Yesterday I shared ideas for staying on task for those that are homeschooling young children, and I’m going to continue that theme throughout the week. Today is actually Part 2 of Keeping Young Children on Task!
Yesterday I shared a Rewards Method we use for keeping our children on task. Not only am I homeschooling young children, but I’m also homeschooling three young children with special needs. Staying on task can definitely be a challenge – particularly on “high sensory days.” Regardless, all young children have shorter attention spans and need to be fully interested in what they’re learning most of the time or they’ll be wiggling, asking when you’ll be done, etc.
So, in addition to a rewards system we also use an audible and visual timer. Back in April I received the Stoplight Golight Timer for review, and we have been using it ever since. It is an amazing tool particularly for young children. Since our children are also very visual, seeing the colors and knowing what they represent has been so helpful!
How does it work?
It does the work for me! I am pretty “flexible” during our homeschool day. I don’t set a specific schedule like 45 minutes for Math, 30 minutes for Language Arts, etc. I allow our day to flow according to what time is needed for each that day. Because our kids are very particular about things, they do want to know exactly how much time is left.
For the first part of the lesson, I allow it to flow naturally. When we’re nearing the end or if they are doing independent work, I bring out the Stoplight Golight Timer. I set it for the minutes left in that lesson or for the amount of time they’re expected to do independent work, and it does the rest for me.
When the light is red that means it’s not time to get up yet. So they need to continue whatever they are doing. When it turns green, it means “Go!” It’s time to get up and take a little break! (We take a short break in between each lesson.)
What is helpful, though, is that if they aren’t looking at the timer (which is rare), it can also be set to have an alarm go off when it turns green as well. If your children would be more apt to respond to an alarm, that is definitely an option!
Read my full Stoplight Golight Timer review to learn more about this great tool we use!
Do your children respond more to audible or visual cues?
*Homeschool Hop!*
Don’t forget to check out the other bloggers from The Schoolhouse Review Crew that are participating in this great blog hop! There are a variety of topics from homeschoolers with children of all ages! Plus, there is an awesome giveaway going along with it as well! Find out more by clicking the button below!
I’d like to highlight a few of the blogs below. Check them out! I know you’ll be blessed!
Amy @ Counting Change… Again
Shawna @ Tenacity Divine
Adena @ AdenaF
Jenn @ Simblissity Cottage
Kathy @ Kathys Cluttered Mind
Sara @ Embracing Destiny
Annette @ A Net in Time Homeschooling
that’s an interesting little tool to use. I have a homeschooling friend that uses a those water trickle down things.. it takes five minutes for it to finish so she uses it as a five minute timer. 🙂 Which keeps noises down which are distracting to her children. 🙂
That’s a great idea, too! I used a sand timer before we moved last Fall… then I couldn’t find it! lol This works perfectly, though!
I bet this would work great with my youngest. He is more jumpy than the others and I think he is going to need some visuals to get the idea.
I do think it’s so helpful for young children that are particularly antsy. Sometimes I wondered how I’d ever make it through the day with three children that are all high energy!