How do you build kids cognitive endurance in an age of distraction?

Building cognitive endurance is like teaching your brain to run a long race instead of just sprinting, it takes practice and patience.

Imagine you're playing with building blocks. At first, you can only stack 2 or 3 before the tower falls. But if you keep stacking day after day, soon you’ll be making tall towers that don’t fall easily. That's how your brain works when you practice thinking for longer periods.

Think of your brain like a muscle. When you read a book or solve puzzles for a while, it's like doing push-ups, you're working hard and getting stronger. If you do this every day, your brain learns to stay focused even when there are distractions, like the sound of the TV or a friend calling you.

You don’t need to sit for hours. Just like how you grow taller by sleeping a little each night, your brain grows stronger by thinking a little more each day. So take turns reading, counting, drawing, anything that makes your brain work! Over time, your brain will get used to staying focused and thinking deeper, even when there are lots of things around trying to catch your attention.