9 Tips For Homeschooling: How To Get Your Child To Focus

Today’s post focuses on tips for homeschooling and how to get your child to focus. Choosing to homeschool your kids is a personal decision that you make depending on your preferences and the child’s needs. There is no need to worry that your child will develop late due to homeschooling, as there are strategies and plenty of advice to assist you in being a great homeschool tutor. Whether you are worried about your child not staying focused or are already dealing with focus issues, you have come to the right place. Here, we will discuss everything this is to know about how to get your homeschooled child to focus.

9 Tips For Homeschooling: How To Get Your Child To Focus

1. Unique Learning Tools

Unique learning tools are a nontraditional way of teaching children new things. Often, children can feel bored and switch off when their home-learning lessons are the same. Different tools will engage them, interest them, and enhance their focus. 

For example, you might struggle to teach your child about health and well-being using traditional learning tools like presentations and educational videos. If they aren’t engaging, use something different. Using health triangle posters can make the concept of health and well-being easier for children to comprehend.

When children hear “health,” they might instantly think of colds and physical illnesses. However, health involves much more than that. Teaching children about emotional and social health will broaden their knowledge and help them understand health. Going forward, they will feel better connected with their health and understand health talk from others. 

By helping children understand the various aspects of health, you are laying a strong foundation for their future well-being. This comprehensive understanding will not only benefit them as they mature but also enable them to better understand and empathize with others. 

2. Take Regular Breaks

You and your child will lose focus and interest if you run lengthy sessions. If you try to force your child to sit through three hours of learning, you will notice irritation, boredom, or frustration. It is best to take regular breaks so that you can both reset your mind and maintain focus throughout the day. While most traditional schooling routines involve breaks every couple of hours, you need to find what works for you. Your child might focus better by taking a five-minute break every hour. Or, it might be best to focus for two hours and have a longer break. Trying different break patterns will help you understand how to optimize their focus.

3. Follow a Schedule

It is wise to follow a schedule. Doing so will help your child understand when education time is and when it is downtime. If you try to force a lesson on your child during the nighttime (which is a time they might not associate with learning), then they might not focus well. With a schedule in place, they will understand when it is time to listen, focus, and enjoy education. It will allow them to get into learning mode and be attentive to what you are teaching them.

4. Create a Daily Routine

Along with a schedule, it is good to incorporate a routine into your child’s homeschooling days. For example, starting the lessons at the same time each day will help them be prepared and get into the right mindset. Waking them up at the same time, giving them breakfast, ensuring they are dressed, and setting up the classroom before starting is a routine you can do together to get into the zone. A daily routine is good for children (homeschooled or not) as it provides them with structure and expectations.

5. Utilize Game Time

Children love playing games. Hence, implementing game time into your child’s homeschooling day is an excellent way to increase their focus. You could turn certain learning sessions into game time or play with them during their break. Making parts of their day fun and entertaining will help them stay focused and encouraged to learn. Knowing they have games to look forward to will help them stay engaged so they can earn the reward of a game.

6. Take the Learning Outside

Staying inside during sessions can often feel stuffy or dull. Changing the scenery and taking the classroom outside is a way to refresh your child’s mind and help them focus. Natural lighting and fresh air will help your child focus during homeschooling. You could take the science lessons outside and get amongst nature to educate them about biodiversity. There are lots of ways to educate your child in an outside space, so make sure to implement this into your week where possible.

7. Eliminate Distractions From The Space

Children can get easily distracted. It is wise to remove all distractions from the learning space so that they maintain focus on the lessons. For instance, having their toys close by might encourage them to daydream about playing rather than focusing on the lesson. Creating a real-life classroom setup will encourage them to take the lesson seriously and focus for longer periods.

8. Adjust to Their Preferred Learning Style

Each child learns differently. Some may be visual learners, while others may learn best by using their senses of hearing or touch. By being aware of your child’s preferred learning styles, you can adapt your teaching strategies to keep them interested and attentive. When explaining topics to visual learners, use charts, diagrams, and movies. Talking about subjects aloud or listening to instructional podcasts could be helpful for auditory learners. To maintain focus, kinaesthetic learners could benefit from practical exercises like making models or doing experiments. 

9. Set Clear Expectations and Goals

It can be beneficial to set specific goals and expectations for each homeschooling session so that your child knows what is expected of them and why maintaining concentration is crucial. Talk over the goals and what you aim to achieve at the start of every day or week. When your child completes a session with focus or fulfills their goals, give them positive encouragement. This could be a modest incentive, a sticker chart, or vocal appreciation. Rewarding your child consistently helps them stay focused and finish their duties.

Final Thoughts

We hope you’ve enjoyed our post about helpful tips for homeschooling and how to get your child to focus. By applying these guidelines, homeschooling can be a successful endeavor.