10 Schooling at Home Tips for More Attentive Students

Homeschooling is becoming more and more popular every year, which means more and more students are trying to make the switch, which isn’t always the easiest. 

As parents, we have a special responsibility to make sure we give our students every chance to be as successful and attentive as possible. 

Here are 10 ways you can help your student pay more attention while schooling at home! 

To Schedule or Not To Schedule

Schedules, routines, consistent planning – all-time structures like these are a double-edged sword. 

A schedule gives students a solid foundation they can rely on. This provides predictability, comfort, and a strong feeling of safety. 

All great. 

But a schedule can also restrict and hurt a student. Too much rigidity in a schedule can make learning difficult. 

For many students, when a schedule is too constricting, it can make them feel uncomfortable – physically. So every second they’re learning, there’s a layer of pain and discomfort ever-present. 

So, how do we balance this? 

First, every student is different, and their requirements and needs are different, too. Some may know what kind of schedule works best for them, so all you have to do is ask. 

But many students aren’t sure – they don’t know what schedule or routine works because they only have ever known one and assume their difficulties with it is ‘just the way it is.’ 

A fantastic place to start that offers enough variety to stay fresh and exciting while also offering a much-needed structure is to have a set schedule for each day, but what subjects are handle in that time frame should be fluid. 

Sometimes students will show immense interest in a subject only to have it ripped away by jumping to the next. 

Not only were they unable to deeply explore something they care about, but it was replaced with something they’re probably going to develop a basis against. 

But when your schedule is flexible, they’ll be able to happily drink up as much as they can on a subject when they’re interested in it, making it up later in the day or week with the other subjects that were set aside. 

Another benefit of this, which we get into more later, is that this becomes a great way to make new concepts feel more familiar. You’re able to connect a subject they are interested in with one in which they are struggling. 

And you wouldn’t be able to do that if you only stuck to a rigid schedule. 

Shorter Lessons 

We’re learning more and more about how humans learn, work, and grow. 

While many of us grew up with long, seemingly never-ending school days, it’s not the best way for learning. 

Shorter lessons, when done right, are much more effective and more enjoyable than longer lessons. 

This leads to our next one: 

Take Breaks 

With shorter lessons, it’s only natural that we’d have more breaks. 

Lots of breaks are conducive for learning. 

Studies show that when students digest the material in smaller bursts followed by a more extended break, their short and long-term recall is better. 

Another benefit of consistent breaks is that they help increase longevity, reduce fatigue, and improve performance. 

Personalize the Lessons 

We learn lessons incredibly fast when it’s personal. 

We can use this to our advantage when teaching. 

Sometimes, all you have to do is connect a new concept with an old one the student already understands. 

Odds are you and your student have several personal experiences that can be used to give context to a lesson, instantly making the material click. 

We experience so much in life without knowing it. For example, a student that enjoys baking is already toying with chemistry and physics. 

If those subjects prove difficult for the student, try rewriting specific problems and ideas so they’re set in the baking world.

The student’s personal experience and interest will help make this information click. 

Variety 

There are a lot of ways to learn, and people usually prefer one over the others. 

Auditory learning is when a person enjoys and excels at listening to information and remembering it. 

Kinesthetic learning is when a person likes the hands-on approach – they do well when they can get a physical feel for the concepts. 

Visual learning is when a person needs to see something to get it. 

Most lessons in traditional schools are in the form of auditory learning and only auditory learning. 

But using a variety of learning styles is proven to be the most effective way of learning, especially when you look at it on a lesson by lesson basis. 

Say your student is mostly an auditory learner, and you’re teaching them fractions. But they just aren’t getting it. 

This is a perfect time to go for a visual or physical aid, say using measuring cups (which works both as a visual and as a physical aid). This gives the student a new way of looking at it, and once that connection is established, it doesn’t go away. 

Environment 

Where your student learns is vital for their development. Therefore, their environment should be conducive to how THEY learn, not how you think they should learn. 

Some people need lots of light, music, and open space to feel comfortable and maximize their attention. 

Others would find that environment to be full of distractions. These people would do better with a quiet spot with little to no music, sounds, or things to look at. 

Luckily, you don’t need to know what environment is best for your student before you start. 

There’s no problem if you, while communicating and listening with your student, try several different environmental options to see what works. 

Plus, this is a great way to break up the monotony that can come with learning – a location change doesn’t need to be permanent, maybe just for a few hours or the day. 

Reward vs. Punishment 

The reward vs. punishment idea is an old, old debate that won’t be solved, once and for all, in this eBook. 

But that doesn’t mean we can’t do better. 

Rewards and punishments don’t need to be big and bold to be effective. 

A simple and genuine “nice job!” can be an incredible reward for students, making them feel better about themselves AND making them want to keep on learning. 

When it does come to punishments, they shouldn’t be personal. 

Instead of saying, “if you don’t do this, you can’t go out this weekend,” which can feel like an attack on the student, say, “you may not have enough time this weekend to go out if we can’t finish this soon.” 

This takes out the personal sting of punishments. As a bonus, if you’re able to frame it as “we” need to do this instead of “you” need to do this, you’re also showing them that they’re not alone, which can be enough to overcome their difficulties. 

Exercise and Nutrition 

The body and the mind are connected, and we need to act like it. 

A student does better when they have had some kind of physical activity before learning. And, in the same vein, when their nutritional needs are met. 

Students rely on good fuel to succeed. It’s literally what powers them. 

Exercise doesn’t need to be an entire soccer game or running miles and miles to be effective. 

Even doing things around the yard or going for a walk can put the student in a better mindset to pay attention and learn. 

Sleep 

Sleep, much like exercise and nutrition, is vital for students’ success. 

What we need for sleep is vastly different than what growing students require. 

Of course, the quality of sleep matters, too. Restlessly sleeping for ten hours is much worse than sleeping 7 hours all the way through. 

Creating an open dialog about sleep is often enough to see problems coming up, so we can address them. 

If a new problem comes up, and you can’t find its source, it may very well be something linked with sleep. 

Habit/Practice 

One of the most important things for students is having the time to develop a habit of learning. 

Every time students go through their new routine, they become more comfortable with it and start doing better. 

And as they become more comfortable with it, you’ll be able to add more to it. 

Learning is a cycle. You hear new information, you remember it, you apply it, and then you understand it. Then, you get to learn a new, probably more complex thing and do the cycle all over again. 

This is the same cycle we should be applying to how we learn, not just what we learn. 

When you apply this view to your students at home and how they go through the act of learning as a whole, you’ll see them grow and excel as their routine and schedule starts matching their needs, which is one of the best, most important aspects of homeschooling.