Fostering Preschoolers’ Focus and Attention: The Pre-Internet Mindset by Rebecca Rolland, EdD

In a world dominated by screens and constant digital stimulation, how can early childhood professionals help children—and themselves—reclaim the ability to focus, connect, and think deeply? Drawing on recent neuroscience research, clinical practice, and her work as a Harvard lecturer and speech pathologist, Dr. Rebecca Rolland explores the transformative power of the pre-internet mindset.

This webinar will provide actionable strategies for fostering deep presence, single-tasking, and meaningful engagement with children. You will learn how to create environments that nurture attention, creativity, and authentic connection, while balancing the realities of modern technology. Whether you’re an educator, caregiver, parent, or therapist, this session will equip you with tools to help children thrive in a distracted world—and to rediscover your own capacity for presence.

Join Rebecca as she guides you to:

• Understand the cognitive and emotional impacts of digital distraction on children’s development and learn how to identify signs of fragmented attention in early learners.

• Learn practical strategies for cultivating deep presence in children, including techniques for fostering single-tasking, patience, and creative problem-solving.

• Explore ways to model and teach the pre-internet mindset, helping children develop skills like sustained focus, direct observation, and embodied engagement.

• Gain tools for balancing technology use in early childhood settings, ensuring that digital tools enhance rather than hinder learning and connection.

• Reflect on your own habits of attention and presence, and develop a personal action plan for reducing digital distractions in your professional and personal lives.