We started homeschooling 4 months ago. He was enthusiastic about it at first, but now he's fighting me every step of the way. We are working (a lighter load) through the summer to catch him up. We take lots of breaks and make sure we have playdates and fun stuff planned each week. I want this to be a good experience for him and I don't want him to feel like he's losing out on his summer vacation. His attitude is starting to spill over into every day events. He doesn't want to do a lot of the fun stuff he usually does (normal little kid stuff). What can I do to get him back into being a kid and still get our school work done?Sorry, I didn't mention that I wasn't asking if I should be homeschooling or not. And as far as it being "unfair" to make him do school work during the summer, It would be more unfair for me to let him go the whole summer and be behind for 2nd grade. I took him out of public school because they were failing him. He has improved more in the short time we've been doing it than the whole school year he wasted in public school. Once he's caught up to where he should be, i'll send him back if that's where he'd rather be. For now, I'm doing what I need to do for my son not to fall between the cracks. Thanks anyway!

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kinda ironic your spelling and punctuation is so well for so young, unless your some sick ****

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It depends on what subjects he is having trouble with (or bored by). A lot of the time kids who get bored easily need to be challenged with something that makes them have to really think about it. Use something he likes and incorporate it into his lessons. Kids are much more susceptible to learning when they are enjoying themselves! You may get farther trying it that way as opposed to a "lesson plan".

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why did you take him out of school?i work in a club with little kids, and the only ones who don't know how to read yet are the ones who are home schooled.i also live next to home schooled boys, the oldest is suppose to be in 10th grade and he still has ninja fights with the other kids on the street, he's just very immature.put your kid BACK in SCHOOL

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Well unfortunately he kind of is missing out on summer vacation. School work during the summer isn't fair no other kids have it. Maybe you should consider following school schedules(start the same time regular school starts, and end the same time too, follow the vacations the public school follows too.)Check the public schools website.I'm 13 and my little brother is 8 and he hates working and he isn't interested... hands on is the way to go for young kids. try buying some science kits and socials studies tapes that are fun to watch. I did this for fun a couple of times and bought this butterfly kit thing where you get the larva in the mail and watch them grow into beautiful butterflys in the box you get in the kit. It's a wonderful experience to let them go in your backyard when they're all grown and watch them fly away into the sky.(By the way I'm sorry but kell and deck is right homeshooling can be bad for socializing and keeping up with the cirriculum. Exercise, art and music can't be taken at home and the child misses a out on an amazing experience. To name one your first bad grade breaking it to you mom is hard but when you finally do it you feel better and you've learned a leason it's hard to do that when your mom grades your tests. And studing all night for the big exam with your friends allnight is kindof hard when your not in school with them. Maybe you should reconsider this distion)GOOD LUCK!!! : )

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maybe i am partial because i am an educator, but i say put him back in a formal school setting! i do not know ur situation, but i am a mom of an 8yr old too. there is no way i would be able to get homeschooling to work with him. have you ever considered that he may be gifted? the brighter a child is, the harder to hold there attention. did you know that you can only excpect to hold a child's attention for 1 minute per yr of age? that means that a normal, well-adjusted child at 7yrs old would only have the attention span of 7 minutes for seatwork/concentration. teachers are trained to know when to transition and plan activities w/appropriate time limits. you are going to lose him completely especially during the summer! it is almost cruel to make him work during this time of yr. i say cut your losses, let him have a break, and enroll him in school for the Fall. he is showing classic rebellious behavior. he will be a kid when he is treated like one. all his friends are on vacation! put him in school! he will be behind a little (home schooled kids ALWAYS are), but he will catch up quickly. sounds like he is very smart. so, ask that he be tested for gifted as soon as he is eligible (around 8yrs old or 2nd grade). he will probably blossom before ur eyes! plus think of how important social skills are. he needs to learn how to get along w/other people as early as possible. do you want his first public education experience to be going away to college? i feel that you have good intentions and want the best for your child. so, now that the new of staying at home has worn off he is starting to have trouble. he is fighting u because he knows he can. most kids don't test teachers the same way they test their parents. if u had a bad experience w/school that is really sad, but yrs.go by and u get new teachers. don't rob ur child of the many valuable lessons to be learned from spending time w/peers in a structured setting.

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put him back in school.

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I understand why you decided to pull your child out of public schools, but I have to wonder if the real reason is that you're upset and a bit embarassed that he's not doing better. First you need to realize that this may not be a problem you can fix on your own by homeschooling. I strongly feel that parents who choose to homeschool should be educated and equipped to do so. Why not try to get him up to speed this summer and then have the school re-evaluate him before school starts this fall?? The key to keeping his fun time and educational time under wraps is setting a schedule. Once you've set your daily schedule, STICK TO IT! Don't skip out on your lessons because the weather is nice and you'd rather go to the beach. When your son sees that you're serious and you're not going to back down, he'll realize he's not getting out of it. Since children tend to have more of an attention span in the mornings, shoot for a few hours of "school" after breakfast. Carry on as usually, get up, take a shower, get dressed, eat breakfast and meet at the kitchen table/desk, at the same time every day. Take a 15-minute break, but keep on schedule, just like they would at school, because that's what he's used to! Find creative lesson plans online and find field trips to do that are educational where you can sneak in some science or math. Have him keep a daily journal to write in 15-minutes before bed to work on grammar/spelling and make sure you are reading every single day, you to him and him to you!

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