ideas to keep childs attention during History??

[emqberry]

Hi, we just wrapped up our first week of HOD. I have a son who is eight using BHFHG, he is enjoying the curriculum and is doing well......BUT he is having a hard time getting the science and history readings to sink in. SO, I was hoping someone would have suggestions on how to help him keep his focus/attention during the readings so he can remember what was read to him. He has a horrible time trying to narrate back to me after the reading....so that means mom has a hard time with the lesson also. Any suggestions would be helpful.
Thanks,
Emily (8 yr old BHFHG, 5 yr old LHFHG, 4 yr old LHTH and two month old)

[blessedmomof4]

Is he a wiggler, i.e., seems to need to move around a lot? My 13 year old dd was like that till age 9 or so. If I was reading to her, I had to let her keep her hands busy (play-doh, legos, coloring) or even let her hang upside-down from the couch If I made her be still and look at me she could not retain info, but if she got to do all those other things, she could tell me back stories really well. I don't know if that's the case with your son, just a thought

[julieabird]

My children are also fidgety but we have to do the opposite - I have to make them focus on me and keep their hands still or they get too focused on what they are doing with their hands and can't remember anything that was read to them.

As far as history is concerned in Beyond - the history book changes to "Stories of the Pilgrims" soon. It has great comprehension questions at the end of each reading. If he can't answer them after you read the section one time, maybe you could try reading it again. This time he has the questions in his head and he will be listening for the answers. I've done this with my son before and only had to do it once. He listens quite well the first time now.....

[julieabird]

I just saw that you are doing Bigger with your son and not Beyond! Sorry about my mix-up! I have no clue about the history or science in that guide! I also see that you are a busy mama! 3 guides and a new baby!

[Daph]

My daughter is exactly like this! I started to make her read the history book out loud while I sit beside her, and that has helped! Now she's retaining the History lesson, and can repeat details back to me. We had this problem with another curriculum in the past, where I had to do a lot of reading. It's odd, because she loves listening to radio theater and books on cd, but when I read to her, it goes in one ear and out the other!

[tnahid]

I have been having my 10 year old son sit beside me and read along with me reading aloud. This has seemed to help his retention a great deal. It's like listening and reading it at the same time is really sinking in more! He also loves radio drama and books on tape, but when I read, it is like the one ear and out the other thing too!

[emqberry]

Thanks guys. I tried letting him doodle. I told him to doodle anything about what was being read and caught his attention. This helped a little. I might try letting him read some too and letting him move around during the reading. I will have to bite my tongue though because that drives me nuts when they are wiggling everywhere....it distracts me, lol. But, I will just learn to live with it!! Again thanks for all you advice ; ) If you think of anything else, please let me know.

[Mom2Monkeys]

My kids like to pace or walk in circles while I read. I can't stand it! But, it does seem to help. Mine also enjoy audio books and the like, but my reading aloud goes in one and out the other, too. I also can't let mine fidget with stuff like legos, playdough, etc...well, at least not my oldest. She gets hyperfocused on some things and that's the sort of thing she gets into. Perhaps my 7yo will benefit from it but who knows just yet... I've not done any real formal schooling with him until now. He's the one that LOVES to walk circles while narrating...but DD10 is the one who LOVES to walk circles with ANY talking. LOL

I was actually in a panic today wondering if I've done right by putting my two oldest together in BHFHG... my 7.yo isn't taking to the readings so much. And narration is HARD for him since he's having a hard time with the books for the time being...I think they'll grow on him...and he'll grow into them. Guess I'll have a big circle train in my living room carpet.

[Carrie]

Emily,

There is much interesting discussion in this thread from so many different perspectives. I'll share a few things that may be of help to you as you ponder.

One thing to keep in mind is that the readings that are within Bigger Hearts are definitely challenging and include a very high-level vocabulary. This makes them a step up from the readings within Beyond. It takes time to grow into the skills required to listen to, process, and narrate upon more difficult readings. So, time spent reading more difficult material will definitely help a child grow into these skills. It is a process that takes time.

Next, it is usually true that seeing and hearing what is read will result in better retention than simply hearing what is read. So, it is a good idea to have your child sit next to you and follow along with the text while you read. I keep my wiggly boys close to me on the couch and keep my arm around them, having them help me hold the book as I read. This keeps them anchored next to me and keeps their minds focused on the words on the page.

Stopping after several paragraphs to have your child give a brief narration, and then continuing right on, is another strategy that will help. Also, be sure that you are not stopping to explain difficult words, summarize the reading, or reread the text, as this actually interrupts the flow of the story in a child's mind. Instead, we want to work toward training your child in the habit of listening and retelling from a single reading.

While it is true that kiddos with certain disabilities listen and retain better when they are in motion, this is not true for most children. For many children, movement during reading interferes with the habit of attention and instead focuses and practices the habit of multi-tasking. Kids today often multi-task very well, but multi-tasking often means not giving your full attention to a single task but rather giving partial attention to a variety of tasks at once. With narration and listening, we are looking to form the habit of giving a child's full attention to a single task. To do this, the child often needs to be still, focusing all his/her attention on the reading and subsequent retelling. This is why it is so important to keep the readings short and the follow-up short too. This allows the child to give his/her full concentration to the task at hand, without requiring an unreasonable amount of time to be spent in this focused concentration.

As time passes, I think you will be surprised at the progess your child will make in this area if you simply do the plans as written, requiring the child to focus/concentrate from a single reading. The skill will slowly develop as the year passes.

Blessings,
Carrie

[tnahid]

Thank you, Carrie! That was really helpful.

[emqberry]

Thank you for the feedback Carrie! I see that I was doing something that I thought was right is actually hurting. I had been stopping to explain certain works due to the certain differences in speech in one of the History books. I was also afraid I was being "a mean momma" by expecting him to sit still. I will try your suggestions this coming week. Thanks again!

[Mom2Monkeys]

I was just thinking...unless they really need to follow along, I wonder if having them lay out on the floor, relaxed, eyes closed and listening after being instructed to listen closely and picture it all in their minds might help. Like a movie in their heads as they hear it. I know picturing the actual happenings with my eyes closed is one of my own strategies for remembering or getting directions when I'm not on the road to see it in front of me...and often stories, sermons, etc. as well. I have really poor comprehension myself (says the honor grad ) and I can see a huge improvement for me with this method.

I've also just learned that instead of speaking quite loudly to be sure they can hear, I speak just loudly enough they can hear me clearly with close attention, MAKES them HAVE to pay close attention.