Take Action on Distraction: The definitive guide to improving attention and focus in the Early Years and Key Stage One

*Nursery World Awards Professional Book of the Year Winner, 2025*

From leading early years neuroscientist Prof Sam Wass and psychology and education expert Dr Gemma Goldenberg come the keys to understanding attention and how it works to help children improve and self-regulate their focus. Take action on distraction and never battle for children's attention again!

- Has a child ever asked you a question that you explained three minutes ago?
- Do you work with children who fidget constantly or stare into space and you're unsure if they're listening?
- Do children in your setting flit from one activity to another without persisting at anything?

If this sounds familiar to you then you're in the right place. Written by leading early years scientists Professor Sam Wass and Dr Gemma Goldenberg, Take Action on Distraction helps you understand how attention works and shows you how you can work positively with all children in early years and primary settings to improve their focus and concentration. Discover accessible insights from research, practical tips for your classroom and reflective questions to discuss with children and colleagues, all helping you to create a calmer, happier and more effective learning environment.

I began reading this book in the morning and could not put it down until I had finished the final chapter! Essential reading for anyone intent on creating a positive learning environment for children to help them focus and learn. Dr Neil Leitch, OBE, FRSA - Chief Executive, Early Years Alliance

1: My brain made me do it
2: Quiet, please!
3: 123 – look at me
4: Again, again!
5: Under pressure
6: Getting it ‘just right’
7: Fast forward
8: Born to be wild
9: Some flowers need different soil

Professor Sam Wass is one of the UK’s leading experts on Early Years brain development. He is Director of the Institute for the Science of Early Years based at the University of East London. In addition, Sam regularly appears as an Early Years expert on TV, radio and in national newspapers. He featured as a psychologist in the multi-award-winning TV series The Secret Life of 4-, 5- and 6- Year Olds. Follow Sam on X @ProfSamWass.

Dr Gemma Goldenberg is a psychologist and education expert with two decades of experience as a teacher and leader in nursery and school settings. Together with Sam, Gemma co-founded www.nestkids.co.uk, a consultancy which supports others to use neuroscience in their work with children. As part of this work, she regularly delivers training online and in person to settings across the country and beyond.

You can read this book in a single sitting and come away with a short list of practical action points. However, the book’s easy style doesn’t compromise its fidelity to high-quality research evidence, and the authors are not afraid to highlight areas of uncertainty.

It’s a book that turns the insights of researchers like Dehaene into classroom-ready advice. I particularly like the discussion of how all children can benefit from reduced visual and auditory clutter, and increased opportunities for repetition and access to learning outdoors.

Goldenberg and Wass additionally make the point that some children also need tailored sensory and environmental adjustments. As they put it, “some flowers need different soil”.