Do you have an ‘active’ student at home or in your classroom? Here are some easy tips for helping them to do their best at school and at home.
(Some of these tips do not need an IEP, some do.)
1. Give them multiple workspaces. Active children benefit from the ability to move around. Some children like to stand while they work. My son actually stood at the window sill. Others like to cocoon under their desks or in a corner. The point is to let them find, and even change, their place where they work. The outcome is getting the work done.
2. Limit the amount of busywork they have to do. If a child has demonstrated that they know the material eliminate the extra practice work once the concept has been mastered.
3. Keep them moving with a purpose! Errands and chores are the active child’s best friends. Often times they lack self-esteem and social awareness so being helpful is one of the best ways to alleviate those issues.
4. Have a group of ‘high-fliers’ in your classroom? Let them do a class newspaper, grade level newspaper, put up/take down bulletin boards or read to younger children.
5. Never use recess as a tool for modifying behavior. Recess is a necessary part of the day for the active child.
6. Never assign silent lunch. It is demeaning, demoralizing and negative.
7. Give them time after school to move around before starting homework. Utilize the above tips about workspace and movement. Keep elementary children near you but try not to sit with them as they do their work.
8. Incorporate movement and rhythm into learning. Whenever possible, have your child stand up and move while learning something new.
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