Sustained attention activities for adults and children

In this article, we present 10 NeuronUP activities to work with your users and improve their ability to maintain attention on specific tasks. Below, you’ll find 6 activities to train sustained attention in adults and 4 activities to train sustained attention in children. Download these worksheets for free to optimize your cognitive rehabilitation sessions.

Sustained attention is an essential cognitive function that allows you to remain focused on a task for an extended period, despite distractions. Whether following a conversation, working on a project, or driving a vehicle, we constantly rely on our attention.

Attention: a fundamental pillar of cognition

Attention is divided into several types, each of which plays a crucial role in our ability to process and manage information.

• Selective attention: Allows you to focus your concentration on a specific task, ignoring distractions or irrelevant stimuli.
• Alternating attention: The ability to switch quickly from one task to another without loss of efficiency, such as when managing several activities simultaneously.
• Processing speed: Refers to how quickly we process and react to information, which is crucial for completing time-limited tasks.
• Sustained attention: The ability to maintain a prolonged effort of concentration, necessary for tasks that require constant vigilance.

Activities to train sustained attention in adults

1. Find the Missing Numbers
2. Inside or Outside
3. Maze
4. Word Search
5. Stimulus Counting
6. Copy Letter Matrices

Find the Missing Numbers

This activity focuses exclusively on sustained attention and involves identifying the missing numbers in a numbered table.

This generator can be fully customized to suit each user’s specific needs.

In or Out

This activity involves determining whether the displayed shapes are inside or outside other shapes. Compared with the previous one, this exercise trains both sustained attention, because it requires staying focused while analyzing each figure, and processing speed, since you must respond quickly and accurately.

Difficulty levels: basic, easy, medium, hard, and advanced.

Maze

This activity consists of getting from one point to another within a maze. It trains sustained attention, as it’s necessary to stay focused on the route while avoiding dead ends, and planning, since you must anticipate future moves to reach the final goal.

This generator is fully customizable to adapt the activity to each user’s specific needs.

Word Search

This activity consists of finding the hidden words within a set of letters. It stimulates both sustained attention, by asking participants to focus on the letters for an extended period, and selective attention, because it’s necessary to filter out distractions and focus on the words that need to be identified.

This generator can be fully customized to adapt the activity to each user’s specific needs.

Counting and Selecting

This activity consists of counting the number of items presented. It requires sustained attention, as it’s crucial to maintain focus throughout the exercise, as well as processing speed to quickly evaluate the information. It also targets working memory, allowing you to keep the total in mind while processing new stimuli, and planning, by anticipating the steps needed to arrive at an accurate answer.

This generator can be fully customized to adapt it to each user’s specific needs.

Copy Letter Matrixes

This activity involves copying incomplete matrices based on a model matrix. It is an exercise focused exclusively on sustained attention, requiring participants to maintain their focus on the details of the model matrix while completing the blanks.

Difficulty levels: basic, easy, medium, hard, and advanced.

Find more information about Copy Letter Matrixes here.

Activities to train sustained attention in children

1. Trap the Mice
2. Copy the Letters
3. Escape the Maze
4. The Missing Number

Trap the Mice

This activity consists of counting the number of drawings presented. It requires sustained attention, as children must remain focused throughout the exercise. It also improves processing speed, allowing them to quickly evaluate the information, as well as working memory, since they need to keep the total in mind while adding new elements. Finally, it challenges planning, as they must anticipate the steps needed to reach a reliable answer.

This generator is fully customizable to adapt the activity to each young user’s specific needs.

Copy the Letters

This activity consists of copying matrices based on a model matrix, and it focuses exclusively on improving sustained attention, since children must concentrate on the model matrix’s details to correctly complete the blanks.

This generator is fully customizable to adapt the activity to each young user’s specific needs.

Escape the Labyrinth

This activity consists of finding the way out of the maze. It requires both sustained attention, because children must stay focused on the route to follow, and planning, as they must anticipate their moves to avoid dead ends and reach the exit.

This generator is fully customizable to adapt the activity to each young user’s specific needs.

The Missing Number

This activity consists of identifying the numbers missing to complete a sequence and focuses on improving sustained attention, as it requires children to concentrate carefully to locate the missing digits and complete the sequence accurately.

Difficulty levels: basic, easy, medium, hard, and advanced.

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“This article has been translated. Link to the original article in Spanish:”
Actividades de atención sostenida para adultos y niños