I have a wiggle worm

Have you tried giving her something to hold while doing school?  Like a small doll, legos or even playdo.  My 5 year old is extremely wiggly and we are just introducing the alphabet to him because there is no way he was ready last year. I try to read aloud at meal times, so they are busy and thier mouths are full.  I also allow him to stand and hop if need be while writing or telling me sounds.  I have a blow up beach ball that we throw back and forth while saying the sounds of the letters and counting for math.

At 4 I would let her go on the days when she isn’t interested and have something when she does want to learn.  I still do that this year with my 5 year old.  If he doesn’t want to participate I let him go do something else.  Maybe instead of sending her to her room you could set her up with a quiet activity like a handicraft.  Lacing, beading and puzzles would work.  I have been very relaxed with my 5 year old because my 9 year old hates school and I don’t want to push the issue with my 2nd son.  I want him to want to learn and love to read.  Since switching to CM my 9 year old is coming around and likes a lot more school subjects than before.  So, I would have to say with some children the philosophy about better late than early is true.

I just wanted to add my .2 (and I am no expert, by any means). I have to agree with Sonya, because I have witnessed fidgeting first hand in my home 😉 I have a son who is now 7 and for the first two years of his schooling I struggled with him daily to try and keep him still! Then a more “seasoned” homeschool mom gave me some great advice. I mentioned that he was always getting into trouble because he could not sit still and she said, “Oh, please don’t make him sit still if it helps him to move while he is doing his work. As long as he is doing his work well, then don’t punish him for the movement.” She also told me to do some research on learning styles, and that was helpful to me.

After researching, I noticed that he moved in circles when he was really having to think hard about something. Now I let him move and have seen a difference in his perfomance with things like math facts and spelling. I can’t explain it, but I know that he needs to move to get his mind focused……

Hope this helps some 🙂

My dd5 is a fidgeter.  But so am I!!  Even in college, I kept a coloring book and crayons in my backpack and would color during lectures to keep my mind focused.

Is there a time of day that she fidgets less?  My dd fidgets more the more tired she is.  So we try to do anything that needs “still attention” in the morning when she is at her best.  Even then, we stop if it is too much.  But unless it is too much fidgeting, I let her play with whatever she needs to.

Another thought, how much activity does your dd have each day?  If we are able to consistently have activity – gym class, gymnastics, running outside, trampoline or dancing when it’s too cold to be outside – she fidgets less.

Very good points!!! Don’t blink!

I was thinking that something like Thinking Putty (silly putty only cooler b/c it changes colors or glows in the dark) might be a good fidgeting thing for the hands of those little movers and shakers. We got some for Christmas from Timberdoodle and the kids LOVE it!

Also, we have blubber (from Timberdoodle) and this my kids think is soooo much better than play-doh or clay. It is lots of fun to play with, carve and mold. It might be another option, but it’s best used at a table.

Blessings,

Christie

My son likes something tactile in his hands like rubbery or squishy that he can fidget with while learning. Only sometimes that becomes a distraction and it magically turns into a spaceship or what not and he starts making noise with it and it flies over my head.Then I KNOW he’s not paying attention. But the only time he does that is when I’m reading him a story thats boring so I usually just skip to something else!