this."

The bottom line when it comes to concentration skills in kids at every age is being okay with boredom, according to Dr. Becky. “Attention grows when kids practice being bored, stuck, and effortful,” she says, “with you nearby, believing in your kid’s capacity, not rescuing from the struggle.”