How to help with focus?

[howiecram]

Hi again!

So, one of our biggest problems with my 6 year old is, lack of focus. Well, if we are doing it one on one, she has no problems. However, if her 4 year old brother decides to join us at the table and has one of his R&S books, when I switch to speak to him, she stops her work and has to either "help" him or becomes very interested in "his" work. He, on the other hand, can sit there for 30+ minutes and work solidly on his work? SO crazy! One day my son actually played with my 2.5 year old for over an hour. My 6 year old and I accomplished quite a bit and then I had her go play with my 2.5 year old. My son and I worked for another sold 1.5 hours. SO, it was very productive, schooling, but it took over 3 hours. My daughter only needs a few minutes for me to explain what to do, as does my son. However, them together is not a good mix. Do we just suck it up and take 3 hours, or is there something we can do to help her not get so distracted?

[Michelle T]

Re: How to help with focus?

Three hours is not an unreasonable amount of time to spend on school for two students. I would not try to do it all in one session due to their ages; but, they could do smaller blocks of time broken up with snack and time for movement.

Blessings,
Michelle T

[howiecram]

Re: How to help with focus?

I didn't mind the 3 hours so much, but I was worried about neglecting my 2.5 year old for so long! Ironically, they did a really good job not trashing the house! :-)

[Michelle T]

Re: How to help with focus?

It is always a bonus if when you finish working with one child the other hasn't completely demolished the area! I remember always being amazed at the ability of my children to trash a large area in a short amount of time! 😙

I would imagine if you broke up those 3 hours and had focused time with the other children during say a snack or other activity such as a recess or free play time for the older child, those feelings would lessen. As a mother of four I know there are always periods where one child required more attention than another. It seemed to cycle, but I do understand that feeling. From what you described the child is not acting out in a way displaying feelings of neglect.

Michelle T

[howiecram]

Re: How to help with focus?

Yes, now I also remember that same week, the toddler spending about 2 hours with me in the afternoon baking, while my older kids played outside. I also try to be intentional about her bedtime and try to allow a solid 30 minutes just with her before bed. I guess it evens out? :-)

Just to be clear, I should not expect a 4 and 6 year old to be at the same table and NOT distracting one another? :-)

[Michelle T]

Re: How to help with focus?

There should be an expectation difference between the 4 and 6 year old.

Michelle T

[Colomama]

Re: How to help with focus?

My kiddos are the same ages as yours...here's how we roll at our house.

My oldest and I go over math lesson. I follow the rod and staff teacher manual complete with flashcards and all. I sometimes do the board examples and sometimes we just look at the picture in my book. We go over the different problem types on his workbook page and then I send him off to work independently in the kitchen. This takes maybe 20 mins. The two younger have had free play during this time.

Then it's the 4 year olds turn. We go through her math and writing lessons. The older presents his completed work at some point during his sisters turn. I quickly check it for corrections and he's free to play. Once the 4 year old is done we all sit together for literature. They start the enrichment craft while I start lunch. This allows them to do the craft with supervision, but I'm multitasking.

I typically do the 2 year olds preschool reading work with her before nap time after lunch. During this time the older 2 have quiet time. They can be 'reading' (ie looking at books) or the older may be doing his penmanship. This keeps them quietly occupied while I'm putting the littlest down. They could also do Legos or puzzles.

We do school at the dining room table and that allows the older some time and space for independent work in the kitchen in short spurts as he increases his attention span. If that's not an option, how about a lap desk in the living room or a bedroom?

In short, he works in short spurts independently and then is rewarded with some active time or something else enjoyable like read aloud time before going back for more independent work.

Hope that helps