How Attention Works: A Parent’s Guide to Supporting Focus in the Digital Age

Executive Function & Attention
Written By Isola Chambers

Why Attention Feels Harder Now

I’ve encountered a lot of parents recently who are asking the same question: Why is it so hard for my child to focus on reading, writing, or homework?

The answer is not that students are exactly “losing” their ability to concentrate. But they are navigating environments that were never designed for sustained attention. Today’s world (digital, fast-paced) demands constant switching, and switching drains focus.

Attention is a skill. It develops over time, and it is deeply shaped by environment, expectations, and practice. The good news is that it can be strengthened, often more quickly than parents expect.

At Chambers Tutoring, we see the psychology of attention play out every day. When parents and educators understand how attention works, everything gets easier: reading stamina improves, homework feels less overwhelming, writing becomes more organized, and emotional regulation stabilizes.

We’ve laid out a clear, practical guide to the three types of attention students rely on, and how to support them at home.

The Three Types of Attention Students Need to Learn Effectively

Researchers Posner & Petersen identified three key attention networks that shape how students learn. Broken down into simple language, these are the systems that determine how well your child can read, write, study, and stay organized.


Sustained Attention: Focusing Over Time
This is what helps a student stay with a task: reading a chapter, completing a math assignment, working through an essay draft. Students often struggle with sustained attention because of:

  • low mental stamina

  • cognitive overload

  • unclear or overly large tasks

Signs of difficulty:

  • Losing place while reading

  • Abandoning tasks halfway through

  • Asking for repeated instructions

Selective Attention: Filtering Distractions
This is the ability to tune out irrelevant information. Selective attention is essential in classrooms, noisy homes, and digital environments.

Key insight: selective attention weakens dramatically when students switch tasks frequently (a common issue with phones, multiple tabs, or multitasking).

Signs of difficulty:

  • Distracted by background noise

  • Switching between tabs while working

  • Losing track of what they were doing

Executive Attention (Executive Control): Planning and Self-Monitoring
This is the most complex system. Executive attention helps students:

  • plan

  • prioritize

  • transition between steps

  • inhibit impulses

  • manage time

It is closely tied to executive function skills, which influence everything from essay writing to study habits.

Signs of difficulty:

  • Messy work

  • Lost materials

  • Procrastination

  • Difficulty getting started

  • Skipping steps in assignments


The Spotlight Model of Attention

Attention works like a spotlight: illuminating one area clearly while everything else dims.

For students, this means:

  • switching between tasks instantly is difficult

  • focusing on details while holding the big picture is mentally taxing

  • jumping repeatedly between tasks leads to fatigue and reduced comprehension

For example, when a student tries to read a paragraph while thinking about an upcoming test, the spotlight keeps jumping back and forth. Neither task gets full attention.

Practical takeaway: clear, single-task goals allow the “spotlight” to settle. Focus deepens; comprehension and productivity rise.

Working Memory → Attention → Executive Function: The Hidden Triad

Most parents have heard of attention and executive function, but working memory is the quiet system that connects them.

Working Memory holds information temporarily (such as instructions, steps in a math problem, or the last sentence read).

Attention determines what enters working memory and stays there.

Executive Function uses the information to plan, prioritize, and problem-solve.

If working memory overloads, attention scatters. If attention scatters, executive function collapses.
This often looks like:

  • incomplete homework

  • missing steps

  • disorganized writing

  • frustration or shutdown

Strengthening attention almost always improves writing, study habits, and test preparation because the triad as a whole begins to work more efficiently.

The Digital Era: Why Student Attention Feels Fragmented

Today’s students are interrupted, not inattentive. Research shows that, on average, students switch tasks every 65 seconds. Each switch carries a cognitive “cost” and drains mental resources.

Common challenges:

  • micro-interruptions from notifications

  • multiple open tabs

  • online reading that produces shallower processing (Naomi Baron; Maryanne Wolf)

  • background apps competing for attention

Working memory becomes overloaded quickly, leading to reduced deep thinking and difficulty finishing tasks.

Here are some actionable ways to reduce digital distraction:

  • Turn off non-essential notifications

  • Establish phone-free homework zones

  • Use focus tools like Forest or built-in Focus modes

  • Follow a one-tab-only rule for writing assignments

These simple shifts can dramatically improve homework quality and reduce frustration.

How Parents Can Strengthen Attention at Home

This is where attention training becomes practical (and where parents see major improvements).

For Sustained Attention:

  • Use 20–25 minute work intervals

  • Build stamina gradually

  • Before reading, use a 2–4 minute warm-up: “Tell me what happened last chapter.”


For Selective Attention

  • Create a decluttered workspace

  • Break assignments into micro-tasks

  • Establish consistent routines (same place, same time)

  • Adjust lighting or seating to reduce sensory load

For Executive Attention

  • Begin homework with: “What’s the plan for today?”

  • Use short checklists

  • Teach transitions explicitly: “Finish one step, pause, plan the next.”

At Chambers Tutoring, we teach students how to tune, direct, and sustain attention intentionally. Focus isn’t about “trying harder,” it’s about using the right strategies and adjusting these for each individual.


Final Thoughts: Attention Is a Trainable Skill

Attention isn’t fixed. It grows. Teen brains are adaptable, and children strengthen focus with consistent practice and the right support.

If your child struggles with focus, study skills, reading stamina, or homework organization, we can help.
The systems behind attention are complex, but, with guidance, they become manageable.

Further Resources:

If you’d like to explore more about attention, learning, and how students process information, these accessible research sources are a great place to start:

Isola Chambers