I have an 8 y/o ds who just hates to write. I can't seem to motivate him very well about the whole idea of school. I have had to stop giving him enough time to finish a given assignment because he'll diddle around for an hour and a half. To keep to any kind of schedule, I assign a set amount of time for a subject and then we move on. Whatever isn't finished, he has to work on during his afternoon playtime. (Thought this would motivate him to finish the rest quickly so he could get outside...nope, he spent from 2:00 to 4:30 and still didn't get it all done).

I would love to hear from other moms who have this problem (and I'm sure there are many!). Thanks a lot!

Kathy in Washington State

No advice because we have the same son! Seriously though, my son is 8 also, and very much dislikes to answer anything in writing. Does that make sense? We are working on paragraphs - if I physically write it out, and type it later, he loves to reword things, figure out the topic sentence, etc. But not do the handwriting - it would take ALL day and setting a time limit doesn't help, it just frustrates him.

I don't have any great advice. Here I will make him actually "write" a little bit each day, for example a sentence or two to answer his science papers. More than that just causes anguish and I haven't pushed it too much, although I have been wondering if I should.

Any ladies out there that have "been there done that"?

You have both described my 11 year old son and 8 year old daughter, but my son has been diagnosed with dyslexia and ADD without hyperactivity as well as being somewhat gifted. My daughter has never been put through the tests. Putting time limits on them has never helped, and I have decided probably never will. When my son was diagnosed with dyslexia, the education specialist told me to teach him to type as soon as possible, and I must say that things go a whole lot smoother in our household when I let my children type. I do feel that they need to work on their handwriting, but I limit the amount they have to do. I also have a handheld tape recorder which allows them to dictate discussions, paragraphs, essays, answers to questions, etc. These can always be typed up later on.
I was wondering if either of you had read anything about dysgraphia. It means difficulty writing.
Anyway. I just wanted to let you know that I have been there.
Lori

Hi,
You may find this link to a previous discussion helpful as well:

General Information: UG: Slower pace

Blessings,

What I do with my 9 yo ds is have him do his workbooks in my presence. I also set a timer for 15 min a subject. That helps him to keep on task. He can work very quickly and get through all his workbooks in less than 1 hr, if I am there to help him stay on task. Reading he loves, so that is not a problem. When I read aloud, I give him coloring pages to keep his hands occupied and help him pay attention.

As far as writing is concerned, I ask him to do very little writing. I have him dictate his narrations to me and his reports. He is able to do prewriting with my help and composes very nicely. He is able to make corrections to his papers once it is printed up. Right now I am more concerned with his composition skills and his ability to proof his papers than with his writing skills. Handwriting to me is a separate issue at this point in time.

I need to work on his typing skills so he can become more independent, but it may take him longer than his older brothers, since he has such a hard time staying on task. I am hoping that it will become easier for him as he gets older. We shall see.

In Him,
Christina
Mom to 9 in Maine

I am interested in what most of you would call a "typical" boy. I have a 15 ds and a 5 ds (with 3 girls thrown in for good measure). They are very different in temperament. Now that I am starting to teach my younger one reading and math, I am really struggling with keeping him on task. He is unable to sit still for any length of time while doing his lessons (of course, Lego and computer are another story), although he is reading quite well, and understands the math he is being taught. Thinking back now to when my oldest was this age, I seem to remember having trouble keeping him on task as well, but it was more a problem of daydreaming than fidgetiness. Are these typical boy traits, as you all see them? I sometimes wonder if my 5yo was in the system, if he would be diagnosed or labelled with some disorder or other. Til now I have always just said, "That's the way he is!"

I am a mother of five boys, ages 15, 13, 10, 7, and 3. Regarding your five-year-old, I would say (from experience) don't push him - he's only five. Give him short periods of time while you are sitting with him. Give him coloring books about the subject you are studying and just let him listen. Our seven- year-old often pops out with something he has gleaned just from listening.

I have four boys ages 11 to 5 (no girls). I've often wondered, too, if they would be surviving in traditional school as they are extremely "fidgety" as well, ESPECIALLY my 7-yo. Sometimes he DOES surprise me by repeating back to me an entire story I read aloud while he was doing headstands in the sofa!!! I've noticed when he is INTERESTED in learning something, he finally gets it. He was so slow about learning money until he was given some and wanted to spend it! He finally learned to tie his shoes this fall when he wanted a cool pair of Spiderman sneakers! (I'd always bought velcro shoes for ease of getting out the door!) He has just started asking me about right verus left hands AND still doesn't know (though he's been taught) the days of the week, though his interest is starting to peak here as he wants to know what days certain things are happening... Patience and repetition and short sessions work in the end, eventually!

Casa Domingo,
Regarding the diagnosing of a disorder, as a nurse and a mother of an ADD 13 yr old boy, I will tell you 5 is to young to diagnos emost disorders. Speech delays, some cognitive disorders, sure, we can tell that is happening. But unless your talking extreme hyperactivity, you wont have a true diagnose at this age, Fidgedty, short attention spans, are very normal and vary from child to child. The approach I used was to parent and train my boy,so when we did medicate concentratiom, at 10, we were dealing with concentration, and not behavior.
Be consistent, prayerful and teach in short doses. See what the future brings!
Sincerely,
Ellen

quote:

Originally posted by payneboys:
ESPECIALLY my 7-yo. Sometimes he DOES surprise me by repeating back to me an entire story I read aloud while he was doing headstands in the sofa!!! I've noticed when he is INTERESTED in learning something, he finally gets it. He was so slow about learning money until he was given some and wanted to spend it! He finally learned to tie his shoes this fall when he wanted a cool pair of Spiderman sneakers! (I'd always bought velcro shoes for ease of getting out the door!) He has just started asking me about right verus left hands AND still doesn't know (though he's been taught) the days of the week, though his interest is starting to peak here as he wants to know what days certain things are happening... Patience and repetition and short sessions work in the end, eventually!

Oh My!!! You just completely described my 7 yr old ds!! Currently he is playing with a money calculator and learning about money with a new wallet. He doesn't tie his shoes yet, (we also do velcro!) but is now wanting to learn that. He knows the days of the week to quote them, but can't figure them out on a daily basis to figure out which nights are karate! Wow!
I love this forum so much!!! Thanks to all the TOG personnel for all your faithful, loving, patient assistance to all of the hard working Moms out here!

I still haven't figured this out with my son, who has the same issue. I will share this, however....the best writing he did last year was a daily log for his Ladybug Land. He loved watching the ladybugs change and write about those changes. He illustrated it and was very proud. It showed me that he will write about what interests him! (He loves science). The beauty of TOG is that they can pick which assignment interests them most. For instance, my ds loves Ben Franklin, and I actually got him to write a paragraph about him with no fight. (A major accomplishment for us). Boring story starters didn't work for him (we did Abeka at the time.) This will be our first year of TOG, so we are hoping for some positive changes.

Ann