‘It’s just their mind taking a break when it needs to’: How parents in Ireland view and manage mind-wandering in young children

Mind-wandering occurs when thoughts become unrelated to the task at hand, a phenomenon commonly experienced by adults and children. Recent research has revealed that mind-wandering can negatively impact children's learning. However, no studies have explored parents' perspectives of their children's mind-wandering, despite the crucial role parents play in supporting children's learning. This study investigated how parents of children in the first years of formal education perceive and manage mind-wandering during school tasks. Three online focus groups were conducted with parents (N=7) from the island of Ireland. Reflexive thematic analysis resulted in the development of five themes: 1) Mind-wandering is a typical, positive element of learning in children, 2) Mind-wandering is more likely to occur in certain circumstances, 3) Children tend to share the content of their mind-wandering, providing parents with valuable insights, 4) Parents adopt a trial-and-error approach to the management of mind-wandering, 5) Parents’ frustration with mind-wandering arises from time constraints. Although parents generally feel confident in the management of mind-wandering during learning activities, they expressed concerns about future challenges as homework becomes more demanding. These findings can inform further research by acknowledging parents' expressed needs, so that children can be adequately supported before mind-wandering impacts their learning.