“Moving” a Homeschooled Kinesthetic Learner
If you are homeschooling an active child who finds it difficult to sit still, I have a few tips to help you out. Hopefully, these ideas will help you and your child feel a little less frustrated with learning.
Kinesthetic children sometimes need to move before they start doing fine motor work like writing and cutting. If you have a project planned that will include a lot of concentration and that may require an extended period of sitting, try some movement activities before starting. Here are a couple of things you can try out:
• Use an exercise ball. Your child can roll on it, sit on it, bounce on it, or even roll up and down the wall with it.
• Do calisthenics, like jumping jacks, together.
• Go for a jog together first thing in the morning.
• Try out a few yoga poses like “downward dog” and “proud warrior”.
• Play a game of tag in the back yard.
• Play balloon volleyball in the living room.
Sometimes being able to fidget while doing an activity or listening helps a child to focus better. Have you ever seen Akeela and the Bee? She used movement, jumping rope, to help her remember how to spell words. There a few things similar to what Akeela did that you can do to incorporate movement during a learning activity.
• Let your child squeeze a “koosh ball”, a “hacky sac”, or a stress ball.
• Let your child chew gum like “Bazooka” because it offers a lot of resistance.
• Have your child sit in a rocking chair or on an exercise ball while doing work or listening, or let your child stand up while doing work.
• Let your child doodle while you read aloud.
• Try to incorporate some kind of movement task into the work. For example,
- Toss a ball back and forth while reciting math facts or something that needs to be memorized.
- Make cookies in the shape of the different states and construct a map of the United States with them.
- Have your child act out a story or use puppets before trying to write it down.
- Have a scavenger hunt to find examples of things that are the same color, shape, length, start with the same sound, etc.
Sometimes, even though you have tried these other strategies, a kid still needs to move. This child needs the work to be broken into smaller chunks of time. Work for a short period and reward your child with a movement break. Your child could go check the mail, go get a snack, or maybe let the dog out. Then get back on track with your project.
I hope you and your kinesthetic child can learn together more harmoniously with these tips. Happy learning!
3 Responses to ““Moving” a Homeschooled Kinesthetic Learner”
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Wow! You’re amazing! I love all these ideas and plan to use them like TOMORROW! lol No seriously, I’m taking notes!!!
One thing I have noticed with my son is with every subject change he has to go to the rest room. I let him do some of his work standing up and while I read, he’ll sit w/ his toys. Even though, it’s just him & I, our homeschool time is very structured and when he is focused, he understands how fast it goes by. Although, I always try to make it more fun by letting him do things he really loves like “Show n Tell”… he can talk forever about Star Wars which you already know. =P
It is very challenging, but I love our time together.
Praise the Lord for your blog HSC!
You are my 3rd hero!
First being Jesus
Second being my husband, of course! =)
Hugs, Rose
These are great suggestions. Activities that cross the midlines of the body really help as well,like touching the right finger to the left toe and vice versa. Crossing the midline helps to re-engage both sides of the brain. Thought processing can sometimes stall in one hemisphere or the other so “waking” brain in this way and combining it with these movement breaks can have a really positive effect. Making very wide horizontal figure eights in the air is good too. With younger ones we start by pretending there are bees on our index fingers and then make buzzy bee eights.
Other activities that are weightbearing help to engage the proprioceptive senses and can have a calming effect. Push ups or wall push ups are good. With younger ones I pretend to be afraid that the wall is falling down and that they must push with all their might to push it back up.
Sorry for the lengthy commentary. I love what you are doing with this site. Keep it up!
God Bless,
Julie Moses
My daughter was like that when she was small, not so much anymore but some part of her is always moving! Going on a walk or hike first thing in the morning helps a lot. And no artificial colors, that makes it worse.
Great ideas here.
Stumbled it!