Children have different personalities. Siblings can be as different as chalk and cheese. If one of your homeschool students is a studious and meticulous fellow who will happily follow the schedule you set for his day, his younger brother may be just the opposite. He may not sit still for more than ten minutes, constantly want to use the washroom and drop his pencil to the floor after each sum he solves. How do you deal with such high energy homeschool students?
Make Them Move Before They Sit Down
Since these homeschool students have a lot of energy to burn, it is a good idea to make them run outside for ten minutes before the start of the homeschool schedule of the day. This will ease them into a more restful phase as they settle down on their chair in the homeschool classroom.
Allow Them to Fidgit
There is no way that you are changing the basic nature of your high energy homeschool student. It’s going to be better all around if you keep things less formal in the homeschool classroom. Let them fidget and move around if they are not doing a writing exercise. Give them things to hold in their hands while they read, and generally don’t get mad if they move about too much and disturb your flow.
Make Breaks Compulsory With a Timer
If your homeschool student knows that he’s got to study for fifteen minutes and he has a five minute break following that to run around, he will be more likely to finish the task as hand. The anticipation of the break keeps them focused in the here and now rather than drifting away mentally from the classroom.
Appeal to His Interests and Hobbies
A high energy child is much more likely to pay attention when you keep things interesting and at his level. As far as possible give him examples from activities that he likes such as his hobbies. Plan ahead for things that will amuse him. This will ensure that you hold his attention when you teach him.
