Sunday, November 3, 2013

Tips For Teaching Energetic And Expansive Children

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Do you have an energetic child? How about an expansive child? I have one of each and here are some tips that may assist you with your homeschooling days.

The energetic child:
Our 6 year old son Rowyn is our energetic, silly, stubborn child. He likes to play ALL day long and certainly fits the definition of energy, "the strength and vitality required for sustained physical or mental activity." The boy even talks and walks in his sleep. He is quite the handful to teach because his attention span on one particular subject only lasts about 15 minutes and he can't sit still even during those 15 minutes. He loves to make people laugh and is quite content to play and learn on his own. I have noticed over the last couple of years that an energetic child is generally very tactile and likes hands on learning best. So here are some tips for teaching your energetic child.

1) Find hands on, engaging curriculum and resources. And ask your child what they want to learn about and let them pursue their interests. Some of Rowyns favorite resources to utilize are educational board games, Legos, Apologia, Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett, A Journey Through Learning Lapbooks, Moving Beyond The Page, Reading Kingdom and anything he can take apart or put together! He also loves playing and learning on the tablet and computer. We also like to change up our curriculum every month, which is one reason I love reviewing products.

2) Have homeschool lessons somewhere other than the kitchen or dining room table like on a rocking chair, trampoline, bouncy ball, the floor or outside. And it is even okay to hang upside down off the sofa or sit on the stairs to listen in on lessons. Also make lessons short and break them up. If lessons are too long the energetic child gets distracted and even more fidgety.

3) Set up learning stations and have lots of hands on things laying around for them to explore. Our Unit Study Exploration Box is a huge hit in our house. The theme does change from time to time but for the last few months it has been filled with science stuff. There are tools for the children to explore with like bug catchers, magnifying glasses, tweezers, a scale, microscopes, strainer, magnet, etc. And there are lots of treasures that they found outside. Beside the box I have a big science encyclopedia, numerous journal pages and Nature Friend Magazines.


4) Let them burn off some energy by running around and playing in the yard a little before, during and after lessons. I find this makes a huge difference with both of my children. I also highly suggest trying some brain breaks check out The Ultimate Guide To Brain Breaks. This eBook breaks down how and why movement matters for learning and optimal focus. There are 60 fun brain breaks included.

The Ultimate Guide to Brain Breaks

5) Let them fidget and play with quiet things during learning time. I know it may not seem like they are learning anything while they are dancing around the room, building, playing with a toy or doodling but believe me they are and they will surprise you every time. For some children the only way they can learn is by fidgeting.

The human body and brain is not designed to sit still for long periods of time. Movement increases our circulation, provides our body with more oxygen and activates our cerebellum. So just take a deep breath and remember that learning can take place at anytime and anywhere.

The expansive (chatty) child:
Our 7 year old daughter Gwyn is our chatty, compassionate, social butterfly. She inherited those traits from her "Chatty Kathy" mother! She is a positive, creative, spirited, charismatic little girl and loves to be recognized for who she is. She also loves to encourage others. She is good at talking to and including others, helping others and radiating optimism. But she is not good at working independently, multi-tasking, reacting quickly to change or concentrating on the details. I love her enthusiasm and desire to learn, ask questions and make friends but there are many times it comes off as annoying, disruptive, etc. So here are some tips for helping your expansive child so that they don't end up with hurt feelings and rejection.

1) Be encouraging when asking your child to give someone else a turn to speak, rather than just telling them to keep quiet which can hurt their feelings and make them feel rejected. Try something like, "Gwyn I  see you are excited and really appreciate that, so why don't we listen to what others have to say and then see if you can add anything?" This approach give your child praise and recognition while still being emphatic of their feelings.

2) Try give-and-take as a way to teach conversation skills and slow down the process. Using something like a “talking stick” or a piece of paper with a question mark can help with this. I also highly suggest reading this fabulous book, My Mouth Is A Volcano.

First Grade Community & Cultures Activities: Make a Native American Talking Stick
Education.com

3) Create a special sharing time at home where your child can ask as many questions and share as much as they like. Dinner time is a good time for this and everyone can take turns going first. This is also a great time to use the "talking stick". We currently only have one car and need to pick up my husband from work several times a week, so we utilize the car rides as a time for the children to talk all about their day.

4) Provide opportunities for them to talk as much as they like such as reading out loud, volunteering at a nursing home, spending time with their best friends, etc. I let Gwyn make videos too as a way to get all her chattiness out. She loves making her own documentaries and doing vlog reviews.

5) During lessons have your child write down or draw their questions and allow them time at the end or at a stopping point to ask them. Gwyn can't really write all that well yet so what I do is pause frequently to allow her time to ask questions. If she interrupts I ask her to try to remember her question until I reach a stopping point or draw out her question so she remembers.

Human beings are social creatures by nature and are generally happier, learn more and do a better job when talking to others. By asking questions and talking children learn and retain more information, get great ideas, judge how they are doing and are able to offer help and encouragement to others.



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48 comments:

Virginia @thatbaldchick said...

Great tips, Kathy. We've installed a trampoline in our basement for "five minute brain breaks" for my bouncing children. LOL

Ave T said...

Thanks for sharing great tips! These may come in handy when my daughter grows a little!

Christine Luken said...

Great tips! I'm definitely sharing this with my fans!

brett said...

excellent tips. i can use a lot of these with my little brownie troop- we meet right after school and they need breaks too after 7 hours of schoolwork

homemakinghacks said...

What great tips! I would love to read these a few years ago. It can be SO challenging for sure! Will have to share these, thanks ;)

Mommy2Jam said...

Such great ideas and good to know, as I have one of each as well. I allow my son to fidget, stand, jump whatever it takes to do his homework and he gets breaks as well.

Shauna Torres said...

WHat great tips, my DS definitely needs those hands-on tools as his mind is always going.

Simply At Home Mom said...

Awesome tips! I have two very energetic boys and these tips are really going to help me!

Victoria H said...

These are great tips my oldest son is energetic.

Amy Desrosiers said...

These are great tips! I have three kids so I find it hard to do this because the baby always terrorizes the older two!

Elizabeth @ Food Ramblings said...

Wonderful tips-- sharing with my parent friends!

Debbie Lamb said...

Great tips to make learning fun. Sharing with my friends.

Francine Morrell said...

Love these tips for learning! Thank you!

Shannah at Just Us Four said...

Both of my kids are definitely energetic and can be hard to contain for traditional learning. These are great tips.

Cynthia L said...

What great tips! My daughter was and still is a chatter. It was, at times, a challenge to homeschool her. I know many parents will enjoy reading this and help them understand their children a little better.

Mama to 5 Blessings said...

I homeschool too and my 6 year old is so energetic, it's hard for him to sit still during school time. It's a process!

Danielle Leigh said...

These are some fabulous ideas, thank you! We also have one vehicle, and utilize our 'drive time' in the same fashion. Our eldest has so much energy, and creative energy. We channel that into all kinds of art work, and she is now is a "forest school" based upon Waldorf principles, which seems to work very well for her.

Danielle @ We Have It All said...

These are REALLY great tips... I have a couple of both! They are better now that they are teens but when they were younger, it was tough.

Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell said...

I think it's best to plan activities like this so that you're not fighting the child's tendencies, but working with them.

Janeane Davis said...

I like the information you shared here. It is important for people to realize that children learn in a variety of ways. When it comes to education, we must remember that there is no one size fits all solution.

TheNewClassy said...

My daughter loves exploring and learning and needed hands on learning growing up. I am the same way.

Katherine Bartlett said...

My daughter is very hands on. This looks great!

Stacie Haight Connerty said...

My son is definitely a hands on learner. He could use something like this. I need to check into and see how it could help my son.

brett said...

my son's first grade class "visits" a different country each month throughout the year- they would LOVE these books!! thank you!

dreammua said...

I do believe growing up I was a terror combination of the two. My mom always says she hopes I have a child like myself.

-Emerald

Debbie Lamb said...

This looks like so much fun! Great holiday gift!

Virginia @thatbaldchick said...

Looks like so much fun, what a neat gift idea.

Debi@The Spring Mount 6 Pack said...

My kids all have different personalities and learning styles. I am a hands on learner so my kid shave always had that opportunity.

Shauna Torres said...

Oh what fun! These sound like great reads... Thank you

Casey said...

What an awesome set of books! So many children grow up with such an egocentric view of the world, giving little thought to other cultures and places because they are not taught to do so. This is a super fun way to expose them to other ways of life.

Pam W said...

Oh I love hands on learning for the kids. These books look fantastic and you have included some awesome ideas.

Simply At Home Mom said...

These books look awesome and what a fun way to introduce other countries to your kids!

Helene Cohen Bludman said...

What a fantastic way to expand a child's understanding of different cultures.

Victoria H said...

I am always looking for new books for my boys. I will definitely be checking it out.

Shannah at Just Us Four said...

These sounds like super fun books. I will have to check them out for my daughter.

Francine Morrell said...

My oldest son would love these. Going to check them out.

Mama to 5 Blessings said...

sounds great, do they have one for the US? I would love to try this for our geography.

Elizabeth @ Food Ramblings said...

What a great way to learn about other countries!!!

Jazmin @ Frugality Gal said...

What a great a great series. It looks like a nice way to teach children about different cultures in a fun way.

Janeane Davis said...

This looks like a really great way to teach children and help them to have fun while learning.

Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell said...

Honestly, I think I would thoroughly enjoy that even now. I find learning about cultures fascinating.

Almost Supermom said...

Such a good homeschool mommy you are! Looks like they really learned a ton about other cultures :)

dreammua said...

If I had kids I'd purchase this book - Emerald

homemakinghacks said...

What an awesome idea to get kids engaged with learning. I did something like this when my son was younger, this would have been perfect. Will share ;)

kSquaredGlamour said...

this sounds like a fabulous book that would be very helpful for my daughter

dreammua said...

we had something similiar growing up. I like the fact that it causes the kids to use thier imagination!

-Emerald Barnes

Shanna said...

Looks fun and educational!

Carole P. Roman said...

Thank you for the wonderful review. Your enthusiasm and delight shows through with every project. I bet you have fun all day long! It sounds to me that you built interesting projects and lessons that complimented the series. I just want to add, that I didn't illustrate them, and because of a contract I can't give out the artist's name, but I do agree she did a beautiful job. Once again, thank you!

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