hsmom23 Posted October 4, 2016 Share Posted October 4, 2016 Here is my struggle. I have a 4th and 5th grader that are doing HOD Preparing and it is going super well. It takes them 2 1/2-4 hours a day depending on what the day looks like. I have a 2nd grader that is 7 and doing just the general subjects. She takes about and hour, maybe. She is then done and pesters her sisters endlessly. I have tried redirecting her, but she is social and needs social interaction so she gravitates back to us in the school room. I have tried giving her extra workbook pages but don't want to get ridiculous with it. I think she is probably ADHD to some degree. She will not sit through a whole movie most of the time and will choose not to play on her kindle more than about 20 minutes. She has play-doh, some craft stuff and a couple one person games available to her but it's just not the interaction she is looking for. Does anyone have any good ideas? I have tried spending some time with her before school playing a game or doing something with her, but it doesn't seem to change her behavior at all and I am lost on what to do for her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted October 4, 2016 Share Posted October 4, 2016 (edited) Can you enroll her in things where she is learning a skill she might be inclined to want to practice on her own at home like an art class or even martial arts or girl scouts or a musical intrument? I would get her involved in outside the house activities so she can meet other kids, learn skills, and get lots of physical activity. Hopefully she would then have interest in pursuing those skills at home as well and would be less needy of social interaction at home. I would also maybe try for some very targeted interaction with all the girls at about the same time midway through the morning and show her a clock that counts down for her so she can see when she can play with them for a little bit. Is it possible to do something VERY physical with her right before and right after she finishes her work then let her pick out an audio book to listen to with headsets while she plays with Legos or playdough or something in the same room with the rest of you so she isn't so lonely? Edited October 4, 2016 by OneStepAtATime 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendyroo Posted October 4, 2016 Share Posted October 4, 2016 An hour of school seems pretty short for a 2nd grader. Are there other fun school-y things she could do? I would not add on more worksheets, but rather art, science, a foreign language or a musical instrument, etc. My son who is 7 (who has autism and ADD) spends about 2 - 2.5 hours each day covering a mix of math, fun supplemental math games, writing, spelling, typing (computer program), geography games and puzzles, handwriting, Spanish, poetry, read-aloud practice, science, history, art and piano. For him, free time is hard, so it is better to have enjoyable educational activities planned for a larger chunk of his time rather than leaving him at loose ends. Wendy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbes Posted October 4, 2016 Share Posted October 4, 2016 (edited) I have an almost 7yo who is very extroverted. We do as many subjects as possible together in a morning time first thing... art, history, memory work, Bible, read alouds, French, etc. That seems to help fill her tank and make her feel included. Then she has about an hour of work to do. After that, she's expected to amuse herself while I work with the almost 9yo for about another hour. She would LOVE our attention all day, but I've worked to train her to self-amuse (mainly through a consistent afternoon quiet time) and she's gotten good at it, though not perfect. Playmobil, audiobooks, outdoor play, Legos, and of course the toddler (that's one way to help... get a toddler, lol). For us, it's come down to consistency (not saying you aren't, just what's worked here). She knows she is not to interrupt her sister's schoolwork and there will be consequences if she does. She has decided that it isn't worth it. It's about respect for her sister and for me. Her sister is likewise not allowed to interrupt me when I am working with her. I figure that they wouldn't be allowed to constantly interrupt other kids in a school classroom either. It doesn't take much. Having to sit quietly with her hands folded for ten minutes to "help remember not to interrupt" hasn't needed to happen often... she would MUCH rather be running around outside or building a fort in the living room! If there is an essential issue, they all know to put their hand on my arm and I'll answer as soon as possible. Edited October 4, 2016 by indigoellen@gmail.com 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmom23 Posted October 5, 2016 Author Share Posted October 5, 2016 Can you enroll her in things where she is learning a skill she might be inclined to want to practice on her own at home like an art class or even martial arts or girl scouts or a musical intrument? I would get her involved in outside the house activities so she can meet other kids, learn skills, and get lots of physical activity. Hopefully she would then have interest in pursuing those skills at home as well and would be less needy of social interaction at home. I would also maybe try for some very targeted interaction with all the girls at about the same time midway through the morning and show her a clock that counts down for her so she can see when she can play with them for a little bit. Is it possible to do something VERY physical with her right before and right after she finishes her work then let her pick out an audio book to listen to with headsets while she plays with Legos or playdough or something in the same room with the rest of you so she isn't so lonely? I have thought about doing something active before school, that's something I will try! I could try taking a break in the middle to do something with her sisters some days. Two days a week we all go to my work for the afternoon so we don't have a lot of extra time to work with but the other days it would work. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmom23 Posted October 5, 2016 Author Share Posted October 5, 2016 I have an almost 7yo who is very extroverted. We do as many subjects as possible together in a morning time first thing... art, history, memory work, Bible, read alouds, French, etc. That seems to help fill her tank and make her feel included. Then she has about an hour of work to do. After that, she's expected to amuse herself while I work with the almost 9yo for about another hour. She would LOVE our attention all day, but I've worked to train her to self-amuse (mainly through a consistent afternoon quiet time) and she's gotten good at it, though not perfect. Playmobil, audiobooks, outdoor play, Legos, and of course the toddler (that's one way to help... get a toddler, lol). For us, it's come down to consistency (not saying you aren't, just what's worked here). She knows she is not to interrupt her sister's schoolwork and there will be consequences if she does. She has decided that it isn't worth it. It's about respect for her sister and for me. Her sister is likewise not allowed to interrupt me when I am working with her. I figure that they wouldn't be allowed to constantly interrupt other kids in a school classroom either. It doesn't take much. Having to sit quietly with her hands folded for ten minutes to "help remember not to interrupt" hasn't needed to happen often... she would MUCH rather be running around outside or building a fort in the living room! If there is an essential issue, they all know to put their hand on my arm and I'll answer as soon as possible. Thanks for the encouragement! This is where I need to work I think. And actually we are working towards adopting and I really think having younger ones around would help her a lot! That's not to say it won't be a distraction too!!! We had some younger cousins here for a while and she loved having someone to play with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmom23 Posted October 5, 2016 Author Share Posted October 5, 2016 Ellen- Thanks for the encouragement! This is where I need to work I think. The point is I want her to understand she isn't going to be entertained all day, she needs to be able to find something to do on her own. And actually we are working towards adopting and I really think having younger ones around would help her a lot! That's not to say it won't be a distraction too!!! We had some younger cousins here for a while and she loved having someone to play with. Everyone- Thank you all for the great ideas, I'm going to look into some of the science ideas especially! Outside activities aren't feasible right now, but maybe some simple inexpensive science stuff would help. When I say an hour, that doesn't include the memory work and history she participates in with all of us or her read a loud time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbes Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 It's certainly tricky, balancing the needs of this many people! :) I hope it sorts out for you. I have found that my extroverted 7yo can pour into the toddler in such a sweet way and share some of that extra love she has! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rose Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 I can share my sympathy with you. My 5yo is very similar. My 3yo is easier to keep entertained. Actually, even the 2yo's are easier. He's getting better though. Active chore are the only suggestion that I have. He feels involved in the family and it gets some of his stink out in a productive way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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