"I see nothing, I hear nothing..." Working on attention

(Inattention and its causes - the game helps in combating inattention - a different quality of attention - the importance of parental approval - rhythmic training - rhythmic training according to Konstantin Stanislavski and Michael Chekhov)

"Yes, indeed, they could all use some attention," agrees a certain strict father with me, "their attention bounces around like a flea."

Restlessness and quick switching are the main characteristics of this age. Oh, if only children's educators could teach while jumping rope, playing with a ball, moving from place to place! Children would learn so much more. "But how can we make the effort of concentration enjoyable?" you might ask.

And it's all through the same game! After all, the main role-playing activity at this age is to explore the basics of adult life through play.

"In life, attention," writes the wonderful theater educator S.V. Gippius in the book "Actor's Training," "is involuntary and instinctive. It is moved by various unconditional reflexes." For the stage, we need to cultivate a different quality of attention - purposeful and willful. Children should not only think about the text, their partner, and how the scene is going, but also about what they will do next, that is, plan ahead. How difficult it was for them in the play "Neznayka and His Friends" to constantly create an imagined life and forget about their own! And there are mothers, fathers, or grandmothers sitting in the audience, and how they want to wave their hands to emphasize that "I'm on stage!" How far is it from the sub-stage to the lives of the "shorties"! Although life in Flower Town was constructed in a way that there was no time for airy kisses to the enchanted admirers sitting in the audience with cameras. And yet, they managed to cast their glances towards the audience - how did they perceive the joke? How did they evaluate my performance? How do they like everything we do? Wait, dear parents, don't be angry with them for that! They cannot yet trace the line of the "human spirit of life," without sharing it with you, without weighing it, without seeking your approval with a smile, a nod, anything but a stern face! They still do not understand the true reason for your distress and perceive it as a poor evaluation of their actions on stage. Be cautious and generous, do not skimp on support and praise. Let the little flower grow gradually, there is no need to pull it by the stem to make it grow.

In my groups, there were mothers who immediately wanted to see "national artists" in their children and pushed them to tears with their demands. I warn once again - children of this age are not yet ready for such serious tasks, they need to work on them for several years! If you do not want to see trained dogs or cardboard talking dolls on stage, show love and patience. It is important to me that children remain alive, have the ability to think in moments of creativity, perceive each other's moods, and develop a collective endeavor within the given framework, without losing sight of the movement of props and set designs.

That's why we engage in serious attention training with the little ones... until attention runs out. And then we can switch and have some fun.

One of the methods for developing attention is rhythmic training, which is not easy to practice with children, as they quickly tire and lose interest if there is no element of play or imagination. I try to harness their emotional nature so that children engage with pleasure, as the concepts provided by this type of training are highly valuable on stage and in life. Firstly, it compels them to focus their attention, nurturing their listening skills and sense of rhythm; secondly, it teaches them to mold their imagination into precise forms; thirdly, it encourages them to listen to others, thereby aiding in the formation of a collective with whom creative collaboration becomes possible.