Dreamer?

 

I have a school dreamer. This is not a boy dreaming of doing school, quite the opposite. This is a boy that spends his schooling moments dreaming of future adventures or some such thing.  Honestly, I’m not sure what is running through his mind when I find him in this stupor. All I know is that it isn’t his math work he’s dwelling on!

A lack of motivation seems to settle upon him at times. Other times it is lack of concentration.

This is not a new development in our homeschooling journey. It is one I have dealt with before in my other boys.  Ten years of homeschooling will do that for you!  It tends to give you resources for dealing with schooling/life issues.

I was talking to my sister the other day and she was having some attention/motivation issues with her son. So I decided that I would share some of the things I have done over the years to help alleviate the dreamer syndrome.

First, it is very important to know your child.  Are they staring out the window because their work is too hard or maybe because it is too easy?  Frustration and boredom can be precursors to daydreaming.  If you find this to be part of the reason for lack of motivation then either, a) go back over the work until they understand it or, b) challenge them with something more at their level.

If the school work isn’t a problem, but the attitude is, then this is what I have done…

• When my dyslexic son was younger I would give him breaks after 30 minutes of work. If he wasn’t concentrating he didn’t receive these breaks. Therefore, it taught him to work hard and persevere because he knew if he did, he would receive a break of 10-15 minutes to spend playing.
• These days I am teaching my 3rd grade son to use his time wisely. I tell him often he is responsible for how quickly and efficiently he gets his daily work done.  In the past I would set next to him and remind him OFTEN to keep working. Not anymore! Now I just keep my lips sealed and let him sit. It didn’t take him long to figure out he was wasting his time!  The first time he saw his brother finish his work and head off to play while he still had quite a bit left to do fixed him!
• Now if you have a young student who requires you to help them through their lessons, but refuses to concentrate and do the work, this is my suggestion…WALK AWAY!  Walk away and leave him sit.  Tell him you will come and help him when he is ready to do the work.  Until then he can just sit.  Make sure there is nothing in front of him but his lesson and pencil. Nothing is more frustrating than trying to cajole your son/daughter to do their work.  I say, don’t!  It can only create anger.  I always made sure my sons knew it was their choice.  They could sit there as long as they wished, but they would still have to do their work before they could be dismissed from the table.
• Another option is an incentive. For younger students this works well. Give them a certain amount of work to accomplish. If they do a good job and keep motivated reward them with a small snack.  My boys used to LOVE this!

Finally, I just want to add that you don’t want your children rushing through their work and not understanding it.  In our homeschool, they are not dismissed until I have corrected their work for the day.  I have them sit or stand right next to me while I correct their work. In this way we can work on the mistakes and make corrections where needed. Not only does this help control sloppy work, but it helps me know if they have a solid understanding of what they are learning.

What about you? Do you have any solutions for daydreaming?