The Inner Conditions Children Need for Learning

Why a Child’s Level of Alertness Matters for Memory and Learning

Author: Kristina Rautek Potocnik, BA (Hons) Ed. Rehab., HDip Early Childhood Studies, MA Early Intervention & Inclusion, Cert. Play Therapy | SI | ASD | Reflexes | ABA, ongoing MSc SLT

2 min

Jul 10, 2025

Why a Child’s Level of Alertness Matters for Memory and Learning

Every child has the ability to learn, remember, and do different tasks. But in order to do that, the child needs to be in the right state. This means they need both good surroundings and good inner conditions. In today’s blog, we will focus on these inner conditions.

One of the most important inner conditions is a child’s level of alertness. This tells us how awake, focused, or calm a child is. If a child is not alert enough or is too alert, learning becomes difficult. Only when a child reaches the right level of alertness can learning and memory work well.

Sometimes we work with children who seem to move slowly, look sleepy, or have low muscle tone. These children have low alertness. On the other hand, some children are moving too much, breathing fast, switching from one activity to another, or acting in a disorganised way. These children have high alertness.

In both cases, it is our job to help the child find their optimal zone. We do this through our voice, body language, eye contact, and the way we speak. For example, if a child has low alertness, we should not speak in a quiet or slow way. We need to help them “wake up” a little and get ready to learn.

Once the child is in the right zone, their brain is ready to learn. There is even a well-known graph that shows this clearly.

👉 Take a look at the image in this post to see how learning works best when the child is in the middle zone.

The graph shows that we learn best when we are alert, but not stressed. In this zone, the brain releases just the right amount of important chemicals like dopamine, cortisol, and norepinephrine. These chemicals help activate the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that helps us solve problems, focus, and learn new things.

If the brain has too little of these chemicals, the child may feel bored or unmotivated. If there is too much, the child may feel stressed or overwhelmed. At that point, the brain does not want to think anymore—it only wants to escape or survive. This is what we call dysregulation, and it makes learning very difficult.

All of this science supports what many therapists and teachers say: we need to find the “just right challenge”. This means that the task should be interesting and a little bit hard—but not too hard. It should make the child curious and active, not bored or frustrated.

Finding this perfect zone is not easy. In fact, we will not get it right every time. But that is okay. Each mistake helps us learn more about what the child needs. Over time, we become better at helping children stay in their learning zone.

Sources:

Altabas, V., Marinković-Radošević, J. & Šimić, G. (2020). The effect of hormones on emotions and mood. In: Šimić, G. (ed.) Introduction to the Neuroscience of Emotions and Feelings. Zagreb: Ljevak, pp. 299–331.

McGaugh, J. L. (2018). Emotional arousal regulation of memory consolidation. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 19, 55–60.

The Inner Conditions Children Need for Learning

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