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Focus in Children: 8 Steps to Improve Concentration for Back-to-School
Focus and Concentration in Children as They Return to School: What Does Science Say?
The new school year doesn’t just mean new notebooks, backpacks, and class schedules. Children and teens, who have enjoyed a more flexible lifestyle over the summer, are suddenly expected to listen for long periods, process information, remember what they’ve learned, complete their homework, and manage their attention amid many different distractions.
For this reason, one of the questions parents face most frequently in September is how to support their children’s focus.
The 2026–2027 school year begins on September 14 in Turkey; orientation programs for preschool and first-grade students will take place between September 7 and 11. This means that to prepare for the new routine, it makes sense to start organizing not only back-to-school shopping but also your child’s sleep, study, physical activity, and mental transition routines now.
But first, let’s make an important distinction. Focus isn’t a switch. You can’t simply turn it on by telling a child, “Pay attention.”
Sleep, stress levels, task duration, the environment, phones and other distractions, learning difficulties, emotional state, and individual characteristics can all play a role in attention.
Therefore, the goal isn’t to keep the child at the table for hours on end; it’s to create an environment and consistent cues that make it easier for the mind to shift into work mode.
And scent can be one of those cues.
Why does it become harder for children to focus during the first few weeks of school?
What is expected of a child’s mind during summer vacation is quite different from what is expected during the school year.
During the summer:
- Tasks are more open-ended,
- Attention can frequently shift from one activity to another,
- Wake-up and bedtime schedules are more flexible,
- Screen time may increase,
- Time pressure decreases.
When school starts, however, the child suddenly has to listen to lessons, follow instructions, retain information in working memory, take notes, complete a task, and then move on to another class.
A few days of disorganization during this transition is not unusual in itself. The primary goal here should not be “Study more,” but rather “Get used to studying again.”
Attention and memory are not the same thing
It’s important not to confuse these concepts when discussing focus.
Attention refers to the ability to direct our mental resources toward a specific stimulus or task.
Working memory, on the other hand, allows us to hold information in our minds for a short time and process it.
For example, keeping a three-step instruction given by a teacher in mind and following it in order requires working memory. So does not forgetting an intermediate result while solving a math problem.
Therefore, it’s important to understand that studies conducted with certain aromatic substances measure not “concentration” but rather working memory, recall, processing speed, or alertness.
This distinction may seem minor, but it is very important from a scientific perspective.
Rosemary and Memory: What Was Found in School-Aged Children?
One of the most notable studies in the field of aromatherapy and cognition involving school-age children was published in 2017.
Moss and colleagues divided 40 school-age children, aged 9–11, into two groups. One group completed standard working memory tests in a classroom environment with rosemary aroma, while the other group completed the tests in an aroma-free environment.
In the group exposed to rosemary aroma:
- Immediate serial recall,
- sentence span,
- and counting span tests, and it was reported that some of these differences reached a medium-to-large effect size.
Similar results were found in the 13–15-year-old age group
In a study by Filiptsova and colleagues, 53 middle school students aged 13–15 were examined.
Thirty-one students were assigned to the control group, while 22 students were assigned to the group exposed to rosemary essential oil in the environment.
The study found significant differences in the short-term visual memory and number recall performance of students exposed to rosemary aroma compared to the control group. Therefore, we now have experimental findings not only from adult studies but also from two different school-age groups.
Nevertheless, these studies should not be interpreted as a treatment for ADHD, a treatment for learning disabilities, or a method for improving academic performance.
How is rosemary’s effect explained?
One of the key aromatic components of rosemary essential oil is 1,8-cineole.
In a study conducted by Moss and Oliver on healthy adults, a correlation was found between blood levels of 1,8-cineole following exposure to rosemary aroma and speed and accuracy on certain cognitive tests. Higher measured concentrations of 1,8-cineole were associated with better indicators of cognitive performance.
Since this study was not conducted on children, we should not directly apply its results to children. However, it provides an interesting clue for discussions on the mechanisms underlying the effects of rosemary observed in studies involving children.
What about mint?
Mint is also one of the most commonly used aromatic herbs when it comes to “mental alertness.”
In an older experimental study involving 144 healthy participants, peppermint aroma was associated with positive outcomes in certain memory measures and feelings of alertness compared to a control condition. In contrast, ylang-ylang induced greater calmness while reducing certain measures of cognitive performance.
However, a comprehensive review published in 2025 that evaluated human studies on the effects of peppermint scent on cognition and attention raises an important caveat:
The methods used in these studies vary considerably, and the evidence is not yet homogeneous enough to develop a standard clinical recommendation.
Therefore, rather than stating that “peppermint definitely enhances focus,” it would be more accurate to say that peppermint is one of the aromatic scents that has been studied for its effects on mental alertness and cognition.
Not every calming scent may be suitable for studying
Here, we need to correct a common mistake in aromatherapy: “The child is stressed → Let’s use lavender.”
This may not be the right approach in every situation. Because relaxing is not the same as staying cognitively active.
In a controlled study conducted in 2003 with 144 healthy participants, rosemary was associated with better performance on certain memory measures, while the lavender group showed a decline in working memory performance and on some attention/speed measures.
Even more interestingly, in a 2024 study of high school students while they were studying:
- Lemon,
- Bergamot,
- Rosemary,
- lavender,
- and ylang-ylang. The study reported that lemon and bergamot had a more positive effect on stress levels during work, while rosemary yielded results related to productivity.
Lavender, however, was not found by researchers to be equally effective in reducing stress during work.
This leads to a very valuable principle: The scent of the evening doesn’t have to be the same as the scent at your desk.
A calmer aromatic profile may be preferred when preparing for sleep.
While studying, however, a combination of rosemary, citrus, and more invigorating aromatic profiles may be a more sensible choice.
If you’re stressed, simply trying to “stimulate” your focus isn’t enough
If a child sits at the desk but their mind is constantly elsewhere, the problem isn’t always low alertness.
Sometimes the opposite can be true: The mind is overstimulated.
Test anxiety, a change in schools, a new teacher, pressure to perform, or overdue homework can drain mental resources.
In a cross-over study conducted by Seo in 2009, 36 female high school students were evaluated using a personalized necklace containing aroma (wearable aromatherapy) and a placebo condition using a carrier oil.
Most of the perceived stress and measured stress responses during aroma inhalation were found to be lower compared to the placebo.
This study is also interesting from Terra di Simana’s perspective for another reason: The aroma was not diffused throughout the entire classroom. A personal, wearable inhalation method was used.
Another study on physiological stress responses in young people
In a study published in PLOS ONE in 2021, 43 adolescents aged 16–20 were evaluated under control, sandalwood, and sandalwood + lavender conditions.
The researchers measured recovery in the autonomic nervous system by examining post-exercise heart rate variability.
Differences were found in certain indicators of parasympathetic activity in the sandalwood and, particularly, the sandalwood-lavender combination groups compared to the control group.
However, one of the most interesting findings was this: While the response was more pronounced in the low-stress group, the same effect was not observed in the moderate-to-high-stress group.
This draws a very important line for us. It is more accurate to think of aromatherapy not as a “method for treating intense anxiety,” but as a sensory tool that can accompany stress regulation in daily work routines.
Can a scent serve as a “signal to start working”?
One of the most interesting aspects of learning through scent is research on context-dependent memory.
Human memory does not store information in isolation; it can also use certain characteristics of the learning environment as cues to retrieve that information.
Scent can be one of these contextual cues.
In a study conducted with college students, the reintroduction of the scent used during learning enhanced the recall of verbal material.
Another study from 2022 also showed that reintroducing the scent from the learning environment can improve performance on certain measures of declarative memory.
Other experiments have also shown that reintroducing the same scent during both learning and recall can create contextual effects on memory.
This leads to an interesting idea that can be applied to daily life:
Don’t constantly change the scent associated with studying.
Using the same mild aromatic cue every day when a child begins studying can, over time, create a sensory association that signals, “It’s time to study.”
The goal here isn’t some “magic formula” like “smell the scent, remember the information.” But leveraging the brain’s capacity to form habits and context could be a sensible approach.
An 8-Step Back-to-School Routine for Helping Children Focus
1. Fix their sleep first
If a child isn’t getting enough sleep, no other “focus-boosting” method can make up for it.
That’s why establishing a sleep schedule for children as they return to school—as we discussed in our previous article—is actually the first step in this guide.
Before establishing a focus routine, try to keep bedtime as consistent as possible.
2. Don’t equate sitting at the desk with studying
Just because a child sits at the desk for two hours doesn’t mean they’ve studied for two hours.
Breaking tasks down into smaller, clearer blocks may be more manageable for most children: Instead of “Study Turkish,” say, “Let’s solve these 12 questions.”
When the start and end points of the study session become clear, the mental load decreases.
3. Add a consistent sensory cue to mark the start of study time
Set up the desk.
The phone is put away.
Water is placed on the desk.
The notebook is opened.
And the same aromatic cue is used.
Repeating this simple sequence can help the child recognize the start of study time.
Here is one of the most practical ways to incorporate aromatherapy into your daily routine.
Memory Arrows: An Aromatic Start to the Study Area
Terra di Simana Memory Arrows is a room mist that combines rosemary, bay leaf, and lemon balm hydrosols with bergamot, lemon, orange, juniper, bay leaf, ginger, and other botanical ingredients.
What’s particularly interesting about the formula is this: it intersects with the aromatic axis of rosemary, lemon, and bergamot—which stands out in the literature we’ve reviewed in this blog.
The Memory Arrows Spray can be positioned as a recurring aromatic cue that defines the desk and the start of work.
4. Don’t fill the entire room with a strong scent
In aromatherapy, more scent does not necessarily mean more effect.
Moreover, other people in the same classroom or work environment:
- May not like the scent,
- may be sensitive to it,
- may experience headaches,
- or have asthma or respiratory sensitivities.
Johns Hopkins also highlights that people nearby may be affected by the use of diffusers, particularly in shared spaces, and recommends using essential oils with greater caution around children.
For this reason, in shared environments like schools, personal aromatherapy methods may offer a more controlled approach than altering the air quality for the entire class.
Memory Buddy: Taking the Scent Beyond Your Desk
The Memory Keeper Wearable Aromatherapy Badge is a single-use badge designed to create a personal aromatic space containing black pepper, ginger, lemon, juniper berry, rosemary, black cohosh, and peppermint; it carries essential oils in a barrier-sealed reservoir. The product is designed to provide controlled diffusion for approximately eight hours.
This product is especially suitable for:
- Those commuting between home and school,
- Those working in the library,
- Students preparing for exams,
- Students who cannot use a stationary diffuser.
The advantage of this product is that the aromatic scent is portable and personalized.
5. Teach your child the “restart” method instead of telling them to “focus”
Losing focus is not a failure.
The real skill is recognizing when your attention has wandered and being able to return to the task.
Therefore, instead of telling the child, “You’ve zoned out again,” you can teach them a simple restart sequence:
Stop → breathe → return to the table → identify the next single task.
Here, a personal scent can also be part of this “return” cue.
Göz Kaman: Turning a Personal Diffuser into a Reminder Cue
Terra di Simana Göz Kaman is a personal diffuser bracelet that allows an aromatic blend to be applied to porous natural lava stones. The lava stones absorb the aroma and gradually release it over time through body movement and heat.
Instead of defining this product as an “attention-boosting bracelet” for children or teens, there’s a more interesting way to use it: “A cue to refocus when my attention wanders.”
When the student notices the bracelet, they can take a breath, reread the task at hand, and refocus their mind on the task by stepping away from their phone or other distractions.
In this way, the product transforms from merely a scent carrier into a behavioral reminder.
I particularly like this approach for older students and parents.
6. Recognize the difference between “exam stress” and “lack of focus”
A child might say, “I can’t study.”
But underlying this might be: “I’m afraid I won’t be able to keep up.”
In this case, more stimulating scents, more coffee, or longer study hours may not be the solution.
It may be necessary to reduce their stress level first. That’s why the goal of a focus routine shouldn’t just be to wake up the mind, but to regulate it if necessary.
7. Separate study and relaxation scents
In our opinion, this is one of the most important practices to keep in mind.
The aromatic profile used while working can be based on more invigorating notes, such as rosemary, citrus, and mint.
In the evening, however, you can switch to a calmer profile as part of your bedtime routine.
This creates two distinct sensory contexts throughout the day:
Work time → mental alertness
Night → relaxation
The child does not need to be exposed to the same aromatic profile all day long.
Mergen Kapısı: Not just a single product, but for those who want to establish a workflow
For some families, the issue isn’t choosing a single product, but reorganizing scattered work habits from the start.
The Mergen Kapısı Set is a collection designed to boost mental alertness and focus, based on using Early Morning Mist, Memory Arrows, Eye Bright, and lavender oil at different times of the day. Terra di Simana’s current usage recommendations offer a flow divided into morning, work, and balancing phases.
This is particularly recommended for:
- During intense exam periods,
- High school and college students,
- Parents working from home,
- As a workspace setup kit during long periods of reading and creative work.
For children, however, not all components of the set should be used automatically; the age appropriateness of each product should be evaluated separately. In particular, pure essential oils should not be applied directly to children’s skin.
8. Focus on the process, not the result
Instead of asking a child, “How much did you study today?” it can sometimes be more educational to ask:
“Was it easy to get started today?”
“Where did your attention wander the most?”
“Did you realize when you needed to take a break?”
“In what kind of environment did you feel most comfortable studying?”
The goal isn’t just to solve more problems. It’s to help the child learn to recognize their own attention patterns over time.
Because true study skills aren’t about never getting distracted—they’re about knowing how to refocus when you do get distracted.
Not every attention issue can be solved with aromatherapy
We need to be especially clear about this.
Difficulty focusing in children can arise from a wide variety of causes, such as sleep disorders, anxiety, depressive symptoms, learning disabilities, or vision or hearing problems.
An ADHD diagnosis is not based on a single symptom or a single test; healthcare professionals evaluate the child’s behavior at home, school, and in other settings collectively and work to rule out other conditions that could cause similar symptoms.
If the attention problem:
- Persists for months,
- Significantly affects academic performance,
- It is observed not only during class but in many settings,
- If teachers also observe the same difficulty,
- If the child is struggling significantly or experiencing intense stress as a result, it is important to consult a pediatrician or a relevant specialist rather than trying to resolve the issue with aromatherapy products.
Aromatherapy is not a treatment here. It is one of the sensory elements that accompany daily routines.
Conclusion: Encouraging Focus Rather Than Forcing It
To help a child focus, sometimes it’s better to reduce the noise around them rather than put more pressure on them.
Simplify the table.
Put the phone away.
Establish a sleep routine.
Break the task down into smaller steps.
Clarify where to start.
Recognize stress.
And perhaps create a familiar cue with the same light scent every day: “It’s time to work.”
Science hasn’t yet told us that aromatherapy is a “solution” to attention problems in children. But some studies suggest that rosemary, citrus, and personal inhalation methods, in particular, are worth investigating in terms of working memory, stress, and cognitive performance.
At Terra di Simana, this is exactly where we position aromatherapy:
Not to forcibly change a child’s mind, but to create a sensory space that accompanies them as they transition into their own state of focus.
Because, in our view, focusing means reducing the unnecessary a little and making the destination of one’s attention visible.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can focus be improved in children?
There is no single method. Regular sleep, a suitable study environment, small and clear tasks, minimizing screen distractions, taking regular breaks, and managing stress must all be addressed together. Aromatherapy can be one of the sensory tools that complement these efforts.
Does rosemary help with concentration in children?
In two small-scale experimental studies conducted with 9–11-year-olds and 13–15-year-olds, students exposed to rosemary aroma were reported to perform better than control groups on certain working memory and short-term memory tests.
Which is better for studying: lavender or rosemary?
It depends on the goal. While rosemary has been studied for its effects on cognitive performance and working memory, lavender is primarily examined for its calming effects. Some studies have shown that lavender is not as effective as rosemary for active cognitive tasks.
Does using the same scent every time you study help?
Scent has been studied as an environmental cue for associative memory. In some experiments, the presence of the same scent in the learning and recall environment has been shown to enhance recall.
Can Memory Booster be used for children?
According to Terra di Simana’s current product safety information, use is not recommended for children under 6 years of age. For children under 12, it should be applied to clothing rather than the skin and used under parental supervision.
Can aromatherapy be used to treat ADHD?
Aromatherapy is not a treatment for ADHD, and current scientific evidence does not support any claim that it is an effective treatment. Persistent attention problems that affect functioning should be evaluated by a healthcare professional.
