Unable to focus

[Gailmegan]

Okay, my 6yo first grader is very bright. We're almost done Saxon 3, and he has no problem with the concepts. BUT he can't focus without my help. When he has a drill sheet with 25 problems on it and I sit next to him and point to each one, he will stay with me and get them all done in 1-2 minutes. But if I have to get a drink or talk to his brother for a second, I turn back and he is doodling all over the page. And he is always making his numbers really big, or really small, or with curly-Q's, or smiley faces inside of them. And he is obsessive about drawing lines to connect answers that are the same and find patterns anywhere he can find them.

 

He also has the same issues when reading books. He loves to read and he is doing fine with level 2 readers like Nate the Great, etc. but it takes him forever because he is always looking at the pictures and analyzing them and guessing what will happen. He is constantly losing his place because he gets so distracted.

 

Is this normal? How can I help him to stay on task? Do I need to help him stay on task or is it okay that it takes him 45 minutes to do 25 easy problems while doodling and connecting things? Is it okay that he takes forever to read a simple book because he is so interested in the pictures? Maybe I just need to chill. I need a sanity check and advice from anyone who has had a similar situation.

 

TIA

[Twinmom]

He sounds a LOT like my 6 year old DS! He's very bright...tested gifted...but unless I sit right there with him, his attention drifts, he doodles, plays, jumps about, etc. I finally got him a wiggle seat to sit on during school (google "balance trainer") and it helped him at least stay in his chair! If he's really bad off, I have him take a break and run laps around the house till he's tired out! Then, he can sit still and work just fine.

 

If he's still doing this in a few years, see about ADD or ADHD. Otherwise, he sounds pretty normal to me!

[WTMindy]

Okay, my 6yo first grader is very bright. We're almost done Saxon 3, and he has no problem with the concepts. BUT he can't focus without my help. When he has a drill sheet with 25 problems on it and I sit next to him and point to each one, he will stay with me and get them all done in 1-2 minutes. But if I have to get a drink or talk to his brother for a second, I turn back and he is doodling all over the page. And he is always making his numbers really big, or really small, or with curly-Q's, or smiley faces inside of them. And he is obsessive about drawing lines to connect answers that are the same and find patterns anywhere he can find them.

 

He also has the same issues when reading books. He loves to read and he is doing fine with level 2 readers like Nate the Great, etc. but it takes him forever because he is always looking at the pictures and analyzing them and guessing what will happen. He is constantly losing his place because he gets so distracted.

 

Is this normal? How can I help him to stay on task? Do I need to help him stay on task or is it okay that it takes him 45 minutes to do 25 easy problems while doodling and connecting things? Is it okay that he takes forever to read a simple book because he is so interested in the pictures? Maybe I just need to chill. I need a sanity check and advice from anyone who has had a similar situation.

 

TIA

I remember reading with my son because he would have to search every picture on the page before he could start reading it. I kept my finger under the words were for him and I would point back to the words when I saw his eyes veering. He is still a visual kid, but he doesn't have that problem with reading anymore. He will get better. His brain is a bit more advanced than his attention span. Maybe it would help to set a timer and see how many he can complete in 5 minutes or something. Make it into a little game.

[Mom2legomaniacs]

We have that here. I think it is somewhat normal. I find that I have to work with mine to stay on task. My little one, though, typically needs help staying on task with math. Other things, he is fine with.

 

My older one, it is entirely mood/frame of mind dependent. I am the same way.

 

With the little ones, I think you have to gradually work up to independence with tasks.

 

That's been my experience thus far.

[Chris in VA]

Sounds normal to me. One thing that has helped some people is to break up the fact sheets--if you aren't into timing but still want to go for some sort of timed test, then you could try this--Go thru the fact cards as usual, then give him one line of the fact sheet to do. You can fold the page into fifths so that only one line appears at a time. Do the lesson. Do another line of the fact sheet. Do the worksheet. Do one more line of the fact sheet. Then set the timer, and time how long he takes to do the remaining 10 problems. (If you've folded the sheet, open the last two parts so 10 are showing.) Don't set the timer for a specific time, rather tell him "Go!" and see how long he takes. Have him try to beat his best time every day. Add in one more line from time to time.

[stephanie]

Okay, my 6yo first grader is very bright. We're almost done Saxon 3, and he has no problem with the concepts. BUT he can't focus without my help. When he has a drill sheet with 25 problems on it and I sit next to him and point to each one, he will stay with me and get them all done in 1-2 minutes. But if I have to get a drink or talk to his brother for a second, I turn back and he is doodling all over the page. And he is always making his numbers really big, or really small, or with curly-Q's, or smiley faces inside of them. And he is obsessive about drawing lines to connect answers that are the same and find patterns anywhere he can find them.

 

He also has the same issues when reading books. He loves to read and he is doing fine with level 2 readers like Nate the Great, etc. but it takes him forever because he is always looking at the pictures and analyzing them and guessing what will happen. He is constantly losing his place because he gets so distracted.

 

Is this normal? How can I help him to stay on task? Do I need to help him stay on task or is it okay that it takes him 45 minutes to do 25 easy problems while doodling and connecting things? Is it okay that he takes forever to read a simple book because he is so interested in the pictures? Maybe I just need to chill. I need a sanity check and advice from anyone who has had a similar situation.

 

TIA

 

I just wanted you to know that my ds9 does the exact same things. It was weird reading this b/c it is so familiar. Ds9 likes to turn every number on his fact sheets into block numbers or some fancy form. If I'm right there, then he's fine,but if I turn my back then there's no telling what kind of art I'm going to get. As far as reading goes, he's just like yours too. He likes to read, and then stare at the pic imagining what might be happening or what the character is thinking. I'll tell him if he can finish the book with diligence then I would love to see a picture of what he thinks may happen next. He loves to illustrate so I try to let him. However, I have him do reading last, after all his other work is done b/c I know it will take him forever. I just wanted you to know that you are not alone in this! Thanks for the post.

[...................]

sounds like my 6yo too! I've taken to covering up pictures with sticky notes...

 

Running laps outside helps A LOT!

 

I've decided I just mostly need to sit there with him for most things.

 

He had better focus last year than he does now. I don't know if that's due to a growth spurt or him getting away with it. My dh is convinced I need to be tougher on him so this week I have been getting much tougher- telling him he has no choice but to focus.

 

However in order for that to be fair, I have to get my dd out of the room! She is so cute and they're best friends, so he's always looking at her.

[Guest Celtic Eireann]

Maybe you could get one of those large exercise balls for him to sit on while he does his work.They sell them in catalouges for just that purpose...but since he's only 6 and probably not too heavy-I bet you could just buy the kind Wal-Mart (or wherever) sells for $10. HTH! Eireann:001_smile:

[Sue G in PA]

If I sit next to him or across from him...he'll get it done. I get up, begin to help another child, get a cup of coffee, use the bathroom, etc. and he's gone. I mean, literally....gone. Where did ds9 go, I ask? I dunno. He's playing w/ dd2 or in his room playing w/ his hamster or wherever...just not doing his work. Finally, after many battles..I just resigned myself to sit w/ him for the 1/2 hour it takes to do his math (the subject he dawdles over most). FWIW...6 is young and I typically have to sit w/ my ds6 the whole time he's doing his work.

[Cheryl B in VA]

I had to sit next to dear son to help him stay on task. Finally at age 9 when he hadn't grown out of it I had him evaluated and he was diagnosed with ADHD. The doctor said that she saw a lot of kids at 6/7 years old when they can't focus at school and she also saw a lot of 9/10 year olds when parents realize that they are not going to outgrow their focusing problem.

 

I waited until he was 9 because I was dead-set against labeling my son. When I realized that he could not reach his full potential because he was so easily distracted and hyper, I gave in. After the evaluation the doctor told me some things that she saw: when she said a series of numbers and asked him to repeat them he was not paying attention and could not do it; he was distracted by people walking down the hall; he was distracted by the window - he would look at the cars in the parking lot; he couldn't sit in the chair - he was constantlyl moving.

 

I say all this in case the thought has crossed your mind that it is more than just being a 6yo boy. My son is now a very bright 7th grader.

[Lenora in MD]

I think he sounds like a normal six year old. If he is in Saxon 3, you don't need to give him so much work to do. He can take his time. You need to sit with him and help him to focus, since he cannot do it on his own yet. He needs to learn to discipline himself, so that he can pay attention. He cannot do that on his own yet, so you need to help him and teach him. If you want to help him learn the self-discipline necessary, you need to start small. Maybe give him a few problems to do on his own. Start with just one if necessary. Commend his efforts when he does well. Then slowly add more. Also, I would think you still need to be there when he is reading. I have a 10yo boy who was just like that, but I have taken a lot of time to try to understand how he thinks and functions and have adjusted my lessons accordingly. I have worked with him to become more disciplined and he has made a lot of progress. He also seemed to hit a point when he was between 8 and 9 when something just clicked in his brain and he made a tremendous leap forward in his ability to focus and do his schoolwork. My son is also very bright, but learns differently. It has been a challenge to me, but I am really pleased with the progress he has made.

[Gailmegan]

It's nice to know that he's normal ;) To clarify - I do sit with him to do everything, but his little brother does get bored and need some attention/redirection sometimes.

 

Thank you everyone for the support and suggestions. I ran out of rep points, but I haven't forgotten you.