Student Support Services
August 17, 2026 – Edition 10
Helping Children Find Their Flow
As parents, we often notice moments when students become completely absorbed in an activity. They may be so focused on what they are doing that they lose track of time, forget about distractions and remain engaged far longer than usual. Psychologists refer to this state as flow.
Flow is a state of deep concentration and involvement in an activity. During flow, attention is fully directed towards the task at hand, with little room for worries, self-consciousness or external distractions. It can occur during a wide range of activities, including sport, music, reading, creative arts, problem-solving and learning.
Flow rarely happens immediately. Most people need a period of uninterrupted attention before reaching this deeper level of engagement. The time this takes varies from person to person.
This is one of the reasons we encourage students to persevere with their study, even if it takes some time to get started. As school counsellors, we may suggest that students who struggle to begin studying tell themselves they will work for just 15 minutes. Many students find they do not notice when the 15 minutes have elapsed and are able to keep working.
They call it being ‘locked in’. We call it ‘flow’.
Research suggests that flow is more likely to occur when there is an appropriate balance between a person’s skills and the challenge of the activity. Tasks that are too easy can lead to boredom, while tasks that feel overwhelmingly difficult may create frustration or anxiety. Flow is more likely when a challenge stretches us beyond what feels easy while remaining achievable.
Learning tasks can often fit into this category.
Experiencing flow can have a range of benefits for students. When students are deeply engaged, they may find an activity more rewarding and demonstrate greater persistence, motivation, creativity and satisfaction. Flow can also contribute to a sense of accomplishment and wellbeing because students are fully engaged in something meaningful to them.
You can read more about entering the flow state in the article below by Susan A Jackson, a performance psychologist:
https://psyche.co/guides/how-to-enter-a-state-of-flow
Mandy Barr, Sarah Quin and Joanne Devota-Rando
Counsellors
