Working with the Wiggle Worm

It seems that no matter how calm and even-tempered two parents are at least one child will end up a little wild and antsy. It’s not that this child misbehaves so much; he/she just can’t sit still. Most of us require a certain amount of quiet and control to make it through a math lesson, so how does a homeschool mom handle the extra activity?

Here are some ways to handle the child with a little too much energy.

• Incorporate activity into the lesson. Have your wiggle worm bounce a ball as he practices his multiplication tables, jump as he spells the words on his list, squeeze a ball while listening to a history lesson.
• Take frequent breaks.
• Instruct your child to work on an assignment for 15 minutes. Set a timer. If she has worked hard for the whole time, reward her with some free time. Set the timer for longer and longer time periods.
• Try to readjust your own ideas for the proper posture for learning. A teacher with a classroom filled with 25 students needs everyone to sit up straight in their desks. We have a little more freedom one-on-one. My son regularly hung upside down from a chair during his lessons. It helped him concentrate, and once I got used to it, didn’t distract me.
• Keep lessons simple. Choose a curriculum with straight-forward lessons and no busy work.
• Pray for calm.
• Try to remember to analyze the methods you are using and the other factors that could be impacting your child’s behavior before assuming it is a discipline problem. I regret many things I said to my active child before realizing he only needed a different approach than his sister.
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