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Weekly One | Focus | Email #4
Each Sunday, I send the Daring Dyslexic community an email with actionable strategies to boost your child's confidence, mindset, and self-esteem. Join my supportive community and receive practical, step-by-step tools delivered straight to your inbox – because your child's success story starts with just one small action each week.
If you have a Daring Dyslexic who often focuses on the negative in situations, this Weekly One is an excellent exercise to use as an example of where our focus goes, our energy flows.
Shift Your Focus
Choose a moment when your child is regulated, calm and at ease. You can be anywhere for this to work.
Select a physical point of focus for your child. I like to use cars as an example when we are driving.
Step 1: Ask your child, "Hey, let's play a quick game. For 30 seconds, I want you to count how many blue cars you see."
Step 2: You keep watch of the time.
Step 3: At 30 seconds, "Ok, stop." Now ask, "How many red cars did you see?"
If your child is playing along, they will respond with confusion or frustration. "But you asked me to count blue cars."
And here is the lesson: Our brains can only see what we choose to focus on. If your child is focused on what's not working, on what's making them sad, frustrated, or stressed, that is what they will keep seeing.
To advance this lesson, use an example from their own lives. Maybe they are fixated on not getting past a specific reading level or learning their sight word list. Bring this to their attention and ask, 'What else do you think you could focus on?'
Give them time to answer; they may need your help, but they may not.
They could focus on how far they've already come, how well they are doing in maths or spelling, how they created a great piece of art this week, or how they made the school soccer team.
This doesn't deny their reality or diminish their feelings but shifts the focus to the things that are going well for them, the things that feel good, that bring them joy and light them up.
I've played this so many times with my son that we don't actually play anymore. If he spirals into negative thoughts, I say, "hey, should we count cars?" he'll often chuckle to himself but continue with two or three things he is feeling good about.
Give it a try, and please let me know how you go.
You've got this!
B 💜
