The Unexpected Trick That Made My Son Love Learning
That was the best part of homeschool for him.
I honestly did not think that was going to be his answer!
But it reminded me that sometimes it’s the small, simple things, the things that seem insignificant to us as parents, that can make the biggest difference for our kids.
So, I guess we’ll have a lot more teachers visiting our homeschool!
We’ll be switching between his different toys to help him stay focused during certain subjects and, more importantly, to help him enjoy those subjects even more. And it really did make a difference. He seemed to enjoy those classes so much more.
So, here’s your little reminder: pay attention to those small things that make your child light up. Find the little things that make a difference for them and use them to make your homeschool experience easier and more enjoyable.
Because getting a little boy to sit down and do math or language arts is not always easy!
If you have a boy who struggles to stay focused, maybe give this a try. Let one of his favorite toys become the teacher for the day. You might be surprised by how much of a difference it makes.
PS: Be prepared to answer questions and have discussions as the chosen character. If your son is anything like mine, he'll be asking Mario (aka you) what's his favorite food, or asking Spiderman (aka you again) if he thinks he will beat Spot in the new movie. Delaying these conversations to the end of the lesson, or during a break does help a great deal to help them focus and move on through the lesson.
After completing our fourth week of homeschooling, I decided to do a little review and look back on our first month.
I asked my son, “What was your favorite thing? What was the best part? What do you have to say about our first month of homeschool?”
And he said, “My favorite thing was all the teachers that came to visit us.”
I was like, “What are you talking about? We didn’t have any teachers visit us. It was just me the whole time!”
Then he said, “When Sonic and the dinosaurs and everybody came.”
And then it clicked.
For some of our classes—especially the ones where I knew he was going to have a hard time staying focused—I would have him choose one of his toys, and that toy would become the teacher for the day.
For example, this is Bumblebee. My son actually built this toy, which I think is so cool. Bumblebee would become the teacher, and I would speak through Bumblebee. Or it might be Sonic, a dinosaur, or whichever toy he chose that day. I had to get into character as well; not just simply use the toy as a prop.
Hi, I'm Christal!
I'm a SAHM of 2 amazing kids, and I'm passionate about learning and sharing my experiences as a homeschool mom, homemaker, and home baker. If even one of my stories brings value to your life, this entire blog is worth it! Thanks for dropping by!
