Teaching a 7 yr old who hates to sit and write

[Drewsmom]

OK so I've always toyed with the idea of hs'ing but we don't as of yet.

I have a 7 yr old who is a very active boy who hates to sit down and do paperwork. He had a wonderful teacher for K/1 who understood this and made very creative lessons that all centered around themes and worked very well for him. Now with 2/3 he is getting so many worksheets and is being "taught to the test" along with the 3rd graders. I hate this methodology of teaching!!!

But how can I hs a child who refuses to sit down? Any good resources or books please...websites.

[Baby Makes 4]

My 13yo DS is not a "producer" either. He doesn't like to sit and write but that doesn't mean he isn't learning.

He watches documentaries, reads books, cooks with me, browses the internet, plays computer games and board games (there are some really fun and educational ones out there) and we talk about stuff all the time. I know it's hard to "see" the learning when you have a kid who doesn't like to produce concrete work but just trust that the learning is happening. Worksheets are not the only way to measure success.

[ikesmom]

Over the summer I told my ds 8 that he could watch a movie if he wrote me a few sentences telling me about the story.
We watched the SpiderWick Chronicles and looked on the website. They give you writing prompts. After we read Chronicles of Narnia together I let him watch the movie also and had him do elements of the story, characterization, ect.

You can do that with regular shows T.V too.
http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/14335

[moominmamma]

Life-learning, field trips, hobbies, activities, projects and play should just about cover it. These are the sorts of things my kids learn from, though they also do a little bit of workbooky stuff (maybe 20 minutes three times a week). We watch videos, they practice musical instruments, I read aloud to them, they help out at home, we go places, they're involved in group classes for sports and music, they play, they experiment, they create. If you're not used to it, this sort of homeschooling can seem rather bereft of evidence of learning, but if you train yourself to be a sensitive observer and document what happens, you'll find you end up with a lot of observed evidence of learning. Keep a blog, a scrapbook or journal and you'll amass a lot of reassurance of what he's learning.

Miranda

[mommy68]

My DD is 6 and is this way. Her brother's were very calm and easy going. She is the complete opposite. I started school too late today and during our language arts/phonics work she ended up sitting on the floor with her head peeping above the table writing her letters on the sheet. Although, it was cute and very expected for a typical high strung 6 yr old - after a few minutes of that I told her we would do a few more and quit. I got tired of watching her fidget and not get in to the work. She wasn't absorbing anything so it was pointless. We started way too late today. I had to go out this morning and run a few errands and that messed us up.

I think the key is to figure out the best time of day to do school and try to stick to a routine with a child that is hyper, but that's JMO. My DD messes up on the days that I mess up her routine/schedule.

[samuelsmom]

DS actually sits ON the table when we do work. I've learned to deal with it. As long as he's doing the work, I don't really care if he sits quietly at the table. We practice math facts while he's playing...he memorizes poems and recites them to me while he's building with legos. I'm just having to learn to be more creative and keep him active...he's just not a sit-down kid.

[Lillian J]

Originally Posted by Baby Makes 4

My 13yo DS is not a "producer" either. He doesn't like to sit and write but that doesn't mean he isn't learning.

He watches documentaries, reads books, cooks with me, browses the internet, plays computer games and board games (there are some really fun and educational ones out there) and we talk about stuff all the time. I know it's hard to "see" the learning when you have a kid who doesn't like to produce concrete work but just trust that the learning is happening. Worksheets are not the only way to measure success.

Mine did similar things and learned up a storm. When he entered classes in his teens at the local community college, he fit in just fine and was a better student than most who had been in schools at desks all those years. Learning, fortunately, is not about sitting down with paperwork - that's just the easiest format they've found for a classroom setting. There are lots of ways to learn, and lots of fabulous resources to help. Look at the FUN-Books website for one resource that has a lot of good stuff beyond the traditional schoolroom ones.

You asked about books and websites:
How Your Child IS Smart: A Life-Changing Approach to Learning, by Dawna Markova. It tells about the different kinds of learners and the ways they learn best. And if you go to this webpage and scroll down to the section titled "About Learning and How It Works, Learning Styles, and Special Challenges," you'll find more good ones.

You might also find some inspiration among the articles on my own (non-commercial) website and/or the links from it to other sites and articles. See the link in my sig line below.

- Lillian

[lisarussell]

talk.

that's all. Ask him questions about things, and answer the questions he asks you.

Sitting and writing are not learning.

Just because he's not "into" writing down the answers doesn't mean he doesn't know the answers.

[MamaChel]

We read a lot of stories but DS is free-to build things, color, whatever while we're reading. I try to do more "active" learning with him, we may not just write letters, we'll draw them in the dirt, form dough into letters, use food to make them, etc.

He's a very hands-on kid so we try to be more hands on for him.

[MSings]

My son, age 7,never sits still when I read to him even though he is actively engaged and learning. Typically he is both humming and moving- spinning in a desk chair, petting the kittens, crawling on the floor etc. When I ask him a question, though, it is obvious that he has heard every word. He will sit still when he reads to himself but prefers my reading to him most of the time. We don't do any worksheets or writing. If homeschooling is not a good fit for your family, consider talking to your school about using exercise balls instead of chairs:

<http://student-health-issues.suite101.com/article.cfm/no_more_classroom_chairs>