Many factors affect our ability to concentrate such as age, motivation and interest, health, surrounding circumstances and knowing exactly what we're supposed to do.

What you can do to help now is:

1. Watch him carefully for 2 or 3 days and make a note of the times he doesn't seem to be able to concentrate and the times he does. This might tell you something about his natural interests and about the conditions under which he finds it easier to concentrate.

2. Don't expect your child to be able to concentrate for too long. As a rule of thumb, if your five-year-old can concentrate happily for five minutes at a time, your seven-year-old for 15 minutes at a time and your 11-year-old for 20 minutes, things aren't too bad after all.

3. Try to interest your child in what he is doing. Your own interest in what your child is doing helps develop his interest. If you want your child to concentrate better on those tasks he is not naturally interested in, your interest will help.

4. Praise more than criticize

5. Give rewards to your child when he works well.

6. Let your child know exactly what you want him to do and how long he has to do it for.

7. Create the best conditions you can for him to be able to concentrate.