Homeschooling Your Spirited Child

Summary:  Do you have a strong willed child?  Sharing how we homeschooled our daughter, following her interests.  Hope for moms who are in the trenches of raising their own.   #homeschooling #twiceexceptional 

This week my husband and I got to go watch our daughter do her Capstone speech in college. 

We had no idea how things would turn out when she was young:

SO strong willed and FULL of tons of energy!  

Always knowing everything, before she got a chance to learn it, of course.

But now, our challenging daughter who had also been a bit shy, was rocking it in her leadership program in college!  

My daughter presenting her capstone project to students and her professors.

She was in front of a large crowd, speaking with confidence.  

How did this happen?  

I had no idea that my 2e daughter would want to do that, when she was young.....

Today, I'd like to share, and look back, on how my very string willed daughter learned to channel those traits, starting with her early explorations, when she was little.

And following her interests was key to that.

Through the years, my husband and I worked to support her interests, in whatever way that we could, following her lead as far as her learning and activities.  

While learning how to nurture and guide our intense, strong willed daughter.  We found that homeschooling was the way to go for her.

Homeschooling allowed us to go at her pace, re socializing, learning, when she needed more challenge, etc, so that she could take things at her own pace.  

We could meet her needs for quiet times in ways that public school just couldn't.

And we could take wild active breaks, with gymnastics done across the living room floor most every day!  

At the same time, she could step her toe in, re social/group interactions and take her time as needed, re her shyness and her anxiety issues, too.  That was our goal.

And we didn’t know that we were growing a leader, even…that was a nice surprise…

Well, it all really started with lots of cardboard and tape.

A NOTE - My daughter just started what will soon become her summer job (as a campaign manager for a local city councilperson, who is running for re-election.

Sharing to give you all moms with strong willed kids HOPE!

Learning at home gave my daughter a supportive anchor, that allowed her to step out and explore the world, one day at a time. 

And then, returning home for quiet time with family, and for my daughter that always included our pets.

What are your children exploring these days?  It is such a pleasure to hear from you.  If you like this post, you will also probably like my pinterest board on high school.

Do you have a teen in your house?

For those of you who are considering homeschooling your teen or already doing that, you may be feeling overwhelmed with the idea of dealing with high school.  

Transcripts, GPA, assigning high school credit, etc, it can feel daunting.  And that is why many families are leery of taking on high school at home.

I want to encourage families to homeschool their teens, and get the benefits that we got doing that, for my daughter and for our family.

My guide includes over 100 high school electives and activities for your teen to browse and maybe explore.

It also has guidance for helping your teen get into college.

But this book is not just for those who are aiming towards college. 

ON AMAZON---------For more info: please click here My Book 

My friend, Vicki from 7 Sisters Homeschool has lots of helps and tips for Homeschooling Your Strong Willed Teen.

Thanks for stopping by BJ's Homeschool,

Betsy

Betsy is mom to her now college grad, whom she homeschooled through high school.  She blogs at BJ's Homeschool, about the early years, highschool, 
college, gifted/2e and wrote -Homeschooling High School with College in Mind, 2nd Edition,   She offers homeschool help through messages at BJ's Consulting,  and has had some of her articles picked up by the Huffington Post.

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Copyright @ BJ's Homeschool 2022
All Rights Reserved

Homeschool High School Writing Resources - Creative Writing -

Summary:  Creative writing is a great way to get your teens to improve on their essay writing.  Plus it teaches literary analysis, through story telling. Resources for high school creative writing. This post may included affiliate links to products that we love and have used or would use in our  own homeschool. Please see my disclosure policy.

Outside it's windy here, and a little rainy....Fall is here, with a feeling that the beginnings of winter are coming soon.  At this time of year, my daughter and I often wanted a little break, to try something new, something a little different from our usual homeschool routine.

There is something about November and having just gotten through all the busyness of early fall, with new curricula for the year, new activities, etc, that led us to want a break from our homeschool routine.

Why Take a Homeschool Creative Writing Break

My daughter, not being the crafty type, did not want to do seasonal crafts and activities, so we looked for something else.

So for us, our break became a creative writing break.  When my daughter was in 8th grade, we discovered the National Novel Writing Month. Has your family ever joined in the fun of that, in November? 

What is the National Novel Writing Month - NaNovWriMo?

It's a guilt-free way of taking a break from your homeschool routine in November!

My young teen had an interest in story writing, and had written a few short stories during her middle school years.  So when I asked her if she wanted to do more of that, we found the NaNoWriMo site, and decided to join in for our first year.

We dropped our other homeschool courses, and just did creative writing for the month!..

How We Did Our Creative Writing Break

Sometimes my teen went to our local coffee shop, and wrote there. Other times, she gathered our favorite blankets, and wrote on the couch. 

My daughter wrote a 2-4 short stories each year.  One time it was a science fiction story.  Another year, it was an adventure story/novella about a road trip and favorite pets.  We made time for editing/revisions only after her drafts were done.  Less is more!

But one doesn't have to have the goal of writing a novel...How about a short story, or trying poetry? Or writing about a favorite hobby? 

My daughter loved it!  So we made it a tradition, and did NaNoWriMo for two more years...ah, November.....cozy and warm, at home, with pen in hand.   Here's one of our favorite resources for that, from NaNovWriMo and more options for doing it as well.

Resources for a Creative Writing Break

1.  "No Plot, No Problem" Book 

To get started, my daughter and I ordered No Plot? No Problem! "It is a low-stress, guide to writing a novel in 30 days, and it helped a lot to encourage my creative writer.  This book coorelates to the NaNovWriMo program.

"This book is full of helpful ways to get past the fear of putting words on the page, and "leaving your Inner Editor behind.  While doing NaNoWriMo, we did not stop to rewrite, edit, or critique my daughter's work."  

Click here for the rest of my review of this book.

2.  Resources on The NaNoWriMo site

The NaNoWriMo site includes LOTS of info for writers of all ages. To join in the fun, you can register for their Young Writer's Program here.  They offer resources for young writers' here, which includes workbooks.  To join in with other writers, there is also an online community here, made up of young writers, who are all trying to get some words on the page.  It includes games and encouragement.  And another great resource is How to Write a Novel in a Month.

NaNovWriMo gives the student guidance and some instruction, but it is a loosely structured program, perfect for my teen who already had written some short stories.  

For students who would like a more structured program, the One Year Adventure Novel program might be a better fit. 

3.  The One Year Adventure Novel 

This course gives your teen much more structure.  BUT it could still be used as a way to take a break from the routine.  

This course follows a step by step program, teaching your teen all about story writing, using video instruction.  They also offer a community online, and extensive support resources.  

More information on it is here, or click here  to read the rest of my review of this course.

It could be done, just like the NaNovWriMo, by dropping the regular homeschool routine.  Or the course can be spread out and done as one of your teen’s regular homeschool courses.

Whatever way you go, we found many benefits from taking a creative writing break each year.


Benefits of Taking a Creative Writing Break

Here's 5 ways that a creative writing break can benefit your teens:

1.  Creative writing is fun, and it is a great way to learn how to express oneself in writing.  

That is so important to later essay writing endevours.  Doing NaNovWriMo was a more relaxed way for my daughter to find her own voice. 

2.  Writing a story is a great way to learn the components of good literature! 

Putting together a fiction story teaches your teen all about character development, setting, plot, etc.  My teen learned the parts of a story, in a hands-on way, by writing one.   

3.  Story writing builds critical thinking skills, important for high schoolers, especially if they are college bound.

4.  Creative writing builds up the confidence needed for essay writing.

It can be made into a homemade course in writing.  Keeping track of the hours spent in writing, you can give your student a creative writing credit.  We did that, and it was accepted as a high school credit by all of our colleges.

5.  Taking a break brought all of us many benefits as well.  

We slowed down, built in more nature study (on the less rainy days), and when we got back to our routine, we were ready for it.  And we could face winter with a feeling of renewal.

Do you feel a need to take a bit of a break from your fall homeschool routine?  Do you have a budding writer in your midst?  Or one that hates essay writing, and wants to try a different approach?  

Do you have a college bound teen in your house?

Have you seen my book on college for homeschooled teens yet?  
My teen got into each of the colleges on her list, with scholarhship offers.  And it was not hard to get her into college.

I wrote a book to share how we helped our daughter get there in 10 easy steps. 

Homeschooling High School with College in Mind, 2nd Edition gives you everything that you need to help you plan your high school homeschool for your college bound teen.  Plus get them into the college of their choice. 

Amazon for only $11.99

For more information, click here - Frugal College Prep for Homeschoolers or to buy it here - my book on Amazon for only $11.99.  

Thanks for stopping by BJ's Homeschool,

Betsy

Betsy is mom to her now college grad, whom she homeschooled through high school.  She blogs at BJ's Homeschool, about the early years, highschool, 
college, gifted/2e and wrote -Homeschooling High School with College in Mind, 2nd Edition,   She offers homeschool help through messages at BJ's Consulting,  and has had some of her articles picked up by the Huffington Post.

Want to stay in touch?

Subscribe, Pinterest, Facebook 

No spam ever.  
Just encouragement for your homeschool 
in your inbox.

Copyright 2020
Updated 2019 All Rights Reserved

Spelling in Our Homeschool -

This article has moved here.

Teaching Homeschool Spelling and Help for Struggling Spellers

Thanks for stopping by BJ's Homeschool,

Betsy

Betsy is retired O.T, homeschool blogger, and most importantly is mom to her 2e college grad, whom she homeschooled through high school.  She blogs at BJ's Homeschool, about the early years, high school, college and 2e.  

Want to stay in touch?

Subscribe, Pinterest,  Facebook 



Copyright @ BJ's Homeschool 2023
All rights reserved.

Homeschool High School - YOUR Way

Summary: How to do high school your own way, even when applying to college. About pubic school graduation requirements and more.  Note - This post may included affiliate links to products that we love and have used or would use in our  own homeschool. Please see my disclosure policy.

As many of you know, we are a homeschooling family.  We began that early on, during preschool, and it worked well for our  daughter that we continued on for many years.  

Then we hit middle school.

4 FUN Ways to Help your Young Handwriter

Summary:  How to encourage your child's handwriting skills through a playful approach, based on my Occupational Therapy experience.  This article includes tips for fine motor play, strengthening, developing mature grasp patterns for handwriting and more.  #homeschool #handwriting

Do you have a child who is just starting to learn to write?  

Or do you have a child who is struggling with handwriting?  Do they hold their pencil in an awkward manner, hold it very tightly, or just hate to write?

Today, I'd like to share 4 different types of activities that may help your struggling handwriters.  And most of these ideas do not involve handwriting at all!   They include helpful activities to build good:

1.  -- Fine motor skills
2.  -- Mature grasp patterns
3.  -- Postural control and shoulder strength
4.  -- Visual perceptual skills

If your child is struggling with handwriting, they are likely to have problems in one or more of each of these areas listed above.

And they can improve their handwriting by working and playing with the activities discussed below.

Each activity is fun and play based. They come from my work as an OT, and also from my time homeschooling. 

I hope they will be a help to you as you encourage and guide your young handwriter.  

First, let's look at fine motor skills.

1.  Fine Motor Activities

The first thing that we usually look at when there is a handwriting problem is small muscle coordination.  Does your child lack hand strength or small muscle coordination?  

  

If so, the post below includes a number of clever and easy to do games for developing fine motor skills. 

Small Muscles Games 

Click here for lots more ideas for fine motor coordination--Small Muscles Games. 

Then, if your child needs to strengthen their hand and finger muscles, Oak Meadow has a number of ideas for doing that with clay, below.  These may appeal to the older child as well.

For hand strengthening click Developing Hand Strength with Clay Activities. 

Next, let's talk about how your child holds her pencil, or grasp patterns.

2.  Grasp Patterns

Does your child have a very awkward grasp of their pencil?  Do they hold it with their whole hand?  Or do they have a tight grip on their pencil?

The post below explains what a mature grasp pattern is, and shows many ways to encourage that, through playful games.  

These fun activities are all designed to encourage a fine pincer grasp.  And when your child uses that kind of grasp, writing will become so much easier.  Click the link below for much more on grasp activities.

9 Ways to a Mature Grasp - Games and Fun!

There are many variations on the theme, re mature grasp patterns, so if your child develops one that is not quite the same as the photos show, that is ok.  

The idea is to find a grip that decrease the effort and pressure when writing.

Some kids do better using a grasp aid or device.  Here are a number of them, offered by Draw Your World.  If you see one that you would like to try, I recommend googling it.  There are many devices on the market now.

For more on Aids/Devices for Grasp just click this link.

Another thing to think about is your child's posture when writing.  

3.  Postural Control and Shoulder Strength

When our kids struggle with handwriting, we usually think about doing small muscle activities, but sometimes that is really not the problem.

When we write we need good postural control, which refers to strength in the core muscles of the trunk.  And the shoulder muscles are also important to handwriting.  How can we help our kids develop these foundational skills when they don't have them?

Play Pack Gross Motor Cards have some easy to do activities that can help.  More info on this here.

Click here for those activity ideas that can help build postural control and more in your kiddos.

And lastly, here's some ways to help kids who struggle with visual perception, also key to handwriting success.

4.  Visual Perceptual Skills 

Visual perception is not fully developed until age 9.  That can make learning to write and staying within the lines.. SO hard for kids.  

If you child's writing is all over the page, writing guides discussed below may really help.  

Click the title below to learn about these simple-to-make writing guides: 

Helping Struggling Handwriters 

So we have discussed four different things that may help your struggling hand writer, including:

- developing small muscle coordination and strength
- encouraging a mature grasp pattern
- developing core strength and shoulder strength
- compensating for visual perception issues

I recommend scrolling through whichever topic or activity speaks to you,  and start with one of two activities at a time.  

What have you found to be helpful for your struggling handwriters?  I so love to read your comments.  It makes my day!  

Thanks for stopping by BJ's Homeschool,

Betsy

Betsy is mom to her college grad, whom she homeschooled from preK through high school.  She blogs at BJ's Homeschool, about the early years, high school & college and wrote - Homeschooling High School with College in Mind.   She offers free homeschool help through messages at BJ's Consulting. 

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All Rights Reserved