Ideas for the unmotivated child

[arelyn]

I have no idea what to do with my 7 year old for homeschool this year. We've been really laid back and unschooly but this has just led to him following me around bored. If I try to do something schoolish with him it usually leads to him throwing a fit. Even when I let him pick topics he rejects doing activities, even when framed as "Hey, let's do this fun thing together."

I could probably make him really happy and find an app for every "school" subject and call it homeschool but the boy already has a terrible screen addiction (we limit screen time to after lunch but he just does not get it and asks every single day, multiple times "Can I use the iPad now? How about the computer?") He has to learn that there are fun technology free things.

SO I'm looking for suggestions. Anyone have any ideas?

[mamacat]

Is he able to have lots of outside or large motor skill time? My youngest son had a minitrampoline and an exercise ball for that to happen inside. Do you have an idea of his learning style? Would have things like Legos and putting on an audio book on tape while he does that kind of thing.He can help choose a chapter book (even if he balks at the idea)that you can play while having a snack or building something. Would continue to limit screen time and when he does use educational ish games and things? 2 of my favs are www.mr.nussbaum.com and funbrain for learning games. Sometimes kids just arent quite ready until 7 or 8. Does he like to be read to? You can use books to teach every subject through story - even math principals www.livingmath.net Does he like to help in the kitchen? Have him measure things. Give him a tape measure and have him measure things. Set up a bird feeder outside a window if you can and have him do a search for the kinds he sees.Even if it is online.

[Katigre]

I have no idea what to do with my 7 year old for homeschool this year. We've been really laid back and unschooly but this has just led to him following me around bored. If I try to do something schoolish with him it usually leads to him throwing a fit. Even when I let him pick topics he rejects doing activities, even when framed as "Hey, let's do this fun thing together."
So what happens when he throws a fit? I've never let that stop me from a school activity (or other required task). I view it similarly to a child throwing a fit about cleaning up their toys, or helping in the kitchen. We parent through it, help them calm down, and then re-engage the task. The requirement doesn't change just bc they're not excited about it. So many times, especially with something that's new, there's been a fit at the beginning but at the end the child announces they are proud of what they accomplished or actually liked it. I view school as a discipline like learning a sport or other activity - the joy comes through accomplishment and progress, and not all of it is fun at the time but in the end the hard work bears good fruit. I've seen my kids encourage their younger siblings that they can also persevere and do it.

[knitlove]

So what happens when he throws a fit? I've never let that stop me from a school activity (or other required task). I view it similarly to a child throwing a fit about cleaning up their toys, or helping in the kitchen. We parent through it, help them calm down, and then re-engage the task. The requirement doesn't change just bc they're not excited about it. So many times, especially with something that's new, there's been a fit at the beginning but at the end the child announces they are proud of what they accomplished or actually liked it. I view school as a discipline like learning a sport or other activity - the joy comes through accomplishment and progress, and not all of it is fun at the time but in the end the hard work bears good fruit. I've seen my kids encourage their younger siblings that they can also persevere and do it.I agree with you but often have trouble patenting though the fit. Do you think you could offer some spacifics as to how you do it?

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[Katigre]

Note: I want to emphasize that so much of parenting depends on the specific parent/child relationship and family dynamics, including this area. This is just what has worked well in our family. We've got good relationships with our kids and are confident that our expectations are reasonable - if we had a lot of conflict in other areas, we might do things differently. Also, none of my kids have special needs and as a family we're pretty emotionally resilient - that affects my confidence in having them keep going even if there are tears. I'm sure that there are kids for whom being forced to finish a task they are scared of doing would lead to an increase in anxiety about it, instead of feeling the pride and accomplishment that my kids feel. Every child and parent is different!

I agree with you but often have trouble patenting though the fit. Do you think you could offer some spacifics as to how you do it?

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I'm strong-willed :shifty. But in all seriousness, it differs by the individual child and task - one wants cuddles, one wants to yell their frustration, one wants to sit on my lap to be able to get through it, one just wants reassurance that these current feelings aren't permanent. But whatever emotional tools I use, what doesn't change is that they can't throw a fit to avoid the task we've already set out ahead of us. It doesn't matter if it takes 5-10-15-20-25+ minutes of them trying to tell me they can't do it - I'll be sympathetic, I'll listen, I'll redirect them to the task (I won't generally let them leave the room unless it's to go to the bathroom b/c it's too easy to get distracted), I'll suggest calming techniques, and I'll remind them that they *can* do it and that it *will* be done - and that there is another side to how they're feeling.

I'm their "doula" :lol. When a mom in labor first says "Oh my gosh this is so hard I can't do it!" the doula keeps helping them along, suggest different coping techniques, etc... But the task of birthing doesn't end just b/c it's hard. A good doula doesn't respond to the first freak out with "Oh no you're right - you can't, so we'll just stop birthing."

I want my kids to know that the initial frustration they feel at a new task isn't a sign to stop, but a sign to figure out the problem and keep going. They may find halfway through that it's too hard - but giving up in the first 5 minutes isn't a good measure of either their skills or the task. Perseverance is a skill that I think is essential for being a capable adult, and this is how we have our kids practice it. We have a saying "Keep practicing it until it becomes easy" (this applies to things big and small).

So I don't let them not do the task just b/c they protest (even strongly). If it's a reasonable expectation, then it will be done. We simply outlast their protests until they reach the other side of accepting that it is required and doing it. I believe this emotional process of feeling frustrated by a task, feeling like "I can't do this! I don't want to do this!", and then completing it anyway (and realizing that they are far more capable then they assumed) is so important.

Once they've realized it has to happen - nothing else happening until this task is done (this is my older kid version of 'make it happen' since I'm not going hand-over-hand to pick up toys with bigger kids), then they find the strength within themselves to do the work. Again, we're not asking unreasonable tasks. We're asking them to do things that are age-appropriate and we know they are capable of doing. Some tasks are 'tip-toe' capable (meaning it is stretching their skills - like someone peaking over a fence on tip toes b/c they're not quite tall enough to see flat footed).

I also have a philosphy that education (becoming a life-long learner) is the 'work' of childhood. That includes play, large muscle, small muscle, free-exploration, and also defined tasks that build specific skills (like handwriting, arithmetic, reading, writing). Work isn't all drudgery - I have great joy in my work! But there are also parts of it that I strongly dislike, but can't avoid. Knowing how to buckle down and get through those parts is part of building character, and we want our kids to be comfortable doing that by the time they're grown adults.

So I approach it mentally like we're building skills, and one of the biggest skills is emotional resilience. My kids disliking something isn't a reason to avoid doing it if I believe it's a necessary thing for them to learn. (And sometimes, it's not so much the task itself that's necessary, but the character development to see that they CAN do something they thought was impossible. It's been great to see that skill translate into other areas of life - everyone needs to learn the emotional skills to know their limits, but you'll never know your limits until you're pushed past the point of what's comfortable/easy/familiar. I want my kids to be open to growth, and approaching school (and other things in life - even stuff like doing longer bike rides than they thought they could do, finishing a big household chore together, etc...) means doing harder things - but it's satisfying and good to tackle them.

This has paid off hugely as my kids are growing older and able to do so much, and are proud of how much they can do. They cheerlead their younger siblings now, b/c they've seen that in their own lives the skills get easier as they go. As an example, We just did some long hikes in the mountains together, and they kept going when it was hard and were rewarded with a beautiful waterfall at the end of the hike. Practicing it on a smaller scale at home leads to them tackling bigger things later on with minimal pushing from DH or myself - it becomes self-generating after awhile :rockon.

This also applies to chores like cleaning the kitchen, putting away laundry, etc... This has been our family practice since they were toddlers, so it's not like we were laissez faire and suddenly put down the hammer at age 7 (that would lead to a lot more difficulty in helping the child understand that they are required to do these things - resetting boundaries is always more intense at first). They don't have to enjoy each task, we do talk about what they've learned from it or how something they don't necessarily enjoy is still useful to know.

Ex. My daughter hates loading the dishwasher - but it's still on her chore rotation every other day. Eventually she knows she won't have to do it anymore, that her younger siblings will take up this task, but that it's good to know how to do it as she grows up though. My son hates handwashing dishes, but we still have him do it. He needs to know how to clean up after cooking/eating. They don't only get to do the chores they like, they also have to learn to do the ones they dislike). We totally acknowledge that they don't like those chores, and that's ok! Their feelings are valid, but their feelings don't change the fact that in a family chores have to be shared, even ones we dislike.

For my oldest, handwriting and creative projects are what tended to trigger his 'I don't want to/I can't' in his elementary years - but now, as a 7th grader, he buckles down and does those things with far less resistance/fear/uncertainty b/c we've helped him build the habit of tackling things that aren't necessarily his favorite. He will likely never enjoy creative writing, but he can do it competently now b/c of the practice over the past few years. If it had never been required, he would have stayed in his comfort zone and had far less growth.

We also teach them emotional self-awareness/self-regulation skills which helps in internalizing the lessons from tackling harder tasks. I talk things through with them during and afterward - how did you feel at the beginning/middle/end? what did you learn? will it be easier next time now that you've done it? what would have helped you in the middle of the situation? And we apply those lessons next time we hit a similar roadblock. It's a learning process for them and for me (b/c each child is different in their needs).

[heartofjoy]

Personally I'd consider drastically limiting screen time. In fact, I'd probably eliminate it for 2 weeks and see if you have a big reduction in fit throwing. My kids couldn't handle daily screen time at that age.

Then try adding it back once a week on Saturdays.

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[sweetpeas]

As far as academics, a year ago I was sure Lina (just turned 8 at that point) would never show any interest in academics, including learning to read. Throughout last school year I made suggestions, I offered things, sometimes she jumped on something and we did it full-speed ahead for awhile. Sometimes she hated it, and we dropped it. The default when she was/is board, is audiobooks. I finally made peace with her school last year being primarily those audiobooks. And then, sometime this winter (when she was 8 3/4 or so), she started reading, and asking for more books. More and more, when I offer school ideas, she likes the idea and we run with it. Perhaps most interesting, often when she says she doesn't want to do something (school wise, this doesn't seem to work for chores LOL), if I shrug and say "ok, that's fine" she goes ahead and does it. Sometimes does MORE than I asked. . . it's like she desperately needs it to be her idea and then she thrives. I can't really explain it ("unschooling" the older girls was easy, they begged to learn more about all kinds of things. All it took to get them to tackle a new skill was to point out they didn't know how to do it, I joke that Ashlyn was born saying "I do it myself!" and has never stopped. Lexie's less that way, but won't let Ashlyn get ahead of her. Lina's a whole different personality, and it's been hard to believe that unschooling is "working", but I'm seeing her academics increase by leaps & bounds now, so I'm feeling more confident that she just needed that extra time before she dove into academics . . .

As far as screens, I think Lina was 7ish when I decided we needed to drastically reduce screen time (she was watching things like Wild Kratts, so I didn't care too much, but it was when I was starting to worry that she'd never be interested in academics and I thought removing screens would help - it didn't). I came up with a plan where she would earn "gems" (those flat marble things) by, not only doing her normal chores, but also doing things like listening to a story, doing a craft, playing outside, etc. My assumption was that she would only do the bare minimum of those things to earn screen time. So I expected her to go play outside for however long it took to earn enough gems to watch a half hour of tv, then come watch the half hour of tv . . . and so on. Instead, when I introduced the idea she asked if she could use the gems to earn something else instead of screen time. Uhhh, sure . . . I don't even remember now what we decided she could use the gems to earn, but she dove right in and used all her gems to earn whatever it was, and that was the end of that program. The one "free pass" I gave her for tv was when her sisters & I were watching tv (generally during meals :blush I know what "they say" but we talk tons the rest of the time, and I started doing tv at mealtimes to get the kids to shut up and eat when they were little. It still works well, and for the big girls, we watch things like CSI and talk about the science and such). She still just assumes that she can only watch tv when we are. OR, if I leave her home with her sisters she'll ask if she can watch tv while I'm gone. I was stunned at how easy it was to break what I assumed was a screen addiction. She pretty much switched from watching tv all the time to listening to audiobooks but since there's no "watching" element, she colors or draws or plays with toys while she listens.

[arelyn]

He loves being read to (even no picture novels). He loves playing outside and nature. We only have a little grass with a playset but it's been a huge blessing (last apt had a concrete roof as their only play space). It is very artificial seeming though. We rarely see birds other than pigeons. There is surprisingly little bug variety and of course wall lizards. We have potted plants and watering them is his job though this is done with many complaints.

So what happens when he throws a fit? I've never let that stop me from a school activity (or other required task). I view it similarly to a child throwing a fit about cleaning up their toys, or helping in the kitchen. We parent through it, help them calm down, and then re-engage the task. The requirement doesn't change just bc they're not excited about it. So many times, especially with something that's new, there's been a fit at the beginning but at the end the child announces they are proud of what they accomplished or actually liked it. I view school as a discipline like learning a sport or other activity - the joy comes through accomplishment and progress, and not all of it is fun at the time but in the end the hard work bears good fruit. I've seen my kids encourage their younger siblings that they can also persevere and do it.

The battles start whenever I try to get him to do something that requires using fine motor skills, or the math toys or a reader. He hates drawing, coloring, painting, play doh, anything involving using a pencil, even solving mazes which he enjoys looking at. He has done about 1/2 of the first Handwriting with a Purpose book, most of the first Miquon math book (he likes this one but hates the Cuisineire rods) and can read the first two boxes of Bob books but this was all done with screaming and tears. He tolerates making cards for people but if I make him write anything other than his name inside there is yelling and crying. We tried keeping a journal with drawings and captions but this led to the most intense battles and then the journal magically disappeared. He has no sense of accomplishment. When he finally gives in, stops the yelling and does the teeny bit of work I ask him to do he usually finishes with something like "There. I did it and I'm NEVER doing it EVER again and you can't make me!!!!"

So I'm really frustrated. If we were in the states he would be going to public school next year. I am THAT fed up. But I'm out here with no other educational options.

[knitlove]

He loves being read to (even no picture novels). He loves playing outside and nature. We only have a little grass with a playset but it's been a huge blessing (last apt had a concrete roof as their only play space). It is very artificial seeming though. We rarely see birds other than pigeons. There is surprisingly little bug variety and of course wall lizards. We have potted plants and watering them is his job though this is done with many complaints.



The battles start whenever I try to get him to do something that requires using fine motor skills, or the math toys or a reader. He hates drawing, coloring, painting, play doh, anything involving using a pencil, even solving mazes which he enjoys looking at. He has done about 1/2 of the first Handwriting with a Purpose book, most of the first Miquon math book (he likes this one but hates the Cuisineire rods) and can read the first two boxes of Bob books but this was all done with screaming and tears. He tolerates making cards for people but if I make him write anything other than his name inside there is yelling and crying. We tried keeping a journal with drawings and captions but this led to the most intense battles and then the journal magically disappeared. He has no sense of accomplishment. When he finally gives in, stops the yelling and does the teeny bit of work I ask him to do he usually finishes with something like "There. I did it and I'm NEVER doing it EVER again and you can't make me!!!!"

So I'm really frustrated. If we were in the states he would be going to public school next year. I am THAT fed up. But I'm out here with no other educational options.Have you had him evaluated for fine moter delays or dysgraphia? This might be a point where he has to work much much harder than normal to do these things.

How is he at holding a fork or spoon? Does he use the three fingers grip when eating?

Last year we did 6 months of occupational therapy with early bird. It helped a lot! We still have issues over fine moter things and I am looking in to wheather we can do a couple more sessions over the summer because she has lost some skills that she had developed.

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[sweetpeas]

He loves being read to (even no picture novels). He loves playing outside and nature. We only have a little grass with a playset but it's been a huge blessing (last apt had a concrete roof as their only play space). It is very artificial seeming though. We rarely see birds other than pigeons. There is surprisingly little bug variety and of course wall lizards. We have potted plants and watering them is his job though this is done with many complaints.



The battles start whenever I try to get him to do something that requires using fine motor skills, or the math toys or a reader. He hates drawing, coloring, painting, play doh, anything involving using a pencil, even solving mazes which he enjoys looking at. He has done about 1/2 of the first Handwriting with a Purpose book, most of the first Miquon math book (he likes this one but hates the Cuisineire rods) and can read the first two boxes of Bob books but this was all done with screaming and tears. He tolerates making cards for people but if I make him write anything other than his name inside there is yelling and crying. We tried keeping a journal with drawings and captions but this led to the most intense battles and then the journal magically disappeared. He has no sense of accomplishment. When he finally gives in, stops the yelling and does the teeny bit of work I ask him to do he usually finishes with something like "There. I did it and I'm NEVER doing it EVER again and you can't make me!!!!"

So I'm really frustrated. If we were in the states he would be going to public school next year. I am THAT fed up. But I'm out here with no other educational options.

If he loves being read to, I'd build on that. Seriously, reading can come later, I wouldn't push it. He's building vocabulary and reading comprehension and sentence structure by listening to you read. If he's snuggled up with you looking at the book, he may even be seeing/processing the words as you read them. Audiobooks are great when you don't have time to read to him (Librivox is free, Lina listens to the Thornton Burgess books on Librivox over and over again. They're about nature, so might be a good fit for him too?). Nature and outside time as much as you have time for is great. Since you mentioned he seems to avoid fine motor skills, can you try to sneak those into the nature exploration? Have him collect small stones or acorns or whatever is little and catches his interest (works on pincher grip) and look it up in a field guide (before Lina was reading fluently, she loved looking through our field guides, trying to figure out what kind of leaf/flower/bug she'd found in our yard). Would he enjoy collecting nature items and turning them into art projects? If he narrated what you'd read to him, or creative stories (or nature nuggets, or whatever he might be interested in "writing") and you wrote it down for him, would he enjoy "writing" without the work of the fine motor skills? . . . I'd focus on keeping learning fun, building on the things he's enjoying, hold off on the stuff he doesn't enjoy (does he like helping you bake? That's an awesome way to learn math skills without realizing it. And you can sneak fine motor skills in too - knead bread dough, pinch grip by placing chocolate chips on top of muffins or cookies, hand strength, and crossing the midline from stirring . . . might even sneak in some recipe reading :)

And give him time . . . he may just not be developmentally ready for academics, and pushing it will just frustrate you both.

[mommylove]

It's a challenge to navigate this stage. Each child is different.

Since it hasn't been mentioned yet, I'll say it:

Your DS is quite young. He may not be ready for what you expect of him. My eldest is also a boy & I had huge expectations for him. Those first few years were a struggle until I changed my thinking.

I think at age 7, it's still appropriate to continue the "unschooly" things you've done already.

Be outside as much as you can. Visit museums. Consider subscribing to a monthly science kit or buy a "gross science project" book (https://www.amazon.com/Oh-Ick-Science-Experiments-Guaranteed/dp/0761187383/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1528807864&sr=1-5&keywords=gross+science+projects) & do one of those every couple weeks.

Listen to audiobooks & discuss them as you're living every day life. I seek out books involving boys & high adventure. You're not American, so this series may not apply, but for example, my DS loved books like this (https://www.amazon.com/Eddie-Rickenbacker-Pilot-Racer-Patriots/dp/1882859138/ref=sr_1_13?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1528807682&sr=1-13&keywords=eddie+rickenbacker) when he was 7. I played memorization songs as background music during car rides and to my surprise, the songs stuck -- DD, at 3 & 4 was learning this stuff, simply through background music.

Is he motivated by earning things? Is there a program with a science museum, scouts, other organization where he can earn badges or patches or *something*? My DS is hugely motivated by things like that. :shrug

Is there a planetarium near you? Those shows are amazing & afterwards, he may want to buy an astronomy book in the gift shop and every few weeks, you can make it a point to go star gazing.

Is there a forest school (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_school_(learning_style)) near you?

Try a bunch of things to uncover something he's interested in & build upon that.

I strongly do not believe a written curriculum is necessary at this age nor do I believe it's the most beneficial model for boys as young as yours.


ETA: cross posted with sweetpeas. :heart I totally agree with her post.

[Katigre]

She's living in rural Asia iirc. There are very few of the resources recommended available to her. That makes expanding educational experiences in an American unschooly way even more challenging.

[mommylove]

Ooooh . . . yeah, that changes things. Off the top of my head, I was thinking the OP was in the UK. :doh


Is boredom an issue? I'm wondering if the screen "addiction" is boredom-related.

OP, what *do* you have access to? Are there other kids around? English speakers? Can you describe a typical day & maybe we can help brainstorm.

[mamacat]

Ok this is different. What you described can actually be an LD in which case it is not a behavioral thing but an LD that will need to be accomodated so he can learn in different ways.https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/child-learning-disabilities/dysgraphia/understanding-dysgraphia Hopefully this may help. My younger son had issues with those very same things. I had to stop trying to have him color or write except for tracing and forming letters to practice that way and then once he was older having him write brief answers after he would orally answer the question There are app.s to download to help. They do best with being aloud to answer questions orally or express themselves through plays they can act out and that kind of thing rather than writing stories. My son did fine with other fine motor skills including working with tiny transistors and things in a robotics class later. it also helps for them to trace with finger. In the dirt, Trace in a tray of salt or dry rice

[Katigre]

Ok this is different. What you described can actually be an LD in which case it is not a behavioral thing but an LD that will need to be accomodated so he can learn in different ways.https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/child-learning-disabilities/dysgraphia/understanding-dysgraphia Hopefully this may help. My younger son had issues with those very same things. I had to stop trying to have him color or write except for tracing and forming letters to practice that way and then once he was older having him write brief answers after he would orally answer the question There are app.s to download to help. They do best with being aloud to answer questions orally or express themselves through plays they can act out and that kind of thing rather than writing stories. My son did fine with other fine motor skills including working with tiny transistors and things in a robotics class later. it also helps for them to trace with finger. In the dirt, Trace in a tray of salt or dry rice
If this matches your son's needs, then my favorite oral curriculum for younger elementary kids (especially boys) is First Language Lessons by Jesse Wise. It had been a favorite with each of my kids. Each lesson is short and can be done without any writing on the student's part. Usually Volume 1 is done K/1st grade and Volume 2 1st/2nd grade age.

---------- Post added at 12:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:34 PM ----------

Here's the curriculum link - they have PDF options if shipping is an issue for you. I usually did it with the child sitting in my lap on the couch. It was a great bonding time for them.

https://welltrainedmind.com/p/first-language-lessons-level-1/

[knitlove]

If this matches your son's needs, then my favorite oral curriculum for younger elementary kids (especially boys) is First Language Lessons by Jesse Wise. It had been a favorite with each of my kids. Each lesson is short and can be done without any writing on the student's part. Usually Volume 1 is done K/1st grade and Volume 2 1st/2nd grade age.

---------- Post added at 12:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:34 PM ----------

Here's the curriculum link - they have PDF options if shipping is an issue for you. I usually did it with the child sitting in my lap on the couch. It was a great bonding time for them.

https://welltrainedmind.com/p/first-language-lessons-level-1/Wiggle worm loves joining in on FLL with early bird, we are finishing up level 2 this week.

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[mamacat]

Also highly agree tho at age 7 it may be a readiness thing.My dd was not ready for anything academic beyond being read to until into her 7th year

[ECingMama]

We also like FFL here. My kids really remember the poems too.

[arelyn]

First off, remove the name of my country and replace it with Asia. It was a very helpful clarification though.

Second, I noticed a few years ago that he meets many milestones a year or so after they appear on the milestone charts. I wondered if this could be a delay or if it is still within the range of normal. I can't tell anymore. My oldest is profoundly gifted so whenever I think DS2 is behind I assume I am just expecting too much. But maybe there is more going on. There's no where that I know of where I can get help or a diagnosis anyway.

What we do have access to:
-Library app with my USA card
-playground
-city park
-lots of handed down kids books (classic picture books, Magic School Bus, Sonlight novels, science experiment books, history books)
-musical instruments
-art supplies (all the basics including beads, pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks, different kids of paint, Plasticine clay)
-toys (legos, play food, cars, blocks, Squigz, hats for dress up, etc)
-board games and card games
-the internet (most of the time)
-iPad

If nothing unexpected happens our day looks like this:
-breakfast
-morning chore time
-homeschool (I have a blank journal where I write down what they do. I mark off six lines and the kids need to pick at least five activities to fill the lines up. DS2 always picks legos, storytime, one approved app or computer game and then tries to pester me for more screen time. If he can't decide on something to do on his own I then offer him something fine motor to do and pull out our 2 workbooks and let him chose which he'd prefer. During the cool season they'll play outside. Our language helper also comes during this time so the sixth item is always Hindi class. For DS2 this is just playing games and pointing to pictures in the iSpy book.)
-mid-morning tea/snack break
-homeschool continued
-Lunch
-Quiet activities or out running errands.
-Afternoon tea
-Freetime or out running errands
-Outside play once it cools down
-Dinner
-Family worship time
-evening chores
-Bed

But that's if things are normal. Often we are traveling (this may mean swimming, or nature walks, or ancient monuments, or trapped inside a hotel watching TV and playing Uno). There always seems to be something breaking so there are handymen to watch (this counts as homeschool ;) ) People come to visit and we go visit people (sometimes this also counts as homeschool: language practice, maybe Bible study, maybe music time).

And the world is ending. Super mommy off to save the day!

[Katigre]

I apologize, I didn't realize that your country location was sensitive. I edited my original post to say Asia, but it's also quoted later in the thread.

[knitlove]

If at this point he is consistently ovoiding fine moter skills I would look at ways to try to work on that. Pop beads, really soft clay or dough that hecan hind and find little stones in, picking things up with tweezers or chopsticks. Some where there mostlikly is a occupational therapist that would chatt with you to sort things out and give you ideas.

Not doing fine moter activities well, I would consider perfectly developmentally normal. Having a huge reactions to being asked to do it would point me to something more going on.

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[mamacat]

What you have access to is plenty. What he is ready for is perfectly normal tho as mentioned some of those things can point to the writing difficulty but just a learning style to work with. I might set up your list with categories that loosely cover different subjects and skills and let him choose one from each to make up the five. Math can look like playing a board game if it nvolves throwing dice and counting the spots and spaces moved. Or reading a story that teaches a math concept or identifying and counting money. He is doing great nd it sounds like if you can go with what he is ready for you will begin to enjoy HIS uique learning journey as much as your older sons. I can relate because My next youngest homeschooled son was an early to start reader and like an academic sponge at age 5 & 6. With my homeschooled daughter that age looked like dance and art and board games and being read to. She did not read at all . She is now a young adult and her fav author is Jane Austen!

---------- Post added at 01:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:50 PM ----------

Can you print things out? I can appreciate wanting to cut back on screen time but if he is a techy wired sort of guy and he learns that way ? You might consider adding a bonus learning game time if he if he does the other categoris on the list w/o grumbles. Can you print out things? If so look for worksheets about Legos and instead of calling them math worksheet call it a Lego worksheet. There is a whole Lego curriculum ! My dd that was later to start academics turned out to be a very practical sort of learner. If she could relate to it or apply it to her life she did much better. So she loved all of the word math types of problems a lot of kids dislike intensely. If Michael had 5 balloons and gave two to Mary how many did he keep? He can do math problems using toys or fruit. I would also add tracing worksheets or tracing in a salt tray. If you scroll down to the 3rd page there are ideas there https://www.foundationyears.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Gateway-to-Writing-Developing-handwriting.pdf

---------- Post added at 01:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:08 PM ----------

https://www.google.com/search?q=Lego+worksheets+for+all+subjects&rlz=1C1CHWA_enUS604US604&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=rJmZvBIEUWp3SM%253A%252C1RU6tv3G4s_xqM%252C_&usg=__C2lyhTPDsn4WUU9GHDLo5T_TCZs%3D&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiNk9uy4NDbAhUNCawKHVXgCqsQ9QEINTAF#imgr c=rJmZvBIEUWp3SM:

[arelyn]

I apologize, I didn't realize that your country location was sensitive. I edited my original post to say Asia, but it's also quoted later in the thread.

Thank you and don’t worry. It’s not the end of the world. I’m probably overprotective of our identities but safer than sorry.

Thanks everyone for many great ideas. Clay with “jewels” hidden in it might just work at getting him to do something fine motor with no fuss. We’ll just call it playing archaeologists and that will get him excited.