Q: How do you keep your children motivated and engaged in their studies?
A: Bear in mind all of us have things that are a struggle for us to overcome. Labeling generally isn't helpful, and getting a diagnosis of some sort is usually used as an excuse to not push through...as a homeschooling parent you are your kids biggest cheerleader. You are all on Team McIntire, and you are there to help your kids do the best they can with the tools God has given them. You don't need to know it all or even most of "it". You already know a lot of what motivates your kids and areas they need to improve. Just keep thinking like that day in and day out and love them as you work. Some days are 100%s, and some are not. Each day is a new day. Don't give up and don't be too hard on yourself. Success does not equal perfection. Success is moving in a direction and incrementally improving overall.
the nuts and bolts:
When children are young, keep lessons short 10-15/20 minutes...basically, when they aren't able to keep listening well, you might be going too long. Do some instructing, then switch to them practicing that skill (like 'here is how to add and now we will do some problems'...). Show them the numbers and say them, then trace beans you have glued to index cards to mix it up.
Focus is a habit that needs training, and it is a challenge with today's electronics. We opted to not have TV for a long time but would only watch short videos that were educational or Bible themed.... then on Fri nights we watched a family movie. Listening to classical music from different composers is good for the brain and it is practical for education. I am not a fan of children using screens much at all. The brain needs to develop and grow and learn to focus. Lots of time outside, mom not on her phone (need to model how to focus), and the kids need to be given undivided attention. Adult brains are not the same as children's brains. Children need to see parents focusing on each other and talking, then they need the proper attention and help developing it. Frenetic homes with no order and tons of running around create a lot of the problems we see today with kids, as well as breakfast/lunch/dinner not being given consistently.
Some computer learning games can be helpful, but you want to be deliberate and not use it regularly as a babysitter. Young children can learn to start focusing in the crib with a mobile, then a playpen with a mobile and black and white books, then having playpen time with a few toys they focus on. Focus builds, like discipline in a prayer life.
Reading to children helps them learn to focus, going outside and studying what they find interesting and talking about it (rocks, bugs, plants...). Parenting and focus training go hand in hand. When you work you work, when you play you play. Play is a child's work and there needs to be plenty of it. If they can't focus well right off the bat on any given school day, maybe a few jumping jacks or laps running around the yard are needed first. What will help them succeed? Have a "can do" attitude as mom and be positive. Have a high expectation and minimize distractions where you do school lessons. Put the dog away, have a plan for younger siblings, ignore your phone...self-denial and discipline start early and help with the focus needed to sit and do the hard mental work of learning.
Order in the home is beneficial in many areas--things like striving to greet your husband when he comes home, and then have the kids greet him second. This little routine of order helps many children have more security and alleviates some anxious ways and even sleep issues because they are secure in mom and dad. Good sleep helps kids focus when they need to.
Memory work is so good for training the brain to retain information, and it requires focus. Reading to your children is very helpful to teach them to sit still and focus. Having every meal at the table and requiring them to sit down and eat for the duration also does wonders for focus. Parenting with clear expectations and holding them to it will help your school and home life in many ways. In the grocery store, having the kids hold on to the cart as you go through teaches them self-control which is needed for sitting still during learning. But they have to get their energy out! Breaks and running around outside are so needed! Naps are also needed! School keeps kids stuck at desks for far too long, and it doesn't give them the rest they need either. Children require a tremendous amount of sleep. College takes so much out of them---build their bodies well while you can with excellent nutrition and excellent sleep!
Finally, watch their diet. Do food dyes make them more emotional or wiggly? Does sugar bring a fatigue crash 20 min after eating it? Or carbs in the afternoon? You have to be with your kids a lot and observe them to catch this sort of thing of course. Homeschooling allows this close and careful watching. Not all problems are dietary, but lack of solid nutrition or things that bother a child can play a role. We have food and environmental allergies, and the dye thing was real for us. We thought it was high fructose corn syrup, so we avoided that which helped b/c so much of the food with HFCS has dye.....then we had one child on allergy meds that weren't supposed to cause fatigue but this child was SO tired in the morning and that was when math was...we noticed a big change when we switched to a different allergy medicine.
