What do you do when kids get "the sillies?"

[chilliepepper]

It's been discussed here before, but I'm looking for fresh strategies. :)

 

So I put a big honking whiteboard down in our den/family room, since a) it's the only room with that much wall space and b) didn't want our "formal" living room (such as it is) to look like a school room.

 

The problem is that at other times of day, our den/family room is basically a mosh pit. Can you see where this is going? I'm trying to do some kind of lesson at the whiteboard (we only do this once or twice a day, just whenever it seems like the whiteboard would come in handy), and I've got sofa cushions and pillows everywhere, people arguing over who gets to recline where, kids rolling around on the floor, bringing down bedding from their beds, etc. (ok, not that many kids---just three, and only two of them are school age but the 3yo is usually in the mix).

 

So today, for our short memory work review session in which I wanted to use the whiteboard, I told them the sofa was off limits and they needed to sit on the floor, crisscross applesauce. I know that this concept is not unfamiliar to them.

 

Could they do it? Nope. And then the sillies began. You know what I'm talking about...I can't even remember the details, except that it culminated in me yelling really loudly at my 7yo. Oh yeah. We were having to discuss the specifics of how he should sit crisscross applesauce. Can I do it like this? Like this? How about this? I ended up sending him away, telling him we would add the rest of the memory work on to the end of his school day.

 

What do I have to do...break out some carpet squares a la preschool?

 

 

Thanks for your suggestions.

 

[KrissiK]

1. I separate them all - bedrooms, couches, etc. and set the timer for 15 minutes, anyone who talks starts to lose video game time. Usually that's enough to calm them down, and it gives me a break from the madness.

2. Sometimes I make them all run to the end of the block and back.

 

Then, I'd just tell them to sit. And if they can't figure it out, then they can have 15 minutes of time to practice sitting cross-cross applesauce at the end of the school day. I know about kids gathering paraphernalia. I just give them fair warning to get what they need and then... They start losing video game time, which is a very coveted currency in our house.

[SorrelZG]

If anyone said "crisscross applesauce" to me, I wouldn't be able to remain focussed and un-silly, either. :tongue_smilie: :lol: I've never heard that before.

 

But seriously, if I'm in a bad mood, they get separated. If I'm in a good mood, I'd take an exercise break—sillier the better.

 

I like the idea of carpet squares, actually. I'd do it if that's what it took. :)

[wintermom]

Maybe bring in chairs from the kitchen so that they can sit separately right in front of the white board, and they aren't tempted to roll around. Keep the sessions short. Have time for physical activity right after the sitting time.

 

 

[Farrar]

My feeling is you can't fight the sillies with anger and coming down it hard. That just makes everyone either more silly or, if you come down hard enough, turns it into hysteria and tears. They're really quite close together I've found.

 

I think you go sideways. Let it go for awhile and walk away. Make the "punishment" running around the house five times or doing twenty jumping jacks or jumping on the trampoline or something. Or just make the consequence, you must go outside for fifteen minutes for a break. And then when they come in, that's when to separate them. Talk to them about it later when no one is upset and talk about how frustrating it is and see what ideas they have for curbing the sillies. Sometimes also, be proactive and give them a fifteen minute outside or run around break if you see them coming so it doesn't get bad. Or give them more fidgets or find creative places for them to work apart.

[Rachel]

We were having issues with our kids getting the sillies whenever we went to lunch with a particular family.  Tired of it, we pulled into the parking lot before lunch, talked about proper behavior, then set a timer for 2 minutes and had the kids act as silly as possibly until the timer went off.  They had a lot of fun, but couldn't make it a full 2 minutes.  They got it out of their system and it was the best lunch ever.

 

I have no idea if it would work in your particular situation, but it is something different.

[aminuteorless]

Well, I spread out small blankets for my 4 and 6 year olds. They are supposed to stay on the blankets. If we are having silliness issues, the guilty party has to run to the back of the yard and back a couple of times (we have a deep yard). I finish up with the other one and then redo the memory work with the guilty party after he returns from his sprint. Running really helps my 6 year old boy.

[RootAnn]

I generally end up with the sillies, too. However, if I'm in a non-silly mood or just need to stay on time, we do what Rach suggests & have "silly time" on a timer (1-2 min).

 

Then, we get down to business.

 

I did have carpet squares the first year were were in our new school room. We morphed to pillows/blankets. Now, it is kind of a free-for-all. I will sometimes ask for "Soldier Stance" (1. Stand up straight; 2. Shoulders back; 3. Hands at sides; 4. Ready eyes; 5. Quick response) if I need them to recite. Then, they can collapse again until it is their turn.

[justamouse]

Laugh with them? They're little. 

I think if you try laughing with them instead of correcting them, you'll get back on track faster. You'll also leave them with a memory of homeschooling being fun, and mom being lovable and wonderful. 

[Alice]

Sometimes I get silly back. Sometimes I decide the sillies mean we've had enough of formal schooling for a bit and we take a snack break or an exercise break or a go outside break. Sometimes I take the silliest offender off by himself and we talk about why it's causing a problem. It really depends on why they are being silly and sometimes my mood. 

 

I know it doesn't do any good to get frustrated but sometimes I do. When I do I've found the best tactic is to quietly pick up a book/magazine/something of my own and just sit there and read until they calm down. The first few times I did that they thought I'd gone nuts and the sillies continued for awhile. Then they asked "are we done?" I calmly replied that "no, I was just waiting for you to be done goofing off." And then I looked at my watch or the clock and casually commented that "Wow, that was 15 minutes of reading, we would have been done with x. I guess we'll be doing school a little longer today." After a time or two it's pretty effective so that if I pick up my book to read, they stop immediately and know that the message is "You're wasting time. I'm going to do something else, let me know when you're ready to move on." 

[happypamama]

Send them to run around or do jumping jacks.

 

If it's just one child, and that child is being too disruptive during a group activity, despite adequate breaks and such, that child is sent away, at least for a few minutes, until the child is ready to settle down. If it's a child being silly (and I have one child who does this sometimes, the 9yo) during one-on-one time, I stop working with that child, although I do generally give a warning. If I quit working with that child during his specific time slot, it's very possible that he may not get another chance with me that day, because my days are full and busy, and I need them to make the most of the time I have set aside for each of them, which means he may not get his work completed for the day, which is required before screen time. We will discuss appropriate attitude and the importance of giving your best effort in the time you have at another time.

[Justified]

Sometimes starting a session out with something fun and special gets all the wiggles out and then rolling into a activity that sets a tone can really help. Librarians are really good at this. It makes me want to take them home so they can do their magic for me.

 

Maybe do a song from here

(I can't sing so I would be dependent on the video itself) and then you can bring the tone back down with some simple rhyme like this:

 

Touch your nose

Tune: “Here we go round the mulberry bushâ€

 

Touch your nose, touch your chin,

That’s the way this game begins,

Touch your eyes, touch your knees,

Now pretend you feel a breeze

 

Touch your hair, touch one ear,

Touch your two red lips right here,

Touch your elbows where they bend,

That’s the way this touch game ends

 

This works likes a charm on my kids at the library. At home, I haven't tried it. I just run my high energy kids about all morning and they are quite ready to settle down in the afternoon and do some work. I have given up on the idea that we would all wake up and get school done first thing. It is just not my family. We are the kind to do the gym, library, zoo or park first thing. Maybe that will change when they are in middle school.