7 Tips to Help MOM Pay Attention!

Posted by HeatherL | 0 comments

While I spend much of the time talking with fellow homeschoolers about helping their children pay attention. I have to admit the apple didn’t fall far from the tree here. I am so scattered at times and hard to focus that my ADHD causes problems in our homeschooling!

I need to pay attention so we can effectively get work done. I want to model good attentive behavior. One of my goals is to show my children that despite having some attention problems I can overcome them and still be productive, just like I am asking them to be!

I have had to make a few rules to help me focus on homeschooling.

1. NO TECH at the table. That’s right no cell phone. No computer work other than homeschooling subjects. FaceBook and Twitter are an absolute NO! NO!
2. ORGANIZE before hand like on Sunday night rather than, 1 hand pulling out books while the other is holding your morning coffee.
3. Have a SCHEDULE and stick to it. I even post our schedule on the wall so we can all keep the day and schedule in mind. This structure can help keep your march towards goals on task.
4. Have an ACCOUNTABILITY partner. I need someone (my husband) to talk to at the end of the week to see if we made the goals I set last week or not.
5. I need VACATION days! We homeschool all year round. That means we take a break ever 6 weeks, unless adjusted by a holiday. I need the structure of a schedule but I also require the freedom of time off.
6. RECORD KEEPING strategy. My fuzzy paperwork skills would quickly lose the school work for the year. Now I have file folders with the names for each child. I clean out the file every month, or break for vacation, on the outside of the manila envelope I write the highlights of the month so I don’t forget. Then I place them in the filing cabinet.
7. REMEMBER that a day off is great, but a day off for a naturally schedule-challenged person can drift into two, three, four, or more… So plan your day off and get right back to work the next day!

I have found that these tips help me keep moving forward. Along the way the kids are also learning to handle their own attention issues. Don’t let distraction derail your homeschooling!

Heather Laurie and her husband, Christopher, have been married for 13 wonderful years, and have been blessed with 7 children, two of whom are awaiting them in Heaven. They began their homeschooling journey eight years ago, amidst trials and unexpected journeys, including a genetic disorder, autism, sensory disorders, and lupus. Heather and her husband created the ministry Laurie Family Ministries which includes Special Needs Homeschooling as a way to use their trials for the Lord’s glory and to encourage special needs parents and homeschoolers.