A struggle everyday!

[nknapp5]

Am I doing something wrong? My ds is doing well in school but everyday getting started is like pulling teeth. I feel like throwing in the towel. I'm not joking it seems to be eveyday. We are doing 1st grade work, he is 6, I don't feel like it is anything too hard or easy for him. We definitely do not have a packed schedule, because of the difficulties I'm not doing as much as I'd like. Does anyone else have this problem? I thought homeschooled kids loved to learn, why doesn't mine? :confused:

[mama27]

Because that is a lie!!! lol

I used to think that once i got the "perfect" curric that my kids would suddenly turn into "those" homeschool kids that seem to LOVE all these projects, read books for hours, make wonderful minature diaramas of Ancient egypt, etc.

It took awhile but eventually I realized my kids do not give a fig about projects, some of them will read some will only do it when forced.

They are just regular kids who want to hurry up and get their work done so they can play or whatever.

Just be consistent, school is not fun for everyone, it's work.

[M&M]

Am I doing something wrong? My ds is doing well in school but everyday getting started is like pulling teeth. I feel like throwing in the towel. I'm not joking it seems to be eveyday. We are doing 1st grade work, he is 6, I don't feel like it is anything too hard or easy for him. We definitely do not have a packed schedule, because of the difficulties I'm not doing as much as I'd like. Does anyone else have this problem? I thought homeschooled kids loved to learn, why doesn't mine? :confused:

 

 

I have 5 dc, only one willingly gets started with her schoolwork everyday. She is my oldest and she is in highschool. All of my other children are just as you described. It takes time every year to get the younger ones into a routine, and sometimes the older ones as well. Just be consistent and don't let it get you down.

 

As to not getting everything done, well my first grader doesn't get it all done everyday either. Just cover the basics and add in the extras as you can. Does he like crafts or read aloud? Use them as insentive...if you get xyz done we can do abc today.

 

Keep Swimming!

[5LittleMonkeys]

Am I doing something wrong? My ds is doing well in school but everyday getting started is like pulling teeth. I feel like throwing in the towel. I'm not joking it seems to be eveyday. We are doing 1st grade work, he is 6, I don't feel like it is anything too hard or easy for him. We definitely do not have a packed schedule, because of the difficulties I'm not doing as much as I'd like. Does anyone else have this problem? I thought homeschooled kids loved to learn, why doesn't mine? :confused:

 

I'm sorry your having a hard time.:grouphug: I just have to say about the bolded part above though...not all homeschooled kids love to learn everything. I would say there are many many parents here who will agree with that. With the exception of my dd7 during the first few days of the year, none of my dc have bounded down to the table singing the praises of learning for the most part. They do however get excited about learning things they are interested in, but that doesn't always match up with what I have on the agenda.

 

I know where you are coming from though. When I first started homeschooling I was so enthusiastic about all of the new curriculum and all of the great books and all of the fun projects we were going to be working on. I couldn't understand why my enthusiasm wasn't being reciprocated by my dc. I asked if the work was too hard, was it too easy, was it too boring? For the most part they said everything was fine. They didn't mind learning and at certain times they really enjoyed it, but given the choice they would rather be doing their own thing. Reading their own book, doing their own arts\crafts, pretending and playing, etc.

 

I am learning now to try to incorporate things that they are passionate about into their education but its hard to know what a 6 year old is passionate about. With my older dc we have reached a happy medium. For dd7 I try to start the day with something she enjoys doing. Right now that is math. At the end of last year it was art. Have you tried starting the day with a game or maybe even a little 10 minute exercise warm-up? Maybe start the day with a project from history or experiment from science. Last year when we were studying Ancient Egypt, my dd7 actually did get excited to start because she was pretending she was a little Egyptian girl going to school (she said even though only boys got to go she was a princess so she got to go too) and we would start the day with her writing things in hieroglyphics. The whole enthusiasm for learning waxes and wanes with my crew depending on what we are learning. I'd love to have dc who beg for academics all of the time but I don't think they actually exist.:tongue_smilie:

 

By the way, I have to admit that lately It's my two oldest trying to get me to the table in the morning. We start at 7 and I am not a morning person. Maybe you could try starting at a different time. I wish I could!

 

Hang in there. Don't throw in the towel yet; remember he is young still. :grouphug:

[Mom-ninja.]

Yep, kids will try to get out of doing work. Lessons = work and my kids don't like it. They do it because I tell them they have to not because they want to.

 

Once it's routine and a normal part of the day there is less resistance. There are good days and bad days.

 

I have to pull my kids from their toys every morning to start school.

[Mom0012]

I found out a long time ago with my son that I couldn't allow him to play or do anything before we started school or he'd really have a tough time transitioning. It's been a long time since I've tested the waters since I like to get an early start anyway, but when he was the age your child is, he definitely needed to begin right away.

 

I don't know if that applies or not, but I thought I'd mention it as a possibility.

 

Lisa

[Zann]

I've have been lucky in this respect. I have taken great pains to explain to my children what "powers" they can tap into by learning to read, write, and speak properly. When I sit and explain this I try and make it as magical as possible and give it the wieght of something as serious as life and death.

 

However my family watchs 0 cable/network T.V., and infact my kids have watched less than 2 hours of cable thier whole lives. My personal view is that T.V. programming is the absolute worse thing for our children especially in the grammar stage. The structure of commericals and programing has been shown to shorten attention spans and train your childs brain to be lazy.

 

I also do things to keep them motivated, rewards like stickers when they do well and lollypops when they do something outstanding. Going to the playground is also very motivational.

 

I made some mistakes in the begining and had my daughter drilling and drilling on writing the letters of the alphabet, so when it came to teaching her to read it was very frustrating becuase she just couldn't put the letters together. I just had to keep plugging away until finally she got it. (Using the Ordinary Teachers Guide suggested by WTM)

 

Remember the goal is to get them to the 5th Grade level by the time they are 10. I would encourage you not to give up. As homeschoolers we are giving our kids the gift of a one on one education that will serve them far better than a Public School system that would let them "Goof Off" and just pass them through.

 

Keep up the good work

[jld]

I went to my first homeschooling conference when dd was 1, and an experienced homeschooling parent and presenter there said that kids don't want to study until they're 12. At that point they start to mature and want to join the adult world. They see that they won't get any respect from adults unless they know things, and know how to do things, and that's when they get serious about learning.

 

Your son is six and probably just wants to play. That is very normal. :001_smile:

[imhim]

My dd 7 is this way. ANd she was like this last year, when she was 6, in first.

As soon as I get up from the table to give a little one their sippycup, she is gone, or hides under the table. It is very frustrating, I pray every day for her to change and for me to have patience.

 

My son, 5, is the opposite. The Lord had mercy on me. He would do more school if I had any nore time for him - which I don't, cause it's all spent on dd7.

 

I think some children are just that way. I was not that way, and this is why it is so hard to deal with.

[Brooketopia]

LoL, we could have written the same post!

 

My dd is 6 and it is a struuuuuuuhhhhhgle to get everything going in the morning. I thought perhaps I was expecting too much, so I made things a little easier, but still the same response. I tried to make things more fun, but she still didn't want to do school! What was I doing wrong?!?!

 

And then the light went on: she's six years old. Duh! :tongue_smilie:

I've never met a six year old who liked school, homeschooled or not. I've heard they exist, but I've never met one...unless you're doing art or playing with Play-Doh or something.

 

So I put on my big girl panties and just settled in for the struggle. I'd be fighting her every morning to get dressed in time for the bus if she was going to public school, so whatever. I'm the adult and I know/decide what's in her best interest right now. Grammar it is!

 

I empathize with your struggle...we just gots ta keep going. Just because it's difficult doesn't mean you're not doing a good job. <---I repeat that to myself every day! :)

[EKS]

I thought homeschooled kids loved to learn, why doesn't mine? :confused:

 

That is one of the Myths of Homeschooling.

[JudoMom]

Am I doing something wrong? My ds is doing well in school but everyday getting started is like pulling teeth. I feel like throwing in the towel. I'm not joking it seems to be eveyday. We are doing 1st grade work, he is 6, I don't feel like it is anything too hard or easy for him. We definitely do not have a packed schedule, because of the difficulties I'm not doing as much as I'd like. Does anyone else have this problem? I thought homeschooled kids loved to learn, why doesn't mine? :confused:

 

My homeschooled kids love to learn. It just doesn't always happen to coincide with what I need to teach :001_smile:.

 

My oldest reads about the Civil & Revolutionary Wars in his free time, my ds10 knows more about Greek Myths and JRR Tolkien than me, and my ds8 studies science topics in his free time.

 

With my older 2, I'm starting to see the fruits of our labor. They like to talk and think, and they're starting to enjoy their schooling a bit more now that we're past the hard work of learning the basics, and they get to put the skills they've learned into practice.

 

Just keep at it, one day at a time. Work on establishing a school routine and good habits, and the rest will come.

[nknapp5]

I can't thank you all enough! Such encouraging words, I needed it sooo much. This is my first kid to homeschool and I plan on hsing the other 4, looks like I'm going to have many more struggles ahead of me :)

[JudoMom]

I can't thank you all enough! Such encouraging words, I needed it sooo much. This is my first kid to homeschool and I plan on hsing the other 4, looks like I'm going to have many more struggles ahead of me :)

 

I found my oldest son to be the most resistant to schooling when he was younger. The younger boys, while they may not love everything we do, have always had the advantage of watching their older brother(s) do school, and to them doing school is just something we do. It's all new to the oldest child, though, and he hasn't had school modeled for him. So in my experience, it does get easier with the younger kids.

[Dolphin]

We just started Home School this year. My son is in 3rd grade. After the first 3 weeks I was really frustrated. I was lucky that 2 veteran Home School moms sat down and talked with me while I was waiting for my son to get out of Drama class. They told me that not only is my son learning how to be Home Schooled, I am learning how to Home school. To just relax and keep plugging away at it. However they also reminded me about one of the joys of homeschooling. Just because something is laid out to be finished in 36 weeks, does not mean that I can't take 45 weeks to finish. Also incentives. I had never thought of this, but Mad libs is great Grammar practice, and my ds loves them. So, if he does his best focused work for 20 min, we do a mad lib. Seems to be working. We also have a sticker chart. Everyday he does the work we need to do with a positive attitude he gets a sticker. When he gets 30 he gets a prize, and a sticker on the "big treat" sheet. Same thing with books. Every time he reads a mom approved book he gets a sticker. 30 and a treat and a big prize sticker. He knows that he is working toward an overnight mystery trip. But at the rate I set out he should only get to that once a year, twice some years.

 

Hope some of that helps. Also what the other mom said, AS long as he is on track by 5th grade I am relaxing about how we get there.

[Kirch]

I found out a long time ago with my son that I couldn't allow him to play or do anything before we started school or he'd really have a tough time transitioning. It's been a long time since I've tested the waters since I like to get an early start anyway, but when he was the age your child is, he definitely needed to begin right away.

 

I don't know if that applies or not, but I thought I'd mention it as a possibility.

 

Lisa

 

:iagree: This has really helped us. Also, I finally got so tired of the constant struggle (not just lack of enthusiasm, but out-and-out resistance and defiance, and with life in general, not just school) that I told him that if he doesn't cooperate and do it without an attitude, he will go to his room and stay there until he's ready to do whatever it is he's supposed to be doing (without any more arguing, politely, and respectfully). He can't play, he can't go anywhere, he can't do anything else--his world stops until he does it (he can go to the bathroom, and I'd give him something to eat at a mealtime, although it's never come to that). That's been pretty effective for us, and although I'm still having to use it fairly often, the length of time he stays in his room has gotten much shorter.

[kalanamak]

My ds is doing well in school but everyday getting started is like pulling teeth. We are doing 1st grade work, he is 6

 

I don't have to do it anymore, but from the moment school became longer than 30 minutes, I needed a bribe. The moment school was done, there was a cobbler bar and a trip to the park or a swim at the pool. He was eager for me to get home and get started, because the sooner we were done, the sooner his favorite part of the day started. I had to point it out a couple times, and give him a couple minutes to change his attitude. He wanted to make it seem it was his idea:lol:.

 

Now, if he does a standard good job, he gets a bowl of ice cream for dessert, and if he does a really bang up job, I let him stay up reading in bed a little longer.

 

HTH

Edited October 14, 2010 by kalanamak

[Momma H]

My little boy is 5 and is all about instant gratification--it does not work as well to work toward something for later. So, I started tossing him chocolate chips if he could keep working dilligently. I tell him if he works dilligently and has a good attitude, they keep coming. (with smiles and laughter--my good attitude has a lot to do with his) We started this probably 3 months ago. He still gets SOME chocolate chips but the attitude and dilligence are just automatically good. It kind of got him in the right frame of mind until it became his frame of mind. That works well with him.