Topic of the lesson: Development of analytical and reasoning abilities. Improving mental operations

Additional education for children

Sivinsky House of Children's Creativity

Municipal budgetary educational institution

"Malosivinskaya secondary school"

Municipal competition of methodological developments

Nomination "developmental activity"

Cognitive development club for 2nd grade children

Physical education teacher

MBOU "Malosivinskaya Secondary School"

^ Lesson topic: Development of analytical and reasoning abilities. Improving mental operations.

Target: expansion of the child’s zone of proximal development and its consistent transfer into a direct asset, that is, into the zone of actual development.

Tasks:

• 
  Formation and development of various types of memory, attention, imagination.
• 
  Formation of a general ability to search and find new solutions, unusual ways to achieve the desired result, new approaches to considering the proposed situation.
• 
  Development of spatial perception and sensorimotor coordination.
• 
  Education of a system of moral interpersonal relations.

Age: 2nd grade

Progress of the lesson:

1. 
   Introductory.

Guys, let each of you take the warmth from this candle into your hands. Give this warmth and good mood to each other. (Children take the warmth from the candle and give it to each other. 1 minute is allotted for a positive attitude during the lesson.)

2. "Brain gymnastics"

Please take your seats. Relax, breathe deeply, relax your shoulders and drop your head forward. Allow your head to slowly swing from side to side as your breath releases tension. The chin traces a slightly curved line across the chest as the neck relaxes. (Perform head shaking for 30 seconds. The exercise stimulates thought processes.)

Draw figure eights in the air three times with each hand, and then with both hands. (The “Lazy Eights” exercise activates the brain structures that ensure memorization and increases the stability of attention.)

- “put on a hat,” that is, gently roll your ears from the top point to the lobe three times. (The Thinking Cap improves attention, clarity, and speech.)

Blink every time you inhale and exhale. (Blinking is useful for all types of visual impairment. Perform for 20 seconds.)

3. Warm-up

What are these places called:

• 
  Where do you accept laundry?
• 
  Where are we being treated?
• 
  Where are cars stored?
• 
  Where are the planes kept?
• 
  Where is food prepared at home?
• 
  Where do clowns work?
• 
  Where do they lend books?

4. Visual memory training

Please open your notebooks to page fifty-four. Find task No. 1. Attention: remember all the drawings and sketch them as accurately as possible. I will show the figures quickly. And you should try to remember not only the main, but also secondary details. (3 seconds are given for each card. Children memorize the images on the cards, and then sketch what they remember in a notebook.)

Now let's check. (The cards are hung on the board.)

Found task number 2. Look at the pictures. What is the difference? Complete in the second picture what the artist forgot to draw. List the completed details. (Answer: 9 differences.)

In the third task, quickly and schematically sketch objects and phenomena that I will name: wall, water, song, wind, laughter, night, light. Now, from your sketches, try to remember which word came first. Second? Third? Fourth? Fifth? Sixth? Seventh?

5^ . Cheerful recess A

Let's rest a little. We reached for the sun. Leaned to the right; left; forward together; now back. Use your left hand to hammer a nail, and use your right hand to iron something. Swap your hands. Does everyone succeed?

6. ^ Logical search tasks

We continue to work. Find task number 4. You need to help Little Red Riding Hood find the way to her grandmother's house. The path to the house is encrypted in the letter. Color the road with colored pencil. (I ask the guys to pick up their notebooks to check the assignment. Answer: house No. 9.)

Next task. Find a violation of the pattern in each line and cross out the extra symbol. (I check the task individually as it is completed.)

Task No. 6 “Typesetter”. Make words from the letters of the word "little mermaid". (Answer: lesson, hand, net, scythe, ray, bow, dew, cancer, bark, pen. I check the task individually.)

Flip the page. Task No. 7. On the snail’s house the names of berries and fruits are written in a spiral. Write them out. You can read from the beginning and from the end, but after one letter . (Answer: strawberries, gooseberries, currants, raspberries, apples, pears, plums, cherries.)

Name the fruits. Name the berries. What is the name of the largest berry? (Watermelon.)

Next task number 8. Crossword puzzle. Do you know school supplies? (Before completing the assignment, we remember once again what applies to school supplies. I check the assignment individually.)

7. ^ Corrective gymnastics for the eyes

Let's rest a little. Exercise “Finger doubles.” Repeat 7 times. (Facilitates visual work at close range. Stretch your hand forward, look at the tip of the finger of your outstretched hand, slowly move your finger closer, without taking your eyes off it, until the finger begins to double.)

- “Keen Eyes.” With your eyes, draw 6 circles clockwise and 6 circles counterclockwise. (Repeat 5–6 times, slowly.)

- “Shooting with the eyes.” Move your eyes from side to side, looking as far to the left as possible, then to the right, then up and down. (Reduces tension in the eye area.)

- “Writing with your nose.” Close your eyes. Using your nose like a long pen, write your address.

8. ^ Graphic dictation. Hatching.

The last task remains to be completed. But first, let's stretch our fingers.

Let's intertwine our fingers,

We'll stretch our arms later.

The fingers will bend a little -

Don't forget to relax them.

(Children interlace the fingers of both hands, then stretch their arms up with the backs of their palms facing them. At the same time, the index, middle and ring fingers bend. After completing the exercise, the children shake their hands several times, relaxing their fingers. Repeat the exercise several times.)

Who are we going to draw today?

The fisherman stood in the water all day.

I filled the bag with fish.

Finished fishing and took the catch.

He rose up and was like that.

Who is this? (answer: pelican)

You will recognize this bird immediately

Branch of the MBOU "Vysokogorsk secondary school No. 3 of the Vysokogorsk municipal district of the Republic of Tatarstan" - "Panovskaya basic secondary school of the Vysokogorsk municipal region of the Republic of Tatarstan"

WORK PROGRAM OF EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Sodomova Elena Vladimirovna

"We design and model"

1 class

2016-2017

Explanatory note

This work program is designed to develop cognitive abilities.

The course “Development of Cognitive Abilities” presents a system of intellectual and developmental activities for children aged 6 years.

The system of tasks presented in RPS classes allows you to solve all three aspects of the didactic goal: cognitive, developmental and educational.

Main goals of the program:

• Cognitive aspect

Formation and development of various types of memory, attention, imagination.

Formation and development of general educational skills.

Formation of a general ability to seek and find new solutions, unusual ways to achieve the desired result, new approaches to considering the proposed situation

• Developmental aspect

Speech development.

Development of thinking in the course of mastering such techniques of mental activity as the ability to analyze, compare, synthesize, generalize, highlight the main thing, prove and disprove.

Development of spatial perception and sensorimotor coordination.

Development of the motor sphere.

• Educational aspect

Education of a system of moral interpersonal relations.

Basic principles of material distribution:

1. systematic: tasks are arranged in a certain order;
2. “spiral” principle: tasks are repeated every 7 lessons;
3. the principle “from simple to complex”: tasks gradually become more complex;
4. increasing the volume of material;
5. increasing the pace of task completion;
6. change of different types of activities.

The peculiarities of this program are that during the classes the child is offered tasks non-educational character. This is how serious work takes the form of a game, which is very attractive and interesting for younger schoolchildren. Thus, the fundamental objective of the proposed course is precisely the development of cognitive abilities and general educational skills, and not the acquisition of any specific knowledge and skills.

The course structure is based on the principle of diversity of creative and search tasks. In this case, the following two aspects of diversity are the main ones: in content and in complexity of tasks.

A systematic course built on such diverse non-educational material creates favorable opportunities for the development of important aspects of the child’s personality.

Most of the time in the classroom is spent doing things independently by children.logical search tasks.Thanks to this, children develop general educational skills: to act independently, make decisions, and manage themselves in difficult situations.

The course includes: 1 lesson per week, 31 lessons in 1 class

Thematic plan:

1st grade (31 hours)

Graphic dictation

Drawing graphic figures is an excellent way to develop the small muscles of a child’s hand, an interesting and exciting activity, the results of which will affect the ability to write beautifully and think logically.

At this stage of the lesson, the children first perform a graphic drawing under the dictation of the teacher, and then shade it with oblique lines, straight lines, “embroider” the figure with a cross, or simply paint it over. Hatching not only leads children to an understanding of symmetry and composition in decorative drawing, but also develops the small muscles of the child’s fingers and hand.

With regular performance of such exercises, the child begins to master a pencil well, he develops stable, focused attention, and develops diligence and perseverance.

Graphic dictations are also a way to develop speech, since along the way the children compose short stories, learn poems, riddles, and master the expressive properties of language. Therefore, in the process of working with graphic dictations, internal and external speech, logical thinking develop, the child’s attention, eye, visual memory, accuracy, imagination, general culture are formed, and creative abilities are activated.

Attention training (5 hours)

The tasks offered in 1st grade are aimed at creating positive motivation, at developing cognitive interest in subjects and in knowledge in general. This task is achieved with the help of a specially constructed system of tasks that help overcome the instability of the attention of six-year-olds, the involuntary process of visual and auditory memorization and lead to the development of mental activity

The tasks of this group include various labyrinths and a number of exercises aimed at developing children’s voluntary attention, volume of attention, its stability, switching and distribution.

Completing tasks of this type contributes to the formation of such vital skills as the ability to focus purposefully and search for the right path.

Auditory memory training (4 hours)

The workbooks include exercises to develop and improve auditory memory. By completing these tasks, students learn to use their memory and use special techniques to make memorization easier. As a result of such exercises, students comprehend and firmly retain in their memory various terms and definitions. At the same time, their volume of auditory memorization increases, semantic memory, perception and observation develop, and the foundation is laid for the rational use of energy and time.

Visual memory training (4 hours)

Due to the age characteristics of first-graders, they are offered mainly those tasks whose implementation involves the use of practical actions. At first, when working with assignments, you can allow yourself to guess the answer or solution, but immediately try to lead students to justify the answer. When working on such tasks, it is very important to accurately and purposefully pose questions, highlight the main link in reasoning, and justify the chosen solution. As a rule, this is done by the teacher, relying on the children’s answers and giving a precise and concise explanation. It is very important that the explanations given by the teacher are gradually reduced while simultaneously increasing the share of children’s participation in finding a solution to the proposed problem.

The course includes exercises to develop and improve visual memory. By completing these tasks, students learn to use their memory and use special techniques to make memorization easier. As a result of such exercises, students comprehend and firmly retain in their memory various terms and definitions.

Finding patterns (4 hours)

The priority direction of education in primary school is the development of thinking. To this end, the workbooks contain exercises that allow you to build correct judgments and carry out proofs using material accessible to children and their life experiences without prior theoretical mastery of the laws and rules of logic themselves. In the process of performing such exercises, children learn to compare different objects, perform simple types of analysis and synthesis, establish connections between concepts, learn to combine and plan.

Tasks for moving matches (4 hours)

The development of imagination is built mainly on material that includes tasks of a geometric nature:

• choosing a figure of the desired shape to restore the whole;
• dividing a figure into several given figures and constructing a given figure from several parts selected from a set of data;
• folding and rearranging matches to form given shapes.

Requirements for the level of preparation of students completing 1st grade

The dynamics of the development of cognitive abilities is assessed using a table in which the results obtained after checking the children’s completion of tasks in lessons No. 1 and No. 31 are entered. By comparing the data from the beginning of the year and the results of completing the tasks of the last lesson, we determine the dynamics of the growth of children’s cognitive abilities.

Calendar and thematic planning of classes

elective course “Development of cognitive abilities”

1 class

Bibliography:

For the teacher:

For young smart people: Tasks for the development of cognitive abilities: Methodological manual for grades 1,2,3,4 + Course program “RPS” (O. A. Kholodova, “Rostkniga”, 2009).

For the student:

For young smart people: Tasks for the development of cognitive abilities: Workbooks 1, 2 parts 1,2,3,4 grades (O. A. Kholodova, “Rostkniga”, 2009)

Let's start our lesson with a warm-up.

Your task is to give the correct answers to the questions as quickly as possible. Keep in mind that there are tricky questions. Wish you luck.

1. What is the name of the third autumn month? (november)

2. He tests everything: pine, spruce, and oak. What is this? (saw)

3.At what traffic light should you cross the street? (green)

4. 4 pears grew. There are 3 branches on each, 3 small ones on each large branch, and three apples on each small branch. How many apples are there in total? (0,apples don’t grow on pears)

5.Which horns are longer than the tail? (at elk, deer)

6. What is the name of Baba Yaga’s flying machine? (mortar, broom)
For centuries, people have dreamed of going into space and flying above the earth. Their imagination created Baba Yaga with her stupa, the carpet - an airplane. Over time, this dream came true. People invented the airplane. You can fly around the entire globe by plane.

Guys, who flies the plane? (pilot)

How many of you would like to be in the cockpit?

How do you imagine a person in this profession? What is he like?

(brave, strong, very smart, attentive, observant, he has a quick reaction, good memory, strong hands...)

Would you like to have all these qualities?

What do you think we will do in our lesson today?

(we will develop memory, thinking, imagination...)

In today's lesson we will be developing visual memory, attention, and logical thinking. What do we need to do for this? What are the objectives of the lesson?

complete... (tasks that develop visual memory, attention, logical thinking).

Exercise 1. Game “Who is the most attentive” (5 minutes).

I will show you the drawings, you need to remember them, AND THEN DRAW them as accurately as possible.

So, remember - draw. We draw with a pencil, 1-drawing in one window.

(I show the drawing for 20 seconds.)

Let's check, exchange notebooks with your neighbor. Take a colored pencil in your hand and put a tick where some element is missing. We check according to the drawings.

Stand up who has no corrections. Now who has 2-3 fixes. The rest of you, be careful.

We will encounter tasks of this type more than once. We must be attentive, try to be more precise, and remember what we see. We continue to work.

Task 2.(1 min.)

Read very carefully 3 times the pairs of words written on the board. (20 sec) Let’s look. Remember and when I close, write down the second word of the pair. Time has passed (30 sec.)

Let's check. Raise, who has the word doll written down?

window - door, button - doll, ring – elevator (doll).

Task 3.(2 min)

Remember the numbers in the table. (1 minute). Write these numbers down on your card. (1 minute)

Switch notebooks. Check.(30 sec.)

Task 4.(3 minutes)

Do you know the great people of our country? Now we will check this. Read the names of famous people and their phrases. (1 minute)

Remember what they created and connect it with an arrow on your piece of paper. (1 minute)

We check the same as all work. (1 minute)

I. Shishkin – artist – “Morning in a pine forest”

N. Nosov - writer - “The Adventures of Dunno and His Friends”

A. Pushkin - writer - “Ruslan and Lyudmila”

A. Tolstoy - writer - “The Adventures of Pinocchio”

L. Tolstoy - writer - “Three Bears”

Task 5. (1 minute to remember, 2 minutes to answer, 1 minute to check)

Remember the words painting, door, trousers, socks, sweater, watermelon, mittens.

a) How many words were there in total?____ _7 ________

b) Write down the second word.________ door _______

c) Which word began with a vowel?______ watermelon ____________

e) How many and what items of clothing were mentioned?trousers, socks, sweater, mittens

Peer review.

Fizminutka video for the eyes.

Task 6.(3 min)

Now read the rows of words, your task is to remember only the first letter in each word (1 min.). After this, you must write down the first letters in the same order in which you saw them (1 min.).

You should have a new word. For example, school, goat, stork, flag cabinet. Let's do it, time has passed. 1 student to the board.

Porridge, lemon, spinning top, wind-beak

Mystery, food, forehead, spruce, mountain, iceberg - cart

Check with the board for 1 minute.

Task 7.

Read the problem. Remember it. (1 minute)

Klava has 2 candies more than Marina, and Zina has 2 candies less than Marina. How to make it so that there is an equal amount of candy?

We solve on our own pieces of paper. (2 minutes)

We verify orally, 1 student explains (1 minute).

Answer: If Klava gives Zina 2 candies, then she will have the same amount of candy as Marina, and Marina will have the same amount of candy as Zina, which means everyone will have the same amount of candy.

Task 8. Read the problem (30 sec.). Remember the task (1 minute)

The children measured the length of the playground with steps. Lisa got 25 steps, Polina – 27, Maxim – 22, and Yura – 24. Which of the guys has the shortest step?

Solve orally. (30 sec.)

(At Polina's).

Task 9 Read the problem. Solve in pairs (2 minutes).

Four girls were eating candy. Anya ate more than Yulia. Ira is more than Sveta, but less than Yulia. Arrange the girls' names in ascending order of the number of candies eaten.

(Sveta, Ira, Yulia, Anya).

Task 10. Read the problem. Solve in pairs (2 minutes).

The centipede has 90 legs. She bought 13 pairs of boots. But at the same time, 16 feet remained bare. How many pairs of old boots did the centipede have before buying new boots?

We check the answer orally at the board, 1 pair explains.

(24)

Task 11.

Let's draw a little. Graphic dictation. We perceive by ear.

Retreat 3 cells on the left, 9 cells on top, put a point.

I dictate the direction and how many cells your task is to draw.

Subject: Development of concentration. Improving mental operations. Development of analytical and reasoning abilities.

Target: development of students’ cognitive abilities based on a system of developmental tasks.

Tasks: development of thinking in the process of forming the basic techniques of mental activity: analysis, synthesis, comparison, the ability to highlight the main thing, prove and disprove, draw simple conclusions;

development of attention;

development of language culture and formation of speech skills: clearly express your thoughts;

formation and development of communication skills: the ability to communicate and interact in a team, work in pairs;

developing skills in applying acquired knowledge and skills in the process of studying school disciplines and in practical activities.

Personal results: In the suggested situationsmake choices about what to do with the support of other group members.

Meta-subject results:

Regulatory UUD : - determine and formulate the goal of the activity with the help of the teacher;

Learn to work according to the plan proposed by the teacher.

Cognitive UUD:- find answers to questions using your life experience and information received from the teacher;

- process the information received: draw conclusions as a result of working together in a group.

Communication UUD: - convey your position to others: express your thoughts in oral speech;

Listen and understand the speech of others;

Learn to perform different roles in a group (leader, performer, critic)

Subject results: highlight the essential features of objects;

- generalize, draw simple conclusions.

Progress of the lesson:

1.Org. moment.

2. Brain gymnastics:

Shaking your head

Lazy Eights

Thought cap

blinking

I see a finger

3. Warm up

Always name hard consonant sounds.( [ w ], [ and ], [ ts ] )

Remember the names of the components when adding. (Addend, addend, sum )

Misha has three pairs of mittens. How many mittens for the left hand? (3 )

There are chickens in the yard. All chickens have 10 legs. How many chickens are there in the yard? (5 )

There are 7 light bulbs in the chandelier, 5 of them have burned out. How much should be replaced? (5 )

The funniest circus performer. (clown )

The airspace where birds fly. (sky )

Elongated circle. (oval )

Inflated poultry. (turkey )

A chain of camels moving in the desert.(caravan )

4. Game

1) Attention.

Task No. 1 . Remember the images you see and draw as accurately as possible. (Show the first two, counting to 5 to yourself. Then the children draw in the air, then in notebooks. The second two are similar. At the end - correcting mistakes.)

Task No. 2. Straighten your back, clasp your hands in a “lock” behind, leading your eyes to guess the words. Write the answer in your notebook. Raise a hand. (BUTTERFLY, WELL )

Task No. 3. Count the umbrellas. (Work in pairs)(8 umbrellas)

Task No. 4.

There is a square of cells on the board. A butterfly sits in one of them. I'll tell you how it moves, and you follow with your eyes. We will mark the place where she sat down with a magnet.

1 way. 1 square up, 1 left, 2 down, 1 right, 2

up.

2 way . 2 right, 2 up, 1 left, 3 down, 1 right, 3 up.

3 way . 1 left, 1 up, 2 right, 1 left, 1 down, 1 left, 1 down.

5. Fun break.

With your left hand, stroke yourself from the back of your head to your forehead, and with your right hand, stroke your stomach in a circle. SIMULTANEOUSLY!

6. Logical search tasks.

Task No. 1. There are 13 people in line for ice cream. Petya stands 7 from the beginning of the queue. How does it stand from the end? (7 )

Task No. 2. The staircase consists of 15 steps. Think about what step you need to stand on to be in the middle of the stairs? (At 8 )

Task No. 3. Read the anagram. What word is written under the line? What figure matches him?

Some abilities require months of practice to achieve any noticeable improvement. There is not always time for this and often there is not enough desire. But it only takes a few days to improve your concentration. In general, this is a very ironic skill: improving it will require... concentration. Not only, of course, you also need motivation, enthusiasm and patience.

What does concentration consist of?

Bill Gates called concentration the most important quality that every person should develop. One cannot but agree with him, because concentration is closely related to thinking (including creative thinking). Thus, we can say that if you know how to concentrate, then you are an intelligent person and are able to notice and remember a lot of things.

Concentration is in one way or another connected with all the skills that a person engaged in self-development seeks to develop. Do you want to write a novel, a painting, a song? It is difficult to create without the ability to concentrate. Do you want to become a master of communication, speak in front of the public with a speech memorized, and not forget anything? Train your memory, be attentive and don’t be distracted by anything.

What does this mean for you and me? Only one thing: concentration can be improved by developing attention, memory, creative thinking and intelligence. And vice versa. So let's find out how you can improve your concentration. We'll give you a few tips, then a dozen exercises, and then we'll talk about the most interesting training apps for your phone and computer. All together will give an excellent result.

How to develop concentration

The development of concentration occurs in two ways: the exclusion of external stimuli and special exercises that help purposefully train the skill.

Remove all irritants

This is the first thing to do. You can practice as much as you like, but if the environment gets in the way, it won't be of much use. Find yourself a quiet place or eliminate irritants.

Also, use earplugs or headphones. Seriously, this helps a lot, especially in the early stages. When your level of concentration increases significantly, you can do without them - you can read a book or write an article on public transport or in a cafe.

Notice

Keep small cards 3 by 5 cm. Every time your mind starts to wander while reading or working, mark it on them. It is important to divide them into three colors and times of day: morning, afternoon and evening (green, red and yellow). After a few days, you'll find that this simple trick helps you feel less distracted.

Recognizing the problem is the first step, so this method teaches you to pay attention to it. This allows you to increase your concentration levels without making much effort, just by reminding yourself to stay focused. Using this method, you will also be able to see what time of day is more or less productive, you will understand how the level of concentration decreases after a meal, a quarrel, and how it increases after a walk and a light snack.

Use the spider technique

What will a spider do if you quietly hit a tuning fork not far from its web? He will get out to see what happened, his curiosity will be piqued. But if you repeat this trick several times, the spider will no longer respond to sounds. He knows what to expect, so he ignores them.

What does all of this mean? Expect distractions and try not to react to outside sounds. A door slams, a bird whistles, a neighbor knocks from upstairs - whatever the stimulus, continue to focus on your task. Surprisingly, after a while you simply stop being aware of and responding to the sounds around you.

Eat foods that are good for concentration

This may not seem important, but the physiological side should not be ignored.

Blueberry. Contains many natural antioxidants that increase blood flow and brain activity.

Green tea. It contains not only caffeine, but also, more importantly, large amounts of L-Theanine.

Greenery. Chlorophyll contains many carotenoids, which increase blood flow, as well as B vitamins, which enhance memory.

Fatty fish. Fish, such as salmon and cod, are loaded with Omega-3 fatty acids, which are good for the brain.

Stay in a conscious state

This advice is heard very often in the literature, but what can you do - this ability solves a huge number of problems. Mindfulness is the ability to notice. Moreover, notice not only the world around you, but also internal processes. This means that you can control your attention and concentration if you are aware.

Practice meditation for about 20 minutes a day. This is the required minimum. In addition, it is advisable to find other opportunities to remain in a conscious state throughout the day. The simplest and most effective way: focus completely on what you are doing. Eat - fully enjoy the process of eating food. When you wash dishes, think only about them and your washing technique. Not only will the most routine processes allow you to enjoy yourself, but you will also be able to increase both the level of awareness and the level of concentration!

It's extremely difficult. Sometimes you will be angry with yourself for forgetting about the present. But don’t panic: now you have remembered this, you are “here and now.” Every week you will increase the amount of time you spend consciously.

Now let's move on to the practical part. Here we need great patience and desire.

Exercises to develop concentration

The unique thing about almost all concentration exercises is their simplicity. There is no need to invent anything complicated if you can focus on one thing and improve your level.

Inspirational word

Pick one inspiring word and think about it, repeating it in your head for five minutes.

Word count

Take a book or magazine and count the number of words in one paragraph. Count them again to make sure you didn't make a mistake the first time. You can start with one paragraph, and as you get used to it, move on to counting words in two paragraphs.

Then move on to counting words on the entire page. Make sure you count mentally and only with your eyes, without pointing your finger at each word. This is one of the simplest but most effective exercises for improving concentration.

Countdown

Subtract from 1000 one unit at a time in your head. If it's too easy, subtract 2, 7, 9, any higher number.

Thought suppression

Try to suppress your thoughts for 5 minutes. It's quite difficult, but with regular practice you can do it. Start with one minute and gradually increase the time.

Inspection of the item

Take a fruit, such as an apple, banana or orange, in your hand and examine it from all sides, focusing your full attention. At the same time, try to keep it stable in one position. Do this for one minute and then gradually increase to five. Change hands.

Without words

Take a small, simple object such as a spoon, fork, cup or glass. Now focus on it, observing it from all sides without verbalization, that is, without words in your mind. Just focus on watching the object closely without thinking about it.

Motionless

Sit in a comfortable chair and see how long you can stay in place. It may seem easy, but it only seems so until you try. All you have to do is focus your attention on sitting. Make sure you do not make any involuntary muscle movements. With practice, you can sit without moving your muscles for 15 minutes.

Concentration from within

This exercise will allow you to focus from within. Start by lightly relaxing your muscles. Now focus on your heartbeat without paying attention to anything else. Think about your heart and how it pumps blood to every part of your body. As you do this, try to “see” the blood leaving your heart and follow it as it flows in one stream straight to your toes.

Deep breathing

Sit on a chair in an upright position, keeping your back high. Now, pressing one finger to your right nostril, take a deep, deep breath. Breathe calmly, count to ten, then push the air out. Repeat this exercise with the other nostril. Exercise 20 times a day.

Sounds

This exercise is about focusing on sounds. In everyday life we ​​are surrounded by a large number of them. Try to focus on a specific sound, such as a voice or rustling sound. Then deliberately switch to something else, such as a bird.

Switch to the next one, say the sound of traffic. Continue switching between sounds after focusing on one for one minute.

This exercise can also be made visual by focusing on the person or thing that is making the sound and refocusing on another.

Drawing and coloring

Drawing and coloring are great activities for relaxing the brain and stimulating creativity. It also improves concentration.

Small victories

The good thing about this exercise is that it encourages you to use everyday tasks to train your concentration. Choose an activity, such as finding clients, writing a poem, reading a chapter of a book, and set a timer. 5 to 10 minutes is best. During this time, nothing in this world should exist except you and your task. Turn off your phone and close the door. Try to increase the exercise to 90 minutes. If you practice regularly, you can reach this number in a month.

Motivation of mirrors

The most beneficial form of concentration is making eye contact with another person and perceiving a deeper connection. Stand in front of a mirror and place two stickers at eye level. Imagine these are the eyes of your interlocutor. All your thoughts should be focused on keeping your head completely still and avoiding other thoughts. Breathe deeply. Completion time is five minutes.

Concentration apps

BrainFocusProductivityTimer

This free Android app is designed to help you manage your time. It allows you to set the number of minutes you want to work for and then take a scheduled break. The idea is taken from the Pomodoro technique, that is, you set 25 working minutes and then rest for 5. The process is repeated over and over again.

This way, you will be much more productive, instead of forcing yourself to work for hours without taking a break. Brain Focus is easy to use and shows how productive you are.

(OFFTIME)

It is also a free app on Android. Offtime allows you to disconnect from the outside world without missing anything urgent. You can block distractions such as apps, calls and messages, but whitelist those who will be able to contact you anyway.

The app can also automatically respond to messages on your behalf, as well as keep track of what you missed while you were away. Offtime provides information about your phone usage and the hours you spend each day, highlighting which apps are taking up the most of your time.

The application for iOS and Android, paid, costs about two dollars. It is considered one of the most popular.

Improve performance by placing virtual trees in Forest. Whenever you want to focus on a task, open the app and plant a tree. If you don't stop for 30 minutes, you will see it grow. This way you will create a whole forest. If you fail, the tree will die.

This is a free online platform. Use Noisli to help you create the perfect atmosphere. This is a white noise app that can be used to mix different natural sounds, such as the sound of a train or a crackling fire.

Noisly is ideal for people who can't handle music but want some noise in the background.

Books

Considering that concentration is the ability to focus on one thing for a long time, reading books itself can be an excellent workout. And if you read books on this topic, the benefits will be double. Here's where you can start.

• “The art of concentration. How to improve your memory in 10 days" Eberhard Heul
• “The Japanese System for the Development of Intelligence and Memory” by Ryuta Kawashima
• "A Guide to Memory and Intelligence" by Tony Buzan
• "Focus. On attention, distraction and success in life" Daniel Goleman
• “Maximum concentration. How to Stay Effective in the Age of Clip Thinking by Lucy Jo Palladino
• “Don't distract me. How to Stay Focused No Matter What Edward Hallowell
• “The four-second rule. Stop. Think about it. Do it" Peter Bregman
• "The Power of Concentration" William Walker Atkinson
• “Time management by pomodoro. How to concentrate on one thing for at least 25 minutes" Staffan Neteberg

In conclusion, a short video about attention and the ability to concentrate: