Being there for your kids - Add Transition Time to your Home Schooling

Episode Date: May 16, 2020

Quick changes in activity level tend to throw a child off kilter. While this might save time, such quick changes actually extend the fussing and delaying before getting into the rhythm of the activity. Double for homework and home schoolers. To make the most of difficult situations, active listen your child's foot dragging and frustration about doing schoolwork at home. Make sure ahead of time that the time alotted for study is consistent and dedicated. Add a 5-10 minute transition time both to address stall tactics and excuses, and also to help your kids gear up for the task of schoolwork. Finish school time with another transition of 15-30 minutes where you can heap praise and positive reinforcement on them. Transition sets the tone for home schooling.

Hi, I'm Dr. John Robinson, and this is Teachable Moments. Recently, I posted my top 10 tips for homeschooling success, whether it's just helping with homework or being a full-time homeschooled teacher to your children. Now I am elaborating on each item on the list. Parenting tip number two is this. Allow at least five to ten minutes of transition both at the beginning and at the end of a homework or homeschooling time. Okay, I'm a jogger. I use jogging both for conditioning, exercise, and to keep my weight in check.

Even though this is a three to four day per week ritual for me, I still take five to ten minutes to stretch and warm up before heading out. You know what? I can't remember the last hamstring injury I've had. Warming up is the part of my ritual that keeps injuries from happening. Similarly, as you launch into homework or homeschooling time with your kids, ease into that time with a warm up. This will be time well spent, that will help your kids accept the change in their activity.

Taking transition time both before and after study time gives the bookends to that time that will promote attention and improve memory recall of the material being studied. Okay, Troops, it's a quarter to ten now. School starts in 15 minutes. Oh, Ma, Amy complained. None of my friends are doing this school thing during shutdown. Can't you just let us have a day off this once?

Angie chimed in. Please. Mom went into the dining room, pulled up three chairs, and got textbooks from the cabinet where they were stored. Wow, Mom smirked as she came back into the family room where her kids were locked into their computer gaming. It's a good thing I'm not teaching none of my friends. That gives me more time with you guys. So, as you're winding down your YouTube and gaming apps, who wants some spores before we start? Amy and younger sister Angie each raised their hand and together gave an I do in tandem. While snacking at the breakfast table, Mom active listened to their frustrations and then asked,

Okay, who needs to pee before we start? Each child giggled. Home study time needs to alternate with playtime, usually 20 minutes of school followed by a 10-minute break. This usually allows for a separate study topic per block of time. Kids get a satisfaction from beginning and completing a task within a given time frame. Get creative with your lesson plans, like preparing a scavenger hunt for spelling words in your backyard. For older kids, guide their online lessons and prepare supplemental material. Conclude each school day with a 15-to-30-minute transition time, with lots of praise and reinforcement for a job well done.

Transition times are just that, easing the transition from one activity to another. They allow your child's heart to catch up with his head so that all of him is on the same page for school time. Transition times improve on-task behavior, attention to detail, and lesson recall. Add learnable moments to your teachable moments while you are homeschooling. I'm Dr. Jonathan C. Robinson, licensed clinical psychologist and Christian author of Teachable Moments Building Blocks of Christian Parenting. And this has been Teachable Moments.

Teachable Moments, Building Blocks of Christian Parenting, is available online at AmazonBooks.com and in local and national bookstores. More on Dr. Robinson at TMP-I-N-C.com.