First the work, then the mobile phone!

Does learning with a mobile phone work? Parents often argue about this with their children. We have put together some tips on how to help your child make efficient use of learning time .

Do you recognise this situation? Your child sits down to do their homework on their mobile phone and assures you: «I'm learning together with my classmates.» Translated, this means that once your child has read the first three sentences, they complain to their friends about the material. This quickly turns into 15 minutes. Back at homework time, your child has to repeat the sentences they've read before they despair at the amount still ahead of them - and everything starts all over again.
However, concentration is not just a matter of willpower. Children need control mechanisms in order to concentrate and think. The most important mechanisms are: Self-control, planning and working memory. If these skills are well developed, learning is easy. However, in order for these mechanisms to develop, they need training. The following training tricks can help.

Trick 1: Only five minutes left

If your child's concentration keeps breaking down or if they want to pursue real or imagined needs out of habit, answer: «Just five more minutes!» Sometimes five minutes is enough and your child will dive back into the topic. If not, your son or daughter has at least concentrated for another five minutes.

Trick 2: Plan

Help your child to start learning with a planning phase. This will teach your child to concentrate on what is important. They list the open tasks individually and assess them according to difficulty or duration. What your child starts with is up to them. While some will tackle the most difficult task right at the start, others prefer to warm up with one or two small tasks before starting a longer and more intensive work phase. If the mountain of material seems unbelievably large, this method helps to divide the workload into chunks.

Trick 3: Go offline

The most obvious thing is often not easy: switch off your smartphone to avoid looking at it regularly. If this is not an alternative, it can also be flight mode or offline apps. This allows you to block individual applications for a specific period of time. This allows your child to continue using their mobile phone for systematic learning. Studies show that the mere presence of a smartphone can be distracting - even without flashing or buzzing. So if there's no other option: put the smartphone away.
Activities such as yoga, autogenic training or mindfulness exercises are also helpful for concentration. They promote self-discipline and help develop character. And they do good - not only for children and young people, but perhaps also for parents.

On Medienstark you will find tips and interactive learning modules for the competent use of digital media in everyday family life. swisscom.ch/medienstark