Dear Carrie
How can I help my highly distracted son focus better?
Let me first say that I LOVE BIGGER!!! This is our first year, and I just love it! Thank you, Carrie!!! Now, here’s my problem. My son is 9, and he is “highly distracted.” I have never discussed this with a doctor. He is not hyperactive. However, he has a terrible time focusing on “seat work,” like Math, English, and Copywork. He will daydream and fiddle constantly. Most days, he has not completed his work by dinner. I do not believe it is an obedience issue. He even has a hard time focusing on his “play.” Oftentimes, he will tell me that he has a “story” in his head while he is playing with Legos, but his brain won’t stay with the story. It keeps wandering. He gets very frustrated when this happens. I definitely think he has a problem. What can I do to help my highly distracted son?
Sincerely,
“Ms. Please Help with Ideas for My Highly Distracted Son”
Dear “Ms. Please Help with Ideas for My Highly Distracted Son,”
As kiddos get older, they often settle down some, and also learn to cope better with their various areas of strength/weakness. I remember when my oldest son was in 7th grade (aged 12 turning 13), that the change for him from grade 6 to grade 7 was markedly different! While he was highly distracted and always on the move in grade 6, by grade 7 he was steadily improving in this area. So, I’ll encourage you that time is on your side.
I can empathize with you and your highly distracted son having trouble with focus!
My second son is more of a highly distracted child, unless he really gets into his task. Then, he’s a single task child, who cannot be interrupted (or even hear anyone else it would seem)! I have to strive not to repeat myself with him all day long! Focus is his hardest issue! My third son used to fall off the couch during our lessons several times a day, just because he was such a squirmer. So, I can empathize!
We find these things to be quite necessary for highly distracted children to maintain better focus.
Over the years, we have found certain things to be quite necessary for highly distracted children to focus better. First, we keep lessons short, as in 15 minutes or less. Second, we vary activities between oral and written work. Third, we try to do the most difficult thing first or second in the day. Fourth, we set the timer (one that doesn’t tick out loud) and put it near the child. Fifth, we sit next to the child for his/her hardest subject. Sixth, we have a quiet room for working that is away from distracting sounds (i.e. phones ringing, music playing, computer sounds, television noise, etc.). At our house this ‘quiet room’ rotates to wherever the rest of the people are not. Seventh, we break up the day with recess, lunch, computer time, etc., so their work is not all in a row.
Finally, we find touch can help highly distracted kiddos refocus. For example, if your kiddo is daydreaming, instead of speaking, just walk past him and rub or pat his back. This helped mine refocus and get back to work. I also will sometime walk by and just point to the timer, without speaking, to draw his attention to that as a means of refocusing. Anyway, you are not alone on this, and boys seem to have it even more than girls. Almost all of the boys in my third/fourth grade public school classrooms were this way too! I wrote the Heart of Dakota guides while homeschooling some of my own highly distracted kiddos, so hopefully the design of the plans will be a help as well!
Blessings,
Carrie
