proçrastnation or too hard?

[montanamom]

My oldest has done LHFHG, Beyond, Bigger & started Preparing 3 wks ago. We are having a difficult time getting done each day & have ended up having to finish 5-6 boxes on Fridays! She does work slowly-somewhat of a perfectionist, but has done fine completing all the other guides in a timely fashion. We have a schedule so she knows what's expected of her, we've used a timer, offered rewards if done on time, yet she stil is not getting it all done. So, how do I tell if this is purely an attitude/ procrastion issue or if Preparing is just to much of a workload for her right now? (She is 3rd grade...will be 9 in late Sept.)

[deltagal]

I can answer this! Does she procrastinate in other areas of life - chores, etc.? If not, it means the issue is an academic one.

So, if the issue is academic I don't think Preparing is necessarily too hard, but I would carve out more time in the first weeks to really be present with her and read aloud to hear and help her to get a strong pace set and make sure she's appropriately engaging the material. A few weeks invested now will pay off BIG in the long run.

[MelInKansas]

I haven't done Preparing yet, but I know each guide has a significant ramp-up in what's expected. Many need to start 1/2 speed to get used to what they need to do. I find starting a new guide a lot more work than keeping it going once you've gotten 3-4 weeks into it. The child is learning what they need to do and learning new skills. It's a little disconcerting even for me. So, I would talk to her about what is hard and why it's been hard for her to get the work done. Maybe she needs more breaks during the day? Looking forward to a break might help her get through a few subjects. Or maybe 1/2 speed for a little while is what you need to do. Pray about it, God always gives me wisdom when I ask Him.

[mom23]

We had the same issue with Preparing. For us, I think it was a combination. My dd is definitely a dawdler and a dreamer , but there is also a big skill jump to the independent work in Preparing. More work to get done each day, and that step of handling it alone and going on without Mom saying, "Let's do _________next." Sounds like you're handling it the same way I did-just carry over any extra work to Friday. If she understands she'll get Friday off if she gets everything done on time, that may provide some motivation. For us, I planned to school Fridays, anyway, since the younger boys were doing 5 day weeks, so we just carried it over and had a light day Friday.

If you're really wanting her to learn to get it done I think a key is just to make sure that her independent work does not run into the time that you're supposed to be working together. Get your part done with her on time and on schedule, and then anything she has leftover from her stuff alone can be finished later during her free time.

[julsoliveira]

So yes, It does take a bit of adjustment, and there were days we started at 9am, and didn't finish until nearly 4pm because he just couldn't stay on track. BUT, by the end of the guide, he was starting at 9am, and finishing by noon, or 1pm. It just takes some getting used too. once you're in your groove it will go smoothly

Stay the course.