golfcartmama Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 My dd does not like being homeschooled. She's bored and I don't know what to do about it. She's not going to ps, but I need her to like it more, help! All ideas appreciated and considered. Problems: She went to church preschool...it was play based, so she has a skewed view of school. My DS needs a lot of one on one. He has SPD and I have to keep him on task. I let him do as much on his own as he can, but FLL, AAS and WWE are NOT independent programs to start with. Good things: Her work load is fine...she does all of it quickly and amazingly accurately, so it's not too much 'work'. I even went out of the way to have crafts planned for her to do every week around a theme...just like her friends do at ps K. We're in a co-op one day per week...she hasn't made real friends yet, but we've only been twice and she sits with a group, so it's coming. She wants me to play with her a lot, but I can't always play and not teach DS and get things done in the house. I've tried file folder games, play doh, painting, puzzles, in other words, quiet only for school time things, and they work for about 15-20 minutes and then I hear again..."play with me Mommy." It's killing me to not be able to and she's not happy with being 'home' so much and being around her brother so much. She's already in dance 1 x per wk, soccer (1 practice, 1 game per week) and Daisy scouts 1x month. Bless you if you're still reading this! Advice welcome... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JessReplanted Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 Hmm... What about giving her more chores? ;) When I started homeschooling my son (for K) he was suddenly more eager to help me around the house - because he was 'bored'. That 'bored - what do I do with myself now' phase did wear off eventually. I would just keep trying to redirect your daughter. You are right, you can't always play with her, but you can suggest that she find something to do or do a chore. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critterfixer Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 One thing I'd suggest is making sure you've got a good supply of audio-books. That would give her something to listen to when you are not available to read a book to her. I also keep a lot of books with real-life pictures of places and animals for her to look at and think about. Encourage her in pretend play with her stuffed animals. If she is bored, she can listen to her brother have his lessons. :tongue_smilie:See how fast that gets her to think of something else to do! Sometimes I think children get to feeling that they have to be entertained continuously. It's not a bad thing to take the time to go play with her (and I think you can probably come up with good times to do this) but make sure that she doesn't have the idea that she has to have you jumping through hoops to have fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 While I totally agree that she needs to learn not to expect your direct attention all the time (or, so much), I think maybe I'd be less worried about the house and go ahead and play more. Having her work beside you/with you as you clean, fold clothes, dust, cook, etc. can be another way to feed that need. IME, children often enjoy doing "real" stuff, and can tell if they've been given work that is designed to keep them out of Mom's hair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
golfcartmama Posted October 5, 2011 Author Share Posted October 5, 2011 Thank you for the advice. I will try to add more chores that I can think of where she doesn't have to be supervised white I teach. I let the house go...a lot...but that's another thread, LOL! I also think she'd REALLY enjoy the audiobooks! I've tried adding in computer games as well b/c she likes those to. She's pretty decent at entertaining herself (albeit with lots of messes along the way!), I think I feel guilty b/c she isn't as happy as she was when she went to preschool. She wants to go to 'big' school like her friends so it's struggle for me to see her want to do it and know that this is the best thing for her at the same time. Keep the ideas coming! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooketopia Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 I think 15-20 minutes per activity is pretty normal for a 5yo girl. Unless they're super engrossed in something, that's been about how long they last with any activity. I thought I was going to go nuts when my eldest was in that age range...just starting to be old enough to do stuff on her own, but still needing a lot of help. She's grown out of it slowly and pretty much prefers to do her own thing now that she's 7.5 yo. (My 5 yo has filled the vacancy...and she's followed closely by 3.5 yo little sister.) I think you're doing a lot of good with what you're doing, so don't worry so much. If you can find more for her to do, great. If you can't, don't beat yourself up because what you're describing sounds incredibly normal to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 How about crafts she can do on her own, like simple cross stitch done on those plastic grid sheet thingies :p My youngest is starting those, I just make very simple designs with markers and have him match the yarn colors (I prethread the plastic needles with enough yarn to fill in whatever section). Otherwise... I let him play outside A LOT. It's just the only way to get the quiet I need for the older two while he is bouncing between subjects. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 I would explain how her friends in K are working just as hard or harder than her (or at least longer!) and that K is different than preschool, and grades above that, even more so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brendag Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 I have a 4 year old daughter who has a harder time entertaining herself unlike her twin brother who is happy as a clam building blocks or Lego for an hour at a time so I understand. Here are a couple of things I have done. 1. More outside time. She used to get bored after 10 minutes, but now she is starting to "go on adventures". I use that. I bought an ant farm and a ladybug kit which they love. I then equipped them with magnifying glasses, butterfly nets, bug book, etc and off they go out back. Even when my son is playing in a dirt pile (stereotypical boy), she is getting better at entertaining herself. Our back yard is pretty big and we have mountains behind us so bugs and wildlife are abundant. 2. Montessori practical activities. I bought a Montessori homeschool curriculum guide for the art and practical activities. My daughter now loves to dust and polish things! Sounds weird, but so true. She loves being helpful, especially if it is something "fun" to her. You don't necessarily need to buy Montessori supplies, just use what you have around the house. My kids are younger so we are doing more basic things. http://www.newchildmontessori.com/ 3. Is your daughter into dress up? Mine is and she is just as happy being a knight as she is a princess. Playscarves are wonderful too. My husband found these weird animal hats for $1 each and they wear those and become superhero giraffe or princess tiger. Bizarre and funny! Love that imagination coming out! How about getting cheap pair of shoes that she can decorate herself with glue and sequins or fabric markers? I'm just throwing things out there. :001_smile: I'm guessing she is still adjusting to the change. You do more outside activities than we do, but I know we need to start doing more soon. Brenda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
golfcartmama Posted October 5, 2011 Author Share Posted October 5, 2011 Thank you so much! I am going to look into the Ladybug thing...I didn't know they existed. She will be ALL OVER that! Also, can I find the plastic needle cross stitch at JoAnn's or Michael's type places? I've not seen them. I tried the first knitting set, but she needs me to be able to do it. We'll save it for a year and try again. And yes, she always dresses up! Her room is a disaster with dress up stuff all the time! AND...I'm wearing furry bunny ears right now, LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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