As you’ve no doubt figured out by now I have some very active learners. Or as I sometimes refer to them, wiggle worms.
Signs you have an active learner
You might have an active learner if:
- They cannot sit still in a chair. My kids are incapable of just SITTING. They stick their foot up on the table, they change positions, they stand. They fall out of the chair. But they do not sit.
- They prefer to stand while they work. Batman spends most of his school time standing. I’ve even moved the chair out of his way so he didn’t knock it over In his moving back and forth.
- They talk with their hands. We all know THAT person, the one who’s accidentally hit the person next to them as they talked. I’m that person, so I’m familiar with it.
- They can’t concentrate unless they are moving. This is the person who paces when they talk on the phone.
Well, you get the picture, this is the kid (or adult) who just doesn’t sit still.
Start your active learner’s day with exercise
The days we start with some exercise work better. I think it’s because they’ve burned some of their endless energy and can sit still for a few minutes. Though still is a relative term. I mean I taught one lesson with my son upside down, seriously he was balancing his legs in the air in some yoga pose.
Exercises we’ve tried:
- crab walk across the room 10 times
- bear walk across the room 10 times
- skip around the room
- hopping, jumping, or running around the room
- Sit-ups, pull-ups, general stretches
Get your active learner an exercise ball
Our reading lessons go so much better now that my kids have Exercise Balls (affiliate link). Princess bounces up and down as she reads vocabulary words. The boys balance all sorts of ways as they read (I may do the same as I listen, seriously I’m a horrible example for sitting still).
Exercise balls also have the benefit of helping build up core muscles, which are important for posture, stability, and almost every exercise you do later in life.
Set a time limit for your active learner
Buy a red line timer (affiliate link, and I LOVE this), and use it for everything. Set short times of work, and when it’s done stop.
I don’t care how well the work is going, just stop. Because I know the temptation to keep going because it’s going well, but you will pay for it. Oh, how you will pay. Trust me stop when the timer goes off.
Then take a break, just a short one, say 5 or 10 minutes, but take a break and move. Do some jumping jacks, move around.
Let your active learner sit how they want
Your active learner will not sit at a desk, or at least not well. Let them sit how they want when possible. You can teach them to sit appropriately for meals and such, but give them leeway when you can. My kids have certainly embraced sitting how they want for reading (the picture right above is one of several from the post).
Bring movement into your lessons
Your active learner is going to love you when you add movement to your lessons. Have your kids find words around the room, or say math facts while doing jumping jacks, make flash cards and have the kids run to them. Just get them moving.
Dangle the carrot for your active learner
Let them know once the “sitting down” stuff is done, that you’ll go to the park, or swimming. Give them incentive to get it done so they can play.
Do you have any other suggestions for active learners? I’d love to hear them.
This is part of iHomeschool Network’s Learning Styles and Personalities.
That looks like a pretty complete list to me.
🙂 Glad to hear it.
That would have been very helpful for me when I was a child. I couldn’t sit still either! Great list and very helpful.
I didn’t sit still, but I wasn’t as extreme as my kids. It was more of constantly changing position.
I bought this book: https://ultimatebrainbreaks.com/
Lots of ideas for quick move-arounds. Also Carol Barnier’s “How to Get Your Child Off the Refrigerator and on to Learning.” https://carolbarnier.com/store/#!/~/product/category=2622091&id=11555776
I thought there was something wrong with my daughter, but it turns out she just needs to move.
Thanks for the reminder, I actually have Brain Breaks, and you’re right it’s great. I’ll add both of those books into my post.
I love your ideas! My kids are NOT active learners, and I go out of the way to find ways to get them active!
That is such a foreign concept to me. I hadn’t realized just how wiggly and active my kids were until we were on the mission trip and one of the other Moms said, “Your boys are never still are they? I mean I watched them and they just don’t stop moving.” To my mind that’s rather normal behavior.
This is very interesting! I think that many teachers would find it very useful if you shared your tips as a teacher (formerly in a classroom and in a Sunday school) to teach active learners in more formal settings. Your kids are so lucky to be able to learn at home!
Hmmmm….. I’d have to think how to change that up. A lot of what I said could be used there, and I did use it in the classroom, but you’ve got a point.
You might try cutting out their morning cup of joe, with a side of pop-tarts 🙂 And, just in case that doesn’t read well, it was meant as a joke. I have a couple of active – though maybe not quite that active – learners too, and your list looks great. I especially like the exercise ball! Sometimes too, when mine are absolutely bouncing off the walls, just dropping everything, and working with them on a hands on type project, or reading, or a game can calm them back down.
I caught the joke, I’ve certainly joked about it.
Games are so important, I that’s a good one to include too.
We have the same situation…sitting is hard. But how do they sit on the ball without falling? I’ve seen K fall of them just as easily as with chairs.
Recently, we decided to log in our exercise into a spreadsheet. We call them “Exercise Challenges” so we can see progress (number of sit-ups, push-ups, timed races, etc.)
For whatever reason my kids seem to sit better on the balls. I think it’s probably because it involves concentrating and some amount of movement to stay in their seats.
Oh exercise challenges are a good idea too!
Have to forward this to my sister – my nephew is most definitely an active learner! Great post, great tips.
Thanks! I’m glad you’re back to blogging, I’ve missed your updates.
I’d love to know how you get an active learner to write when they think better on their feet. My son is an excellent speller, but it’s so hard to get him to hold still long enough to write it down!
My son actually stands at his desk and writes that way. He has to lean over more because his desk is designed for sitting, but it seems to work well for him. Would that work for your son?
I am the grandma and do the homeschooling of a 7 year old gifted ADHD learner. Active does not describe him in the least. He does not stop and he is always in high gear, not just moving, but running at full tilt. School is very difficult for us so our doctor put him on medication. I don’t like it. It does help for a couple of hours but then he loses weight because he thinks he is not hungry. He has been hurt actually from running in the house even though we always shout “safety first” then he just starts skipping. LOL. Your ideas are great, the exercise ball is one I had not thought of and will definitely give it a try. Thanks so much.
Great ideas. If your son’s desk is too low to stand at you could try kneeling at it for a better fit.
Exercise before school has actually been researched and shown to improve cognition and reduce stress.
Here is a simple free brain break where you can roll some dice to determine what exercises to complete https://yourtherapysource.com/rollsomefunfree.html
Or check out 10 simple physical activity breaks for the classroom https://yourtherapysource.com/10simple.html.
Great tips! I also have a fidgit box handy so they can hold and move their hands during work times.
I want to figure out a fidget box.