Attention span of 2 1/2 yo?

I would think that it's just a typical 2 1/2 year old "thing" I'd say that you are doing everything right, and she's just being a normal kid.

If it's still concerning you after 6 months then perhaps have her checked.

Remember though each child is different, and they all reach milestones at different times. I'm sure she is fine.

Do you think I should be trying to help/teach her to focus for a little longer at a time etc then? Or completely leave it open?

And my goodness - three hours

Teresa, Paris was soooo much better at this age than what Ayja is, we have noticed the same thing, even taking photos of her, she won't sit still she has to be moving, even eating dinner she'll go from sitting to kneeling to half pie relaxing with back against one arm of her little chair and feet hanging over the other arm of the chair sitting sideways, to having one foot down and back to sitting in the space of 5 minutes.

We very often say she has ants in her pants.

We do things together and she will stay focused mainly but still be moving and changing position constantly, we have found a neat mosaics thing at kmart that comes with sticky foam squares and you just peel and stick them on the right numbers and she will sit for ages after paris is bored with them and still be doing them, but still always moving around in that spot. so she can focus, she just can't sit still, doesn't necessarily mean she's not paying attention either, just not able to contain themselves and sit in one place.

I can't remember maybe i didn't notice it so much with Paris.

Maybe our second kids are so full of up and go it's not funny. I mean Ayja even moves around in her sleep heaps and sleep-walks, she's always on the move.

I have given up trying to get her to sit completely still, I know that mostly she's still paying attention even if she's wriggling. I can tell when she's actually distracted more than just squirming about.

I personally wouldn't be worried, at this age they aren't as into the rules and playing games for too long like our bigger girls are (they get so into rules and all that involved stuff), they like new stuff and get bored quickly, because now their bodies mean that they are able to do alot more than before, that there's just so much to do they kinda flit around alot.   Definately normal.

In regards to gym and sunday school groups, alot of kids tend to follow the crowd and as she starts in the groups she'll quickly learn what's accepted within her peer group and what's not and learn to sit at story time and group times when things are being explained simply because the other children are. Don't try and make her conform too much but do teach her that there are times when it is important to sit and pay attention.

That's the main important thing i think is them knowing that there are some times when they HAVE to stop, and do what they are told to do. Which will help you once you do the home school thing as it helps set those clear boundaries between play times and sit-and-listen/concentate times.

Edited by mum2paris

The one thing i find almost unbearable though is she clings, argh it drives me nuts, she comes up and cling to your leg, or jumps for cuddles and will cling to you, she calls them koala cuddles but i feel like someone is assulting me, simply because while she is cuddling (in those 2 split seconds) she is still moving about on my knee, and that kid is all knees and elbows, always in places that hurt too. lol

Yep, I have one of those wriggling energy balls!

I can say now that she'll be 4 soon though - she can concentrate on things for longer periods of time now - sometimes will play with her duplo for over an hour by herself.

I think it was around the time that she turned 3 that she started to focus on things a bit more - before that she was just too young