hello everyone, just wandering if you guys have a hands-on, wiggly willy learner in your family. what type of curriculum is best used for them... and how do you keep their attention?

I have two of them, and they can be the most challenging kids of all! Especially when they are also ADD or ADHD. Mine have never been tested for that, but I'm quite sure they would be labeled if we were to do the testing. I don't know what ages your kids are. I think the hands-on learning is easiest to deal with in the early grades. My son practiced math facts jumping on a pogo stick or hopping up the stairs. We'd put a flash card on each step and he could hop up the step for each fact he got right. Or I'd call out math facts in time to his pogo-bouncing and he'd try to give me the answer on the next bounce. It seems like these kinds of learners actually learn better when their bodies are moving. They learned to write by tracing letters with their fingers, or forming the letters with play-do. We did a lot of math with Legos. As they got older and needed to do more writing, we used a chalkboard or markerboard a lot. Even my now-7th grader does better at math if she can write BIG on a markerboard, then write only the answer on her math paper. It takes longer, and can drive me to the limits of my patience sometimes (like today!) But in the end she does learn it better and retain it longer.

I'd love to hear other people's ideas on this, especially when dealing with older kids.

I don't have a child who is a kinesthetic learner, but they have all gone through a stage of it at some point or other.

For my daughter who has small muscle control issues, we got a 13x9 pan and filled it halfway with salt. She writes words and numbers in the salt with her finger or a chopstick and finds it much easier to control than a pencil on a piece of paper.

Hi Anji,
This brings back memories! I had a shallow cardboard box that I painted bright red - for contrast - and we used fingers to shape letters too! Great idea!

Then for large muscles, get the whole arm involved in drawing large letters on a blackboard or white board.

And then there's my trampoline ...

Christine

The trampoline is one of our favorite "punishments!" If we have a wild child, we'll send them out to do 100 jumps or 20 back flips or whatever. Helps work out the wiggles, it's fun and keeps mama's sanity!!

My daughter goes outside and runs laps around the backyard when she just can't sit still any more. When it's warm enough we'll take a P.E. break and everyone jumps in the pool and swims laps. My younger two worked out a routine last summer where they swam laps, did different kinds of water aerobics, etc. A lot of times we'd do that after our lunch break, then come back inside for afternoon school.
Lori

Anybody hear of having your child sit on those big old exercise balls instead of a chair?

Christine

We tell our kids to see how many times they can run around the house. They think it's fun and it becomes a competetive race. It's get any enregy out that is built up and it also really helps in the evenings when they tend to get the most wound up! (of course, being from Indiana, it doesn't work too well in the winter...so we see how many minutes they can do on the treadmill!)

My daughter stands most of the time doing her school work and my son is the opposite...there are times I think he might just fall asleep!

Leslie

Funny you mentioned the exercise ball. I actually forgot about that. When Chandler was in OT, that's exactly what he did. They were using the ball in school too. I guess I should pull out my ball and blow it up!! We also had Chandler do the crab walk to calm him down. (on all fours with his behind stuck up in the air and legs straight. a more challenging way is on his back w/his arms straight down and legs bent. This way is hard to explain)

With his CAPD, jumping jacks or spinning actually get him more wound up! Sucking a milkshake through a straw helps center his brain and then he works better. Chewing gum, bubble gum is better, is great too! He actually chews gum while doing his schoolwork.

I've also been trying to get my husband to buy us a trampoline and I think i'll use this to my advantage! We definitely don't get near enough exercise in my house. We moved up to NH from Florida about 3 years ago and we've all put on weight and gotten really lazy. it's awful, but that's another story.
Patte

Hey Patte,
Just curious - how did you learn these strategies?
Blessings,
Christine

They also have "chair pads' that are made out of the same materials as the exercise balls and have bumps on one side and ridges on the other, that way the child can wiggle around on it. Some other ideas: A teacher I knew actually took the seat of a student (with the parents permission) away - this allowed the wiggling to happen below the desk and he went from failing to being an A student... (First grade). My daughter is a kinesthetic learner and some techniques that I use with her: I have a large plastic platter that I got at a 99cent store that she uses with shaving cream, or salt, when she was really young I also used cornmeal (didn't have to worry about it going into her mouth). I have her using an white board and chalk board that are 9x11" for writing skills and more fine motor development. I also allow her to study with music on. Most of her lessons increments are at 15-20 minutes to allow her to be successful. Other things like bouncing a ball while spelling or doing math facts. And we also have a trampoline - that both of my children love to use(my other daughter is the complete opposite - likes silence and "workbooks") I have a FlashMaster, GeoSafari and a Math Safari they like to use also. Hope some of these ideas help someone...
God Bless

Hi Ann Marie,
What great ideas! How did you learn these?
What kinds of issues does your daughter deal with?
Welcome!
Christine