Teaching Little Kids Who Don't Learn Well at Desks

I recently published a piece with the Institute for Family Studies on homeschooling boys. I wrote about my experience homeschooling my oldest son. In particular, I noticed that he seems to do his best learning when he doesn’t have to sit at a desk:

In second grade, we decided to homeschool him. I quickly realized that he both loved to learn and to move. He completed worksheets on the floor, read upside down on the couch, and asked to run outside to jump rope before starting a math lesson. I had gone to public school from kindergarten to 12th grade, and this was strange to me.  Learning, as I understood it, happened at a desk. But once I got over my preconceived notions of what learning should look like, I was delighted to watch him blossom both academically and emotionally.  

(Shared with permission from the Institute for Family Studies).

In the article, I wondered what tailoring an education to the specific needs of each child might look like. Lots of little boys do not thrive in a traditional classroom environment.

To be sure, lots of little girls also do not thrive in such an environment. Haley Stewart, an author and editor, wrote in response to my piece:

I think it’s of note that it’s not only little boys who struggle to navigate classrooms that require extended time for sitting and quiet work. We homeschooled for over a decade and one of the many things I loved about our experience was making schooling fit our children’s needs (for boys and girls). Two of my kids are neurodiverse and would have really struggled in a traditional classroom for the early years (but are doing well now in traditional school for upper elementary/middle school).

In preparing to write the article for the Institute for Family Studies, I interviewed Faith Hough. Faith is a writer living in Connecticut (among other things, she pens fantastic kid book reviews!). She also was homeschooled herself, and homeschools her eight children. She had so much knowledge and insight to offer on homeschooling, and particularly on homeschooling kids who need to run, jump and skip (rather than sit down) while learning!

I wanted to share Faith’s wisdom with those interested, since I learned so much from speaking with her. The link is below. However, please be warned that this is the opposite of a professionally produced podcast! I’ve edited out the beginning and ending pleasantries/formalities, but there are lots of kids interruptions (by both Greco and Hough children), and I haven’t done any other audio editing. Still, if you are interested in education, learning, or child development, I know you’ll find a lot to think about while listening to Faith.

I asked Faith if she had anything she wanted to add to the recorded conversation. In our discussion, we talked about some of the challenges of homeschooling, and Faith told me that homeschooling children who don’t learn well at desks is not especially challenging, because learning can be adapted to their needs. However, homeschooling is—of course—quite challenging! I’ve reproduced Faith’s written addendum below:

In the interview, it sounds as if I meant that I have no challenges in homeschooling except the one I mentioned of kids needing their own spaces to work. I think, in the moment, I thought you'd asked whether--specifically--allowing children to move/wiggle/dance while learning presented any challenges, so that's what I was answering. In reality, of course, homeschooling is full of daily challenges, like all the best things in life! I'm challenged by self-doubt or a child's bad mood or difficulty teaching reading or a manic toddler who derails a lesson (of course, with the exception of the last instance, these challenges are shared by any conscientious school teacher.) Particularly, I'm challenged by the need to be a good parent 100% of the time (not that I always succeed). As you have realized, I'm sure, it can be hard to miss out on that daily break that school parents get. I see my own failings over and over as I'm tested in patience and compassion and unselfishness. It's challenging and convicting, but ultimately I believe it's the way God has called me, personally, to grow in virtue.