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How would you handle this?
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This is our first year homeschooling and we are almost finished! I have 3 boys – 5th, 2nd and a 4 year old. The youngest has been attending preschool at our church. Before this year I worked as a preschool teacher there so this was what he was accustomed to and DH and I decided to let him continue in the routine to help make the first year for me a little easier. It has been successful for the most part but as school is coming to an end, he now prefers homeschooling to preschool so he has been staying home much more. I’ve allowed this b/c I know this is how it will be next year and I figure it is good for us to go ahead and start moving in that direction so he can see how things work for homeschooling. He usually does very well. I only give him a few things to do and we play math games, color pages to go along with Bible, etc. However, during our read alouds (which we mainly do to coordinate with our history) he struggles. We normally do these after lunch so he is often still eating. I realize they are not interesting and probaby even difficult to understand sometimes for him and I don’t require him to sit there. BUT, he wants to be with us, however, he gets to playing or singing or humming or making noise in some other general way and it’s very distracting. I know he needs to learn the habit of paying attention. I have read Laying Down the Rails. I agree with everyghing in there, but sometimes I am at a loss as to how to implement! Even my olders get fidgety sometimes with us reading aloud for so many things – history, Bible, science and read alouds. Do I physically pick him up and take him out of the kitchen? Do I put tape over his mouth as a reminder? By the time we get to this stage, it is our last thing of the day and I am usually so ready to be finished so we can play and do our fun activities like arts, crafts, etc.
I also have a very distracting almost 4 yr old. I would love to hear what other people do also. One thing that has worked well for my older boys when they get fidgety is to take a physical activity break. I have them do some sort of “work-out” for about 5 minutes, like run around the outside of the house, or do a series of calesthenics, really anything physical. Their little boy bodies focus much better when they’ve had the opportunity to exert some energy.
Playing quietly with Legos or small cars sometimes works pretty well for my 5th grader. I usually have him and his sister take turns narrating as we go along (not waiting until the end of a lesson), so I can tell that he’s paying attention enough to absorb the material. Most times we take short breaks between subjects unless we’re going from just listening to a hands-on activity.
As for the 4yo, I would tell him that he may finish eating while you are reading, but you will not tolerate humming, singing, or other noises. Tell him if he makes noise, he will have to stay in his room until you are finished and then he can finish his lunch. If, as you say, he really wants to be with all of you, this will bother him and eventually get the message across. I hate interruptions, but I would rather reread a paragraph than allow the noise/warning from mom cycle to continue.
Sue
Don’t forget the importance of short lessons, alternating parts of the brain in use. I know it seems simpler to read all of the books at one time, but it really does work best to spread them out between other activities – math, music practice, lunch, etc. You may do that already, but I just wanted to mention it.
Christie
I give my youngest activities to do while I read. I have a master list of activities I created so it is not always the same thing. Mostly puzzles, coloring, cut and paste (KUMON), sticker doll dressing, etc. I have also played classical music softly in the background as I read the biography of that composer.
I posted about this same thing earlier this year. The second term I split subjects up so we were doing something else between each reading. Our third term just started, and with the great spring weather we’ve been having, we’ve been spending the first hour of our school day outside starting up the garden, taking a walk, or doing our science. And believe it or not, when we come in, the kids have been willing to sit down and down do their work. I wish I had figured this out a year ago LOL.
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