HELP! Homeschooling a toddler with "ADHD"

[BNH345521]

Hello!

I've posted about ADHD in my toddler before but didn't get much feedback... he has not directly been diagnosed with ADHD, but we all know the signs when we see them. Anywho, he is almost 5 and we have decided to homeschool him, for multiple reasons. I found a curriculum for him that is nature based, which means he learns for 1-2 hours a day and then the rest is "extra" activities or playing. What I need help with is, he is very antsy. He cannot focus for those 1-2 hours because he says he is "bored." What can I do to calm him down, focus on what we are learning and just listen. For example, we are trying to teach him the days of the week, what day it is, and the month. We will tell him and have him repeat it multiple times, but then when I ask him the same question 10 minutes later he always says I don't remember. Not sure if this is just him not wanting to or if he just really isn't focused on a task and truly doesn't remember. We also read books in school and I ask him to tell me what we just read and he will say he doesn't remember as well. I NEED HELP ON HOW TO KEEP HIM FOCUSED AND TO CALM HIM DOWN IN GENERAL, due to this ADHD problem! TIA!

 

[chrstn4o]

Hello!

I've posted about ADHD in my toddler before but didn't get much feedback... he has not directly been diagnosed with ADHD, but we all know the signs when we see them. Anywho, he is almost 5 and we have decided to homeschool him, for multiple reasons. I found a curriculum for him that is nature based, which means he learns for 1-2 hours a day and then the rest is "extra" activities or playing. What I need help with is, he is very antsy. He cannot focus for those 1-2 hours because he says he is "bored." What can I do to calm him down, focus on what we are learning and just listen. For example, we are trying to teach him the days of the week, what day it is, and the month. We will tell him and have him repeat it multiple times, but then when I ask him the same question 10 minutes later he always says I don't remember. Not sure if this is just him not wanting to or if he just really isn't focused on a task and truly doesn't remember. We also read books in school and I ask him to tell me what we just read and he will say he doesn't remember as well. I NEED HELP ON HOW TO KEEP HIM FOCUSED AND TO CALM HIM DOWN IN GENERAL, due to this ADHD problem! TIA!

In my experience and research kids with autism and ADHD almost always have a zinc/copper imbalance. High copper and low zinc, hair test usually reveals it and often a blood test corroborates when we do test that. Ca/Mg and zinc are sedative minerals and can also help with sleep. Theanine also can help. As can glycine and taurine, and they are all easy to mix into drinks and such. But getting the zinc/copper ratio balanced is where the magic often lies.

 

[mostlylurking]

Hello!

I've posted about ADHD in my toddler before but didn't get much feedback... he has not directly been diagnosed with ADHD, but we all know the signs when we see them. Anywho, he is almost 5 and we have decided to homeschool him, for multiple reasons. I found a curriculum for him that is nature based, which means he learns for 1-2 hours a day and then the rest is "extra" activities or playing. What I need help with is, he is very antsy. He cannot focus for those 1-2 hours because he says he is "bored." What can I do to calm him down, focus on what we are learning and just listen. For example, we are trying to teach him the days of the week, what day it is, and the month. We will tell him and have him repeat it multiple times, but then when I ask him the same question 10 minutes later he always says I don't remember. Not sure if this is just him not wanting to or if he just really isn't focused on a task and truly doesn't remember. We also read books in school and I ask him to tell me what we just read and he will say he doesn't remember as well. I NEED HELP ON HOW TO KEEP HIM FOCUSED AND TO CALM HIM DOWN IN GENERAL, due to this ADHD problem! TIA!

Little boys of elementary school age are loaded with kinetic energy. Before Ritalin, wise teachers would put them in the back of the class where they could stand up and move around during class. No drugs required!

Asking a 5 year old boy to sit down and stay focused on what you have selected is really asking a lot. Maybe you'd have more luck if you let him pick the topic.

If you can find something that he is interested in (I'm guessing something about how something works) that involves large muscles (disassemble/reassemble the tricycle maybe) I'll bet you might find that his attention span massively improves.

Does he watch Sesame Street? (Is Sesame Street still available on TeeVee?) They teach the days of the week and the months and counting and the alphabet.

All that said, I've got a question or two: is he vaccinated? Is it possible that he might have been exposed to heavy metals (lead, mercury)? Have you cleaned up his diet and removed all food dyes and soft drinks (high fructose corn syrup) and sugar? I know the sugar removal idea is debatable on this forum, but it sure helped with my daughter at that age; if she ate sugar her energy level was so high she bounced off the ceiling.

Here's an article about ADHD:

ADHD, Sugar, and Thiamine - Hormones Matter

These children were showered with “goodies” that gave them an enormous increase in empty calories, most of which were sugar containing.

www.hormonesmatter.com

 

[mostlylurking]

Hello!

I've posted about ADHD in my toddler before but didn't get much feedback... he has not directly been diagnosed with ADHD, but we all know the signs when we see them. Anywho, he is almost 5 and we have decided to homeschool him, for multiple reasons. I found a curriculum for him that is nature based, which means he learns for 1-2 hours a day and then the rest is "extra" activities or playing. What I need help with is, he is very antsy. He cannot focus for those 1-2 hours because he says he is "bored." What can I do to calm him down, focus on what we are learning and just listen. For example, we are trying to teach him the days of the week, what day it is, and the month. We will tell him and have him repeat it multiple times, but then when I ask him the same question 10 minutes later he always says I don't remember. Not sure if this is just him not wanting to or if he just really isn't focused on a task and truly doesn't remember. We also read books in school and I ask him to tell me what we just read and he will say he doesn't remember as well. I NEED HELP ON HOW TO KEEP HIM FOCUSED AND TO CALM HIM DOWN IN GENERAL, due to this ADHD problem! TIA!

Here's an article for your consideration:

Mercury exposure, nutritional deficiencies and metabolic disruptions may affect learning in children - Behavioral and Brain Functions

Among dietary factors, learning and behavior are influenced not only by nutrients, but also by exposure to toxic food contaminants such as mercury that can disrupt metabolic processes and alter neuronal plasticity. Neurons lacking in plasticity are a factor in neurodevelopmental disorders such...

behavioralandbrainfunctions.biomedcentral.com

 

[BNH345521]

In my experience and research kids with autism and ADHD almost always have a zinc/copper imbalance. High copper and low zinc, hair test usually reveals it and often a blood test corroborates when we do test that. Ca/Mg and zinc are sedative minerals and can also help with sleep. Theanine also can help. As can glycine and taurine, and they are all easy to mix into drinks and such. But getting the zinc/copper ratio balanced is where the magic often lies.

Thank you so much. We don't have trouble with the sleeping part as he sleeps like a rock! haha but I appreciate the input, I will look into the zinc/copper ratio

 

[BNH345521]

Little boys of elementary school age are loaded with kinetic energy. Before Ritalin, wise teachers would put them in the back of the class where they could stand up and move around during class. No drugs required!

Asking a 5 year old boy to sit down and stay focused on what you have selected is really asking a lot. Maybe you'd have more luck if you let him pick the topic.

If you can find something that he is interested in (I'm guessing something about how something works) that involves large muscles (disassemble/reassemble the tricycle maybe) I'll bet you might find that his attention span massively improves.

Does he watch Sesame Street? (Is Sesame Street still available on TeeVee?) They teach the days of the week and the months and counting and the alphabet.

All that said, I've got a question or two: is he vaccinated? Is it possible that he might have been exposed to heavy metals (lead, mercury)? Have you cleaned up his diet and removed all food dyes and soft drinks (high fructose corn syrup) and sugar? I know the sugar removal idea is debatable on this forum, but it sure helped with my daughter at that age; if she ate sugar her energy level was so high she bounced off the ceiling.

Here's an article about ADHD:

ADHD, Sugar, and Thiamine - Hormones Matter

These children were showered with “goodies” that gave them an enormous increase in empty calories, most of which were sugar containing.

www.hormonesmatter.com

He does not watch sesame street, but he does have a tablet with educational shows on it like Blippi etc. He is not vaccinated. We chose not to get him any shots even before he was born. We also did clean up his diet as we are a gluten free family and try to eat as clean as possible. My fiancé is really heavy into the Ray Peat diet which is how I came across all of this years ago! It's hard to ask grandparents to follow our blessings as best as we can due to wanting to spoil him, but they try as best as they can (which is rare when he gets stuff out of his "diet") As far as his schooling goes, he learns his basics of language arts, he learns about nature, and science which is about the solar system and planets, as well as art projects too. So he has a lot of hands on stuff with being only an hour or two of "work related stuff" for school

 

[mostlylurking]

He does not watch sesame street, but he does have a tablet with educational shows on it like Blippi etc.

If he was my kid, I'd get him off that tablet at once. It changes the way the brain develops. I'll see if I can find some info about it for you.

Health effects of electromagnetic fields on children - PubMed

In today's world, most children are exposed to various manmade electromagnetic fields (EMFs). EMFs are electromagnetic waves less than 300 GHz. A developing child's brain is vulnerable to electromagnetic radiation; thus, their caregivers' concerns about the health effects of EMFs are increasing...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfMZlA5liK4

 

[mostlylurking]

He does not watch sesame street, but he does have a tablet with educational shows on it like Blippi etc. He is not vaccinated. We chose not to get him any shots even before he was born. We also did clean up his diet as we are a gluten free family and try to eat as clean as possible. My fiancé is really heavy into the Ray Peat diet which is how I came across all of this years ago! It's hard to ask grandparents to follow our blessings as best as we can due to wanting to spoil him, but they try as best as they can (which is rare when he gets stuff out of his "diet") As far as his schooling goes, he learns his basics of language arts, he learns about nature, and science which is about the solar system and planets, as well as art projects too. So he has a lot of hands on stuff with being only an hour or two of "work related stuff" for school

Silicon Valley Billionaires Say No To Screen Time For Kids | Daddy's Digest

In a great twist of irony, the trend of keeping children tech-free is sweeping across the homes of Silicon Valley billionaires, the very ones responsible for much of this technology.

daddysdigest.com

 

[Mathgirl]

He may not be ready for formal education. I would explore Charlotte Mason and Montessori. One of my favorite quick reads is called -For The Children's Sake
I homeschooled 2 sons who then went on to college, independence, careers and families in their 20's. They were each very different but they both launched well. Find their interests-take your son to the adult section of the library and find non-fiction books on topics he likes. If it's car, get huge "picture" books of cars. Read the captions below the pictures. I also read aloud fictional history books, until their teens years, while they ate meals. Or at bedtime if you have the patience. As they became readers, I would purposely stop reading at the "good" parts of the book to encourage them to read more. I used the book list from Sonlight curriculum. Many of these books are available at the library.

 

[LucyL]

Hello!

I've posted about ADHD in my toddler before but didn't get much feedback... he has not directly been diagnosed with ADHD, but we all know the signs when we see them. Anywho, he is almost 5 and we have decided to homeschool him, for multiple reasons. I found a curriculum for him that is nature based, which means he learns for 1-2 hours a day and then the rest is "extra" activities or playing. What I need help with is, he is very antsy. He cannot focus for those 1-2 hours because he says he is "bored." What can I do to calm him down, focus on what we are learning and just listen. For example, we are trying to teach him the days of the week, what day it is, and the month. We will tell him and have him repeat it multiple times, but then when I ask him the same question 10 minutes later he always says I don't remember. Not sure if this is just him not wanting to or if he just really isn't focused on a task and truly doesn't remember. We also read books in school and I ask him to tell me what we just read and he will say he doesn't remember as well. I NEED HELP ON HOW TO KEEP HIM FOCUSED AND TO CALM HIM DOWN IN GENERAL, due to this ADHD problem! TIA!

It sounds like your schooling approach is based on rote memory - typical for a school setting, but maybe very ambitious for a little kid (4 is very young for any type of formal schooling!) and especially one who seems to show focus issues.

First question is, are there things he does focus on? Any toy or activity that can captivate his focus for an extended period of time (1/2 - 1 hour say)? It is hard to draw conclusions from a brief description on a forum, but I have 4 kids, all homeschooled at some time or another ;-)

I would say don't ask for rote regurgitation. That's only proof that he effectively committed something to memory, and his brain may not be ready for that yet. At this age, make most of the focus engaging him in working with you at whatever you are doing. For example, getting an 'educational' wall calendar, (Here's just an example Amazon product ASIN B093PZ1CM9View: https://www.amazon.com/WATINC-Calendar-Felt-Board-Bulletin-Preschool/dp/B093PZ1CM9/ref=sr_1_3?crid=25UNJFDTQQ0KU&keywords=preschool+educational+wall+calendar&qid=1694452181&sprefix=educational+calendar+for+p%2Caps%2C306&sr=8-3
) and make a daily practice of having him help you set it for the day. Engagement, repetition and application. And instead of telling him to recite the days of the week, you find that you will say "yesterday was Monday, so today is ..." and he'll tell you.

That's what he needs right now. Learning by doing - WITH you. Forget standardized study. Use the curriculum books only if you find them helpful, and enjoyable for him.

Here are some more resources:

Early education Harmful: Don't Push Little Ones To Learn

Early education Harmful: Early instruction is damaging to toddlers and preschoolers.

www.thehomeschoolmom.com

"Home Education" by Charlotte Mason - Specifically the education of Children under 9 years of age. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/71087/pg71087-images.html

 

[chrstn4o]

Thank you so much. We don't have trouble with the sleeping part as he sleeps like a rock! haha but I appreciate the input, I will look into the zinc/copper ratio

I can send you a PDF of my book if you DM me, has info about it and the right tests to run for these, serum/plasma etc

 

[mostlylurking]

He may not be ready for formal education. I would explore Charlotte Mason and Montessori. One of my favorite quick reads is called -For The Children's Sake
I homeschooled 2 sons who then went on to college, independence, careers and families in their 20's. They were each very different but they both launched well. Find their interests-take your son to the adult section of the library and find non-fiction books on topics he likes. If it's car, get huge "picture" books of cars. Read the captions below the pictures. I also read aloud fictional history books, until their teens years, while they ate meals. Or at bedtime if you have the patience. As they became readers, I would purposely stop reading at the "good" parts of the book to encourage them to read more. I used the book list from Sonlight curriculum. Many of these books are available at the library.

 

[Bozidar]

Hello!

I've posted about ADHD in my toddler before but didn't get much feedback... he has not directly been diagnosed with ADHD, but we all know the signs when we see them. Anywho, he is almost 5 and we have decided to homeschool him, for multiple reasons. I found a curriculum for him that is nature based, which means he learns for 1-2 hours a day and then the rest is "extra" activities or playing. What I need help with is, he is very antsy. He cannot focus for those 1-2 hours because he says he is "bored." What can I do to calm him down, focus on what we are learning and just listen. For example, we are trying to teach him the days of the week, what day it is, and the month. We will tell him and have him repeat it multiple times, but then when I ask him the same question 10 minutes later he always says I don't remember. Not sure if this is just him not wanting to or if he just really isn't focused on a task and truly doesn't remember. We also read books in school and I ask him to tell me what we just read and he will say he doesn't remember as well. I NEED HELP ON HOW TO KEEP HIM FOCUSED AND TO CALM HIM DOWN IN GENERAL, due to this ADHD problem! TIA!

People, what is the matter with you? There is no such thing as ADAD.
Its a made up term to justify forcing someone to do something he is not interested in to.
He is 5 years old. Does he really need to know which day of the week is?
It is not relevant for him at all. That's why he is not interested. He could care less. He is not going to work, not having an appointment or anything else. He is 5. He could care less.

Ask him how many cars is he playing with, which color are they and such things.
Stop abusing your child.
What an insanity...

 

[mostlylurking]

People, what is the matter with you? There is no such thing as ADAD.
Its a made up term to justify forcing someone to do something he is not interested in to.
He is 5 years old. Does he really need to know which day of the week is?
It is not relevant for him at all. That's why he is not interested. He could care less. He is not going to work, not having an appointment or anything else. He is 5. He could care less.

Ask him how many cars is he playing with, which color are they and such things.
Stop abusing your child.
What an insanity...

 

[chrstn4o]

People, what is the matter with you? There is no such thing as ADAD.
Its a made up term to justify forcing someone to do something he is not interested in to.
He is 5 years old. Does he really need to know which day of the week is?
It is not relevant for him at all. That's why he is not interested. He could care less. He is not going to work, not having an appointment or anything else. He is 5. He could care less.

Ask him how many cars is he playing with, which color are they and such things.
Stop abusing your child.
What an insanity...

I agree with you but anxiety and an inability to focus (when they would like to) in kids is a thing. I've seen in many families I've spoken to and worked with. In many cases it is diet and environment related and some nutritional strategies really do help. If you look at William Walsh's work on this, it is very interesting. High copper, low zinc and elevated lead and Cadmium are common in behavioural conditons and even in violent criminals.

 

[mostlylurking]

I agree with you but anxiety and an inability to focus (when they would like to) in kids is a thing. I've seen in many families I've spoken to and worked with. In many cases it is diet and environment related and some nutritional strategies really do help. If you look at William Walsh's work on this, it is very interesting. High copper, low zinc and elevated lead and Cadmium are common in behavioural conditons and even in violent criminals.

Elevated lead causes thiamine deficiency. Thiamine deficiency causes anxiety and inability to focus. Thiamine chelates lead. I am a broken record, I know.

 

[chrstn4o]

Elevated lead causes thiamine deficiency. Thiamine deficiency causes anxiety and inability to focus. Thiamine chelates lead. I am a broken record, I know.

Ahahaha I like you mostly :) you sure you don't work for Thiamin inc.?

 

[Bozidar]

I agree with you but anxiety and an inability to focus (when they would like to) in kids is a thing. I've seen in many families I've spoken to and worked with. In many cases it is diet and environment related and some nutritional strategies really do help. If you look at William Walsh's work on this, it is very interesting. High copper, low zinc and elevated lead and Cadmium are common in behavioural conditons and even in violent criminals.

Dude!
That is a completely separate thing.
We are not talking about that here.
Change their diet and environment and they will be able to "focus on what they want".
This thread is not about that. This thread is about children not being able to focus on things they "are not interested in" and are not even able to conceptualize since they are not developed enough.
Do not group those two things together, they are not the same as pointed out in parentheses just above.

 

[mostlylurking]

Ahahaha I like you mostly :) you sure you don't work for Thiamin inc.?

No, but I really do believe in the stuff and wish I had learned about it 50 years ago.

 

[chrstn4o]

Dude!
That is a completely separate thing.
We are not talking about that here.
Change their diet and environment and they will be able to "focus on what they want".
This thread is not about that. This thread is about children not being able to focus on things they "are not interested in" and are not even able to conceptualize since they are not developed enough.
Do not group those two things together, they are not the same as pointed out in parentheses just above.

In my defense I was walking outside when reading and replying to posts so I see now I didn't fully absorb what I read! Yeah kids wanna do what they wanna do, I would let them lead the homeschooling process mostly