Focusing and directing the attention to different aspects of the world is a vital part of thinking. Teaching a child to ignore distractions and funnel her thoughts to certain aspects will help her make decisions and solve problems.
A fun way to explore attention is to use a big ring, like a hula-hoop. Place the ring somewhere in the room, balcony or garden. If you look through the ring, you see certain aspects. Just like when you are looking through a window, the walls in the room becomes blurred and non- important. Shifting the attention to things that you can see when you look through the ring and when you take the ring away or move it around is a way to discover the importance of focusing the attention.
You can explore questions such as
- Is it the enclosure that makes things stand out more?
- Do we always need to focus our attention on certain aspects?
- Or can we take in everything in the room or landscape?
- Are there other frames in the house? (TV, viewfinder for the phone, camera)
- What happens if you use a square frame?
- Or triangular frame?
Paying attention, for long periods of time, is a form of endurance. A bit like jogging, it requires practice and training. Attention fitness is best practiced like interval training – short periods of focusing attention can be a rewarding activity and fun.
Photo “”Hula Hoop” by pat138241