ADHD Homeschooling Archives

10 of The Best ADHD Homeschooling Tips Around

November 8, 2016 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

We’ve been writing about homeschooling with ADHD for a while. Which makes sense because we’re homeschooling kids with ADHD in our own family. 🙂

If you picture ADHD as a condition that involves constant motion, you’d be right…and wrong. Some kids are physically hyperactive, while others are mentally hyperactive, and still others are both and/or emotionally intense. ADHD looks different in different kids.

And that means that homeschooling a child with ADHD calls for some serious adaptation on the part of the homeschooling parent. Over the years, we’ve learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t, so I’ve rounded up 10 of the best ADHD homeschooling tips around. Read through these and try them with your kids!

Image c/o: Yaruta / depositphotos

10 of the Best ADHD Homeschooling Tips

1. Read as much about ADHD and ADD as possible to find out how this disorder can affect children. Then be willing to incorporate as many learning strategies as you can. Here’s a list of my must-read books for ADHD homeschooling parents.

2. Stop trying to create the “ideal” homeschooling life. You know that mental picture of the parent smilingly teaching several children at the kitchen table? Yeah, forget that. Here’s why.

3. Spend some time watching your child to find out which type of ADHD he or she has. Learning how the disorder affects them personally can give you valuable insights into how to teach them. Brush up on the different types of ADHD for more.

4. Create a daily routine for your child that is ADHD-friendly. Bear in mind: This will NOT be a timed schedule, but a daily framework he or she can come to expect. Learn more about how to develop an ADHD daily routine that works for you.

5. Help your child set realistic learning goals that are tailored to his or her abilities. Then encourage them to meet those goals. Read more about how to help kids with ADHD meet their learning goals.

6. Consider making lifestyle changes to help your kids with ADHD sleep better at night. It’s a fact that kids learn better when they’re well rested. (Don’t we all?) Find out how to help your child with ADHD improve his or her sleep habits.

7. Adapt your teaching methods to suit your child’s attention span. While we want to help our kids learn to concentrate, they simply won’t if we teach them in the traditional manner. Here are a few ways to change up your teaching methods for kids with ADHD.

8. Use hands-on math activities. Math is often a headache for kids who have ADHD and/or attention issues. Executive functioning problems can make it difficult for children to follow a math problem through to the end and execute the required steps to solve it. Get some ideas from this list of math activities for ADHD students!

9. Limit the use of screens in your child’s day. Kids with ADHD who have a lot of screen time each day often struggle with attention span more than those who don’t, which can make homeschooling tougher. Take a look at how you can set screen time limits for your kids with ADHD.

10. Use a flexible homeschooling schedule and always, always, always be willing to change it. Try this list of 15 homeschool ADHD schedule ideas!

Want more ADHD homeschooling tips? Don’t miss these posts!

And for more support, grab a copy of my ebook “Homeschooling with ADHD”!

Follow my ADHD Tips board on Pinterest for more ideas!

15 Homeschool ADHD Schedule Ideas

September 26, 2016 by Selena Robinson 3 Comments

Homeschool planning season is typically an exciting time of year for parents. We get to get out our planners, write up lesson plans, and schedule our days to make sure we cover all of the objectives for the year.

But if you’re homeschooling children with ADHD, it’s not that simple. I still feel the excitement of the new school year, but it’s tempered a bit by the knowledge that, no matter how I plan our day, my kids are simply not going to get everything done. (Which is one reason why I’m not using a homeschool planner this year.)

Over the years, I’ve tried so many different homeschooling schedules I’ve lost track of them all. None of them worked. Not one. So I’ve learned a few ways to tweak our school day so that my kids can keep up, stay interested, and enjoy what they learn. Here are 15 different homeschool ADHD schedule ideas that have worked for us and may work for you too!

Image c/o: photousvp77 / depositphotos

15 Homeschool ADHD Schedule Ideas

1. Alternate sit down subjects with moving subjects.

2. Incorporate brain breaks every 20 minutes.

3. Use video liberally – teach for 10 minutes, then show a short video about the concept.

4. Add games into each subject: flashcards, drawing, balance games, call-and-response games, etc.

5. Do the subject your child hates first.

6. Or do the subject your child hates last.

7. Separate your kids for complex subjects and rotate them.

8. Have school in different areas of the house during the day.

9. Use the car for roadschooling.

10.Have a school lesson outdoors.

11. Ask your child which subject they’d like to do first.

12. Alternate weeks for certain subjects.

13. Drop an elective your child hates.

14. Use the library for a different subject each week.

15. Observe your child’s maximum attention span and time lessons to match it.

The Ultimate Guide to Brain Breaks eBook

What’s Working for Us This Year:

I’ve used all of these at one time or another. This year, we’ve been using a combination of Numbers 1, 3, 6, 7, 9, and 12.

Alternate sit down subjects with moving subjects. – I usually begin the day with reading. We sit down with books and listen to someone reading to us. Then we get up and do a project or a craft – anything that lets them move.
Use video liberally. – I rebelled against using video in my schooling for a long time. I think I’m just old-fashioned. But it makes such a big difference in helping the kids retain what they learn. I try to introduce the topic and give them questions to look for the answers to in the video, then we discuss it.
Do the subject your child hates last. – My oldest daughter hates math. I tried doing it first with her, but that didn’t work. She’d delay so much that we’d never get to the other subjects. Now we do it last and that seems to work better.
Separate your kids for complex subjects and rotate them. – When it’s time for my oldest to do math, she needs complete concentration. So I send my younger ones off to play in their rooms. In the morning, when they’re doing math, she’s in her room working on writing.
Use the car for roadschooling. – I have just recently discovered the wonder of audiobooks and they are a lifesaver. If I have to leave the house for a while, I have the kids bring their books and they listen as we ride. Then we discuss what they’ve read.
Alternate weeks for certain subjects. – I no longer try to cover every single subject every single week. I typically do history one week, geography the next, and the science the week after that. While I make sure the three R’s are done regularly, I take a break on the others. It’s less overwhelming for the kids and for me.

How have you adjusted your homeschooling schedule for your kids with ADHD? Do you have any tried and true homeschool ADHD schedule ideas to share? Let me know in the comments!

Get more ideas for homeschooling kids with ADHD!

And learn even more in our ebook: Homeschooling with ADHD!

Follow my ADHD Tips board on Pinterest for more tips and suggestions!

This post is part of the 8th Annual Back to Homeschool Blog Hop from iHomeschool Network! Click on over to read more homeschool posts from my fellow bloggers!

Using Bouncy Bands for Kids with ADHD

August 24, 2016 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Can we talk about wiggle worms for a minute? As I’ve mentioned extensively on the blog, we’re homeschooling multiple children with ADHD, which means that wiggly kids are an everyday occurrence around here.

Using a simple fidget is a proven way to help kids with ADHD improve attention span and executive functioning. And, since attention span is important for successful homeschooling, fidgets are pretty much a necessity in our family.

But, a lot of fidgets are rather…distracting. They go around the finger or the hand and are designed to be moved with the other hand. Which means that my other kids are staring at my fidgety kid fidgeting with his or her fidget. Not ideal. 🙂

So I was thrilled to try Bouncy Bands! These inconspicuous fidgets are awesome for keeping kids attentive without attracting too much attention. Read on to learn more about this great product!

Disclosure: I received this product in exchange for this post and I was compensated for my time. All opinions are my own and I was not required to post a positive review.

What are Bouncy Bands?

Bouncy Bands are simple resistance band fidgets for kids’ feet. They’re designed to go around the legs of a desk or chair, so that kids can rest their feet on them and move them whenever they feel like it.

Here’s a look at the chair model.

And the desk model – which is particularly good for older kids who might have longer legs.

When you buy a set of Bouncy Bands, you can expect to receive a box like this.

Inside are the band, the support pipes (which come in blue or black), and a simple instruction sheet.

Assembly couldn’t be easier. Just wrap the band’s left and right holes around the tops of the support pipes. Done!

However, here is the issue we faced: The band’s pipes wouldn’t fit around our dining room table legs. And the dining room is where we homeschool.

So I bought a simple stackable school chair. But then I discovered that the support pipes STILL wouldn’t fit around the legs. (The legs of this chair are kind of oblong-shaped.)

Eureka! I just removed the support pipes and the band fit just fine.

BTW, if you want to get a chair that these pipes are sure to work with, try this model. If you want to try the desk version, this school desk should do the trick.

Using Bouncy Bands for Kids with ADHD

Our seven-year-old is, by far, the most active of our kids. He’s basically in constant motion. So he was the best tester in our family for Bouncy Bands.

I had him sit in a chair and read a book while using the band as a fidget. Guess what?

It worked!

I thought he would bounce his legs like a maniac and get even more worked up. But he didn’t. He just bounced them occasionally – very gently – and kept his eyes on his book. I was thoroughly impressed.

Want to see Bouncy Bands in action? Check out my video review from my YouTube channel!

To learn more about Bouncy Bands, visit the product website for details about assembly and to read more reviews! Plus, keep up with Bouncy Bands on Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook for more!

Need more tips for homeschooling kids with ADHD? Follow my ADHD Tips board on Pinterest!

Don’t miss my Homeschooling with ADHD ebook! It’s packed with tips and suggestions to make this special homeschooling journey a success!

Why We Love Using CTC Math for ADHD Kids

August 12, 2016 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

My youngest son is a bit of a challenge when it comes to teaching math. He has ADHD, so he’s super active and his attention span is extremely short. He likes math in general, but when it’s time to do some actual work, he tends to whine, tune out, and get frustrated.

So I was excited to try out the CTC Math Membership to see if the program would be a good fit for him. Guess what? HE loves it! And I love any math program that will get him to love math. 😉 See why we love using CTC Math for ADHD kids in our family!

Plus, there’s an incredible giveaway available! Five winners will get a one-year membership to CTC Math absolutely FREE! Read on to learn how to enter!

Disclosure: I received access to this program in exchange for this post and I was compensated for my time. All opinions are my own and I was not required to post a positive review.

How CTC Math Works

Here’s a look at how the CTC Math membership works:

As parents, you can sign in and decide which lessons in each grade you want your child to cover. Roo is entering second grade this year, so we started him off there.

Each lesson has a short video that demonstrates the concept in question.

Then there are ten exercises for the child to complete.

One of the things I really like about this program is that the exercises follow the exact same structure as the problems shown in the video. So, there are no “tricky” questions.

Every time your child completes a question, he or she gets a check mark or a red X showing if their answer was correct.

As they work through the lessons, they can see their grade for each concept. This is really helpful, because you can see at a glance which topics they may need more help with before test time.

And, if you look at the top, you’ll see that you can choose the length of your child’s tests. That’s a super option, because some kids don’t need a lot of questions (or don’t have the attention span to complete a lot of questions). That way you can customize the test length for each child and each lesson.

Just in time for the new school year, CTC Math is offering a huge discount – just for homeschoolers! Right now, we can get 60 PERCENT off the regular price, which means you can grab a one-year family CTC Math membership for just $118.80!

Want to test the program out before you buy? Sign up for a totally free trial!

Why I Love Using CTC Math for ADHD Kids

So, what makes CTC Math so awesome for kids who have ADHD?

As you can see, my boy is really into that video lesson. Know why?

It was only a little over a minute long! While some videos are closer to three minutes, they’re all very short, which is perfect for kids with attention issues.

See the “For Your Reference” heading at the bottom? If you download the “Lesson Summary” PDF, you can see a list of what will be covered in the video, along with the answers.

Just like this! So you can prepare ahead of time and come up with additional problems for your child to practice that use this same concept. I also like that, because there are some concepts that I already know may be a bit confusing. This way, I’m prepared to work them through along with him.

Roo did a great job at using the computer to answer the questions. Since the questions aren’t timed, he didn’t feel any pressure to finish them before he was ready. That’s another reason why CTC Math is great for kids with ADHD. It reduces anxiety.

At the top, the program keeps track of how your child is doing on the questions he or she has been answering so far. When Roo saw that he was on track to get them all right, he stopped in the middle of one of his problems and said, “I better slow down. I want to get a 100.”

I had to pick my mouth up off the floor. I don’t recall him ever saying he needed to slow down for anything ever in his life before. The scorekeeping is a great motivator.

So, since he wanted to slow down, we paused on the questions and worked out a couple of the “Writing the Numeral” problems together.

I wrote numerals and number words on the blackboard.

He wrote them down as either numerals or number words on his paper. When we practiced a couple, he seemed to feel more confident and we returned to the questions.

You can take a break on the questions anytime and resume when you’re ready. (Another win for CTC Math!)

That break for more practice worked! He got his 100. 🙂

And, he’s actually been asking to do this program each day since. It’s definitely a keeper!

To learn more about CTC Math, follow the company on social media!

And….drumroll….here’s your chance to enter the CTC Math giveaway! Five winners will receive a FREE 12-month membership! To enter, use the Giveaway Tools widget below!

Entry -Form

P.S. Don’t forget to stop by and check out the amazing 60% off CTC Math homechool deal – available right now! And while you’re shopping, sign up for a free trial to see if a CTC Math membership will work for your kids! SPOILER: It will. 🙂

Need more ideas for homeschooling your child with ADHD? Follow my ADHD Homeschooling Tips board for our tried-and-true suggestions!

Integrated Listening Systems Music Therapy for ADHD

June 7, 2016 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

Three of our kids are living with ADHD and, needless to say, it makes life interesting! But it also makes our days rather challenging, especially because we are dealing with sensory processing issues with two of them as well.

Back in April, we received the iLs Total Home Focus program to try out for several weeks. And now we’re ready to share our results with you all!

If you’ve ever considered music therapy for ADHD, learn about how our experience with Integrated Listening Systems worked out!

Disclosure: I received access to this product in exchange for this post and I was compensated for my time. All opinions are my own and I was not required to post a positive review.

What is Music Therapy for ADHD?

To get the full details about music therapy for ADHD and how it works, visit the Integrated Listening Systems website for information. iLs has been used at some of the top clinics in the world that provide treatment for learning problems and the company also offers in-home therapy programs, including the Total Home Focus program. Since we’re trying to avoid medication (for now), the program, which uses movement and activity, was a wonderful option for us.

The Total Home Focus Program comes with everything you see above. For more about what each item is, see our initial post about getting started with iLS. But to summarize: It’s a therapy program that includes classical and ambient music for kids (and adults) to listen to as they relax or do guided motor skills exercises.

The real secret sauce is the bone conduction headphones that let you actually feel the music in your body. It’s a great immersive experience and it helps to focus attention on the music, rather than being distracted by everything else (which often happens to people with ADHD).

Since Pooh has had long-standing sleep issues related to ADHD, iLs graciously allowed us to try out the Dreampad as well. It’s a special pillow that uses bone conduction to relax and ease you into sleep while playing ambient music.

Once I hook it up, he’s usually out like a light. This is the same boy that typically awakens with enormous bags under his eyes in the morning. He asks to use the Dreampad every night.

How Music Therapy Helped Our Family

Many families have been helped by using the iLs Total Home Focus Program. Here’s our experience:

Week 1: I focused on starting Roo with the program first. He’s our six-year-old and his ADHD is the most severe. He has extreme trouble sitting still for any length of time. He has serious mood swings and he can be a big sensory seeker, crashing and bumping into things on purpose.

I learned that he hating simply sitting still and listening to music, so I tried to give him a simple and quiet activity to do while he listened: drawing.

Week 2: Roo still wasn’t a huge fan of the program. When I’d tell him to get the headset, he’d give me the “Aw, Mom!” routine. During week 2, I changed up his activity, letting him play with Unifix cubes instead of drawing. He seemed to do better with those.

Week 3: During Week 3, I introduced Pooh to the program. His temperament is very different from Roo. He’s content to sit quietly and read while listening. Interestingly, he said that his playlist made him feel sad, so I changed up the tracks a bit.

Week 4: Our home coach recommended that we hold off on the exercises until the kids were more accustomed to the program, so we started with them gradually in week 4. I gave Roo the balance board to practice Balance Board Sitting – an exercise from the Early Developmental Program. He actually liked it! Plus, it kept him still for 5 minutes straight!

Week 5: Tigger, who’s 11, doesn’t really care for doing an activity as she listens to the music. She’d rather just lie back on her bed and listen quietly. Since she has struggled with coordination issues for some time, I’m really anxious for her to start with the exercises, but our home coach told me not to push the exercises with the kids, so I’m not. I think she’ll want to try them on her own in time.

Week 6: In Week 6, I found that the kids have got to be separated when one is doing therapy. Otherwise, they start to talk and chatter over the music and the whole point of the therapy is lost. Since all three are using the program, they take turns going to their rooms or to the dining room table ALONE to listen and work. Live and learn.

Week 7: Roo was ready to try some of the other exercises in his program, so we added a few that used the enclosed beanbags.

What happens when you hand a sensory seeker a beanbag? He immediately squeezes it to his face, proclaiming how much he loves how it feels. 🙂

One of the exercises we tried this week was called “Drop, Catch, and Under Leg”. It works on coordination, especially with crossing the midline. Roo is ambidextrous, so he’ll just switch hands when he has to cross his midsection. This exercise helped him work on using both hands on both sides. He liked it because it reminded him of dribbling a basketball.

We also tried the “Dog Walk”. Roo crawled from one end of the room to the other while attempting to keep a beanbag on his back. We added difficulty by having him close his eyes, based on the exercise suggestions. When he did that, he instantly started crawling crooked. We will definitely keep practicing this exercise for a while.

Week 8: This week is week 8 and Roo has adjusted well to using the program regularly. He even asks if he can do his music therapy in the morning! I cannot tell you how much that helps me, because he wakes up first and he often becomes restless and noisy, which disturbs his siblings. Now, he gets up quietly, asks for his headphones, and goes to the table to listen and do a quiet activity. It’s a big change.

Why We Loved the iLS Total Home Focus Program:

It’s customizable. You can adapt the program to what is best for your child. After we filled out our initial assessment, our home coach suggested a program for each child to follow based on his or her needs. Then I adjusted as I saw fit. Roo couldn’t handle more than 30 minutes per session. Tigger, though, could do a full hour at a time.
There is plenty of support. Our personal home coach Sharon was wonderfully helpful. She was very attentive to us, checking via phone and email regularly. And she welcomed all of my questions and concerns, listening to our situation and offering helpful suggestions.
It’s not a magic cure. iLs never advertises itself as a magic cure for ADHD and SPD, and it’s not. Instead, the program is designed to be used continuously over several weeks, gradually helping clients improve focus, attention span, and self-control. I like that it’s part of an overall lifestyle change – one that we’ve really benefited from making.

Be sure to contact Integrated Listening Systems to learn about how the iLs Total Home Focus program can help your family! And learn more about music therapy for ADHD by following Integrated Listening Systems on social media:

Managing ADHD Math Problems with Mr. D. Math

April 21, 2016 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

It’s no secret that lots of kids struggle with math. And kids with ADHD who tend to have attention issues may have a harder time than most.

In our family, Tigger (our oldest daughter) has been a lifelong math-hater. She just loses all interest and tries to get through it, instead of trying to grasp the concepts. But, as I’ve tried to tell her, we don’t get to just “opt out” of things we don’t like in life. Thanks to homeschooling, though, we do get to try different ways to understand them and improve.

So I was excited to try the Pre-Algebra program from Mr. D. Math! I’d heard such great things about the program and my daughter was happy about having someone to walk her through pre-algebra and get her ready for middle school math.

See how using Mr. D. Math is helping us to manage common ADHD math problems!

Disclosure: I received this product in exchange for this post and I was compensated for my time. All opinions are my own and I was not required to post a positive review.

Managing ADHD Math Problems with Mr. D Math

Let me just start by saying that I completely sympathize with Tigger. If I could have gotten through life without math, I would happily have done so. But as I got older, I found that I’m actually good at math…when I try. And the same is true of Tigger. It’s just taking some time for her to realize that.

I mean, look at that face. That is a beautiful young woman who should never feel inadequate about doing anything, including algebra. (Sorry, I had a Mama moment.)

Common ADHD Math Problems

What are some of the common ADHD math problems kids deal with? Well, since kids (and adults) with ADHD often have issues with executive function, they may have trouble with the following areas:

organizing their thoughts into a process
executing that process
persisting when they’ve made mistakes

Pretty much everything you need to do in order to grasp a math concept, right? You need to learn the steps, perform them IN ORDER, and take the time to check for errors. So, for kids with ADHD, a math lesson can be a recipe for disaster.

This is not to say that all kids with ADHD struggle with math. My youngest boy, who is the most hyper of all of my kids, actually does better with math than language arts. But a child who has ADHD and struggles with math lessons may find that even the simplest concept is almost impossible to learn.

How Mr. D. Math Works

Which is why I found Mr. D. Math to be such a great program for my daughter with ADHD! Here’s a look at how the Mr. D. Math Pre-Algebra program works:

The lessons are organized very clearly by topic and chapter. As your child works through each lesson, it appears with a checkmark.

Every section begins with a video lesson. In the lessons, Mr. D. himself introduces a concept, demonstrates how it works, and asks a few questions.

Here’s a look at one of the video demonstrations. This one was on Order of Operations.

After the lesson is complete, students take an online quiz on what they learned.

Afterwards, they submit their grades.

At the end of each chapter, students take a test. And, as you can see, the solutions to the chapter tests are provided. Those are great for checking work and finding areas that need to be strengthened.

How Mr. D. Math is Helping My ADHD Daughter with Pre-Algebra

The Mr. D. Math Pre-Algebra program is a super introduction to algebraic concepts. What I loved about the program was that it begins with a nice introduction to exactly how math works. So your child doesn’t need previous experience with pre-algebra to begin it. As long as he or she can add, subtract, multiply, and divide, they’re good to go!

Right from the beginning, Mr. D. won Tigger over. As he explained, math is a language. It has its own symbols that have a unique meaning. And you have to understand the language to understand what each expression says. Since Tigger is a bookworm and interested in writing, that analogy made perfect sense to her.

His initial comparison was to compare learning math to talking to a dog. The dog only understands select words that have meaning to him, so the rest of your sentence would be “blah blah blah”. And that’s how math is! Block out the parts that have no meaning and focus on what matters. Brilliant!

What I also liked was that Mr. D. paused during the lesson to ask a few questions.

Knowing Tigger’s tendency to let her mind drift away, I asked her to write her answers down. And lo and behold! Neatly written notes! That’s how I knew she was paying attention and actually interested in the material.

After introducing a new way to look at math, Mr. D. reviews basic arithmetic operations with students (addition, subtraction, etc.). But, as the chapter progresses, he moves on to new concepts: order of operations, simplifying expressions, and so on.

Remember PEMDAS? He uses that mnemonic device also! While she remembered the phrase “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally”, she had a little trouble remembering what each word in the phrase actually represented. So she wrote it on the board to help herself remember it.

I will add one note of caution that I observed with Tigger: Kids with ADHD may tend to redo the same things again and again without slowing down to pay attention to why something is incorrect. Since the Pre-Algebra program is self-paced, kids can take quizzes whenever they want.

After Tigger’s first Order of Operations lesson, she took the quiz and missed several of the questions. Naturally, she simply took it again and then again. But since she didn’t slow down to review her notes, ask me for help, or rewatch the video lesson, she kept getting a failing grade. And you can only take each quiz three times. So she had to accept a grade lower than she wanted.

But that was a lesson to her as to why it’s important to slow down, check your work, and get help when necessary. So, if your child with ADHD behaves similarly, keep an eye out when they start taking quizzes and encourage them to take a break or get help with something that seems fuzzy.

If you’re looking for a self-paced Pre-Algebra Math program for your child, Mr. D. Math is definitely worth the investment! And if you’re in a time crunch, you can get a program to get your child ready for Pre-Algebra in just 11 weeks or even six weeks!

To find out more about the program, follow Mr. D. Math on social media!

And if you’d like more ADHD math ideas, check out my list of 10 Math Activities for Kids with ADHD!

10 Math Activities for ADHD Students

April 4, 2016 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

If you have a child with ADHD, you might find that sitting down to teach math is…a bit of a challenge.

Well, in my family, the word “challenge” isn’t quite strong enough to describe how difficult math lessons can be. Let’s try “cage match to the death”. I think that’s more accurate. 🙂

My wiggly kids resist anything that requires sustained mental effort, due to issues with executive function, so learning math concepts is their least favorite thing to do. As a result, I’ve had to take math off the page and into their hands to make some ideas really stick.

So – if your child with ADHD struggles with math, you might want to try these 10 math activities for ADHD students. They’ve worked wonderfully in our house!

Image c/o: Nadezhda1906 / depositphotos

10 Math Activities for ADHD Students

Use LEGO blocks to construct 3D Bar Graphs.
Make Math Factor Snowflakes and hang them in your window.
Show kids how to cut and paste simple repeating math patterns.
Have children work out tens and ones with Unifix cubes.
Practice math facts while doing a simple exercise or having a Brain Break.
Teach math concepts in a foreign language, such as how to count in Spanish or Sign Language.
Use math lapbooks to help kids visualize math concepts and memorize basic facts.
Combine math with reading by using math storybooks such as Life of Fred.
Drill kids on basic math lessons, including fractions, polygons, and telling time using flashcards.
Create math art, such as coloring grids on graphing paper.

Be sure to check out my ebook “Homeschooling with ADHD” for more help to teach your ADHD child at home!

Want even more fun math ideas? Try these book suggestions!

And be sure to follow my Math Mania board on Pinterest!

Homeschooling with ADHD eBook

November 30, 2015 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

We’ve been writing about homeschooling with ADHD here at Look! We’re Learning! for quite a while, but I (in typical ADD fashion) have been procrastinating with this eBook.

I’ve wanted to write it for months, but it seemed overwhelming and just..impossible. I did mention I have ADD, right?

But here it (finally) is! This eBook “Homeschooling with ADHD” is the resource you’ve been looking for! If you’re teaching kids with ADHD at home or if you’re even considering it, this ebook is for you!

And *for a limited time*, I’m giving it away FREE!

Homeschooling with ADHD eBook

This eBook is divided into six chapters beginning with a discussion of what ADHD is and ending with detailed suggestions for how you can continue homeschooling, even when ADHD-related problems arise.

What if you’re a parent with ADHD? You can still homeschool your kids with ADHD! (Trust me, I’m doing it.) There’s a special section in the book just for you – with tips and tricks to make homeschooling something you love, not simply something you endure.

And, because I really want you all to benefit from these tips, I’m giving the ebook away for FREE for 48 hours! It’s normally priced at $5.99, but you can get it for nothing until December 2!

If you decide to download the ebook, please share your thoughts about it with me at selena@lookwerelearning.com. Grab your free eBook from our store using the link or image below!

Homeschooling with ADHD eBook – Look! We’re Learning! Store

5 Things That Make ADHD Homeschooling Easier

June 22, 2015 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

I’ve been sharing about my decision to return to homeschooling this fall after enrolling my kids in public school for a few months last school year. One of the major reasons why I decided to take a homeschooling break was because I was burned out. Three of our kids have ADHD, as do I, and keeping everyone on task (including me) was becoming a challenge. It was time to take a break.

But now that things have settled back down, I’m planning for how I can make this upcoming school year our best (and most relaxed one) yet. And so today, I’m sharing five things that make ADHD homeschooling easier!

By the way, this is one of those posts that contains great advice that I really need to take myself. So if I ever write about being burned out again, please remind me to come back and read this post. 🙂

5 Things that Make ADHD Homeschooling Easier

1. Math Manipulatives

Tigger is not a math fan. But when we use math manipulatives, she enjoys it much, much more. That means taking math off the textbook page and making it interactive.

We use both Unifix Cubes and Counting Bears to help our kids visualize their math problems while learning. We’ve also used a literary approach with resources such as Life of Fred and Arithmetic Village to make the problems more of a “visual” exercise for her.

2. Flash Cards

Flash cards are a huge help with covering homeschooling topics with our kids. Roo, in particular, loves them because he is partial to holding items while we cover lessons.

He’s continually fidgeting, so if he can move cards around by flipping them, matching them, or using them for memory drills, he learns critical terms and pictures much faster. (See all of our free printable flashcards available here in the store!)

3. Music

All of our kids love to dance, so we use music pretty often. We take dance breaks in between lessons and when we clean up the house, we play music to encourage them to relax.

Personally, when I have trouble focusing on a task for our homeschool, such as planning lessons or organizing my resources, I use Focus @ Will. It’s an online streaming music service that plays instrumental tracks according to the mood you select. They even have a channel for ADHD, and it works wonders for my concentration.

4. Educational Games

Another big part of making learning interesting for my kids with ADHD is to use educational games. I try to pick games that are either short on directions or short on time, which keeps my kids from getting frustrated as they learn how to play.

Stare Junior! is one of our very favorite games. It’s a game that helps kids practice observing by staring at a picture for two minutes and then trying to remember details from it. We also like BrainBox Nature, because it’s a super short game (2 minutes each round) and it’s a perfect way to break up lessons while continuing with something educational.

5. Brain Breaks

I mentioned Brain Breaks in a post I wrote over at The Homeschool Post about my favorite things about homeschooling with ADHD, but the ebook deserves another shout out here. Brain Breaks are great for helping our kids “let off steam”.

They get to choose their own activity and then complete it in a short round. Plus, there are lots of activities to choose from, so they never get bored with their choices.

For even more helpful suggestions for homeschooling with ADHD, see our series 31 Days of ADHD Homeschooling to get tips, suggestions, and ideas for your family!

This post is part of the “Things My Homeschool Couldn’t Do Without” linkup from iHomeschool Network! Click on over to read even more fabulous posts by our fellow homeschooling bloggers!

Family Time Fitness - Fitness 4 Families - Family Fitness

Our Simple ADHD Homeschool Schedule

August 25, 2014 by Selena Robinson 15 Comments

We’ve been homeschooling for several years, but we still make adjustments to our homeschool schedule each year. And once we learned that some of our children had ADHD, we had to make some drastic changes to our daily routine.

I’ve been reading some great books on managing ADHD with kids, and I’ve learned some excellent tips about time and school management for kids with ADHD.

As a result, we’ve instituted a simple ADHD homeschool schedule. And it’s made a world of difference in making homeschooling days run more smoothly – for me AND the kids!

Read on to get a look at our typical day. And if you need more flexibility in your homeschool day, check our list of 15 different ADHD homeschool schedule ideas!

A Look at Our ADHD Homeschool Schedule

(This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Image c/o: belchonock / depositphotos

If you look at our ADHD homeschool schedule, you’ll notice that all of the school lessons are limited to 30 minutes MAX. That’s one of the important adjustments of this year, but so far, I’ve already seen improvements.

We also try to cover the basic subjects as early in the morning as possible. It generally makes the afternoon run smoother.

Morning:

7:30 a.m. (ish) – Wake up

I don’t really set a strict wake up time for the kids. They’re generally up by 7:30 a.m., but if they’re not, I let them sleep until they wake on their own. Pooh, in particular, needs time to wake up before he starts his day.

8:00 a.m. – Breakfast

8:30 a.m. – Copywork/Handwriting

We go over a different scripture each day and I use that verse as our copywork for the day. The kids clean up the breakfast dishes and bring their notebooks to the table to do copywork. Piglet generally sits in and draws with her Color Wonder markers.

9:00 a.m. – Math

I separate the kids for math. Tigger does her own work on the computer. We use several programs, including A+ Interactive Math, Khan Academy, and TenMarks. I let her go at her own pace, and I generally keep the entire lesson to 30 minutes or less.

The boys and I do a math lesson in the living room using “Life of Fred” and math manipulatives.

9:30 a.m. – Daily chores

The kids do their chores (usually two tasks per person) and then they make their lunches for the day.

10:00 a.m. – Language Arts

I don’t require that we have a structured language arts lesson each day, but we do cover all of the subjects (spelling, English, and writing) several times a week.

10:30 a.m. – Individual Reading

Each child gets to read with me for a few minutes alone. I generally read a short story with Roo first, then Pooh and I read a section of an early reader chapter book. Tigger and I are working our way through the Nancy Drew series and we’re on Book 1: The Secret of the Old Clock.

11:00 a.m. – Family Lesson

Everyday, we have a family lesson where we all cover the same subject together. Monday is Science, Tuesday is History, Wednesday is Geography, Thursday is Art/Music, and Friday is Foreign Language. (More about these in a future post.)

11:30 a.m – Family Unit Study

I try to pick at least one topic per month for our family unit studies. We usually read from a textbook or storybook and do an activity together each day.

Afternoon

In the afternoon, our ADHD homeschool schedule includes more of the “extras”. Unless we don’t finish covering the essentials in the morning.

12:00 p.m. – Lunch

Since they make the lunch themselves earlier in the morning, I don’t have to do much during lunch. Tigger generally helps Piglet with her food and I get a little break.

12:30 p.m. – Clean up and change for P.E.

We’re having the kids “dress for school” this year, so after lunch they change into play clothes for P.E.

1:00 p.m. – P.E.

We use Family Time Fitness for P.E. So far, we’ve been focusing on basic physical movements and helping the kids learn the difference between sports terms like “pass”, “throw”, “jump”, “hop”, etc.

1:45 p.m. – Showers and change clothes

I’ve recently made the decision to start giving showers earlier in the day. By the end of the day, we’re all exhausted and Jay and I just don’t feel up to the task. The kids seem to relax a bit more for quiet time when they’ve had a shower beforehand as well.

2:15 p.m. – Storytime

I generally read a story or part of a story before quiet time. I try to choose calm stories that won’t work them up too much. Otherwise, they’ll get in the bed and play around the whole time…lol.

2:30 p.m. – Quiet Time

This is the first year that I am NOT requiring a longer quiet time for the kids. Tigger is actually sleeping more this year than last. We suspect that it’s because she’s entering puberty and her body needs the rest.

If she goes to sleep, then I don’t wake her. We can always move the other tasks to later in the day. (One of the many perks of homeschooling!)

3:00 p.m. – Workbox Time

We do our workbox time right after Quiet Time, since it’s a quiet activity the older kids can do while Piglet is asleep. She generally naps for an hour and, by the time 3:30 rolls around, she’s up and raring to go!

3:30 p.m. – One-on-One Time with Mom

In my dream world, I’d have individual time with each child everyday. That’s just not practical, though – at least not when we’re following our regular school schedule.

So the kids alternate one-on-one time with me each day. Pooh gets Monday, Roo gets Tuesday, Tigger gets Wednesday, and Piglet gets Thursday. Friday is Mom’s one-on-one time with herself.

4:00 p.m. – Media Time

Media time is saved for the absolute very last part of the day. It’s a treat that they get to enjoy if we’ve gotten everything else done that day.

In the past, I would let them watch some TV around 11:30 p.m., particularly while I was making lunch. But they got so worked up after watching TV that they made a colossal mess while eating. Now I save media time until the end and things are better.

And that’s a look at our ADHD homeschool schedule, for this year at least. I’d love to hear about your daily homeschooling plans this year! Feel free to share them in the comments.

Don’t miss these other ideas for planning your homeschool year!

And see more ways to schedule your homeschool on my Homeschool Planning Pinterest board!

This post is part of the “2014 Not Back to School Hop” from iHomeschool Network! Click on over to read how our fellow bloggers schedule their homeschooling days!