My son can be wiggly. He can take a math workbook page and fill it up by putting drawings into every empty space. He can make his hands into crashing cars or grab something close by and pretend it is a pirate cannon instead of completing the task given to him. His imagination is alive and well. How do I educate a mind that is quick to wander? How do I help him learn when his imagination is so much more exciting than the task at hand? Truth by told, I’m still learning. This isn’t a problem unique to my son or to this time in history. It is a common issue that is confronted by teachers and parents around the globe. Here are a few ideas that I’ve found to help my son:
1. Sit with him to keep him on task. He is only in second grade and is still learning the discipline it takes to complete a less desirable task on his own. In a classroom situation he would be surrounded by peers that were completing the same task. Because my son lacks the classroom environment full of peers it requires more effort on my part. Since he is the only one in the room writing sentences about an animal or the only one figuring out the time difference on two clocks I don’t expect his attention to be the same as if he was in a classroom.
2. Reminders to stay on task.
3. Praise self-discipline
4. Having a predictable schedule.
5. Set a timer. The time pressure seems to help him focus.
6. Give him manageable chunks to complete on his own.
7. Keep a good portion of the school day full of subjects or activities that are engaging to him.
8. Breaks
9. Exercise
Do you have a wiggle worm in your homeschool? What have you done to help keep your child on task?
