As an Occupational Therapist consulting with homeschool families, one of the top questions asked is, “Do I force my child to write?” The answer depends on the child and is not as simple as a yes or no. Here are the top three considerations when helping families to make the decision to use assistive technology….
On many Facebook groups I hear opinions of “why write when typing is faster?” or “Speaking to type makes writing and even typing obsolete”. Though typing and even dictation are accommodations sometimes necessary for children that have extreme difficulty with writing, in general, Handwriting is a very important skill it… Before a child begins to…
Over the past decade, years, even months, research continues to come out about the impact of movement on focus and attention. Finland seems to be at the forefront of this as a demonstration model. Their school system has implemented a 15 minute break every hour since the 1960’s. As homeschoolers, we can easily implement this…
Sometimes, my background in developmental theory as an occupational therapist stresses my other role as the homeschool mom. I know the developmental “ages and stages” but also want to let my children slowly develop their skills at their pace. This pulls together both a little unschool and Charlotte Mason theory yet often contrasts the checklists…
Most home school families have heard the question, “How will you socialize your child?” or “How is your child socialized?” After being a homeschool family for years, I can say socialization is not a concern for my family at all. However, when we were first considering switching from public school to home school education, we…
In his book Grasp: The Science Transforming the Way We Learn, Sanjay Sarma writes about the science of learning; he writes about spacing of learning. Revisiting, or repetition of, material frequently with low stakes and applying knowledge within context affects development even at the cellular level. It’s fascinating, but knowing the science isn’t all we focus…
Motor planning is the ability to conceive, plan, and carryout a new motor act. My favorite example is curling your hair with a new curling iron using a mirror. When first looking, its somewhat disorienting. You have to consciously think about which way to move the arm, practice, and then can typically create a beautiful…
Chores as an educational opportunity I think every mom feels “mom guilt” at some point. When we started homeschooling, I felt the pressure more than ever before. I was responsible for training not only good humans but also educated good humans. I thought any negative behaviors or lack of knowledge in my children reflected a…
If you are anything like me, current events can be hard—hard to watch, hard to hear, and hard to decipher. In the past, I’ve lightly researched the psychological impacts of staying up to date. A simple Google search comes up with seven scholarly articles and many blogs, as well as media articles. Is Watching Current…
“Help! My child won’t sit!” When this exclamation is posed to me as a homeschool mom and occupational therapist, my first response is, “when do you need them to sit?” Research shows movement during learning not only influences physical health but also literacy, children’s emotional well-being, and it enhances motor performance (Franksman, 2018). As a result, I often…