Homeschooling can be challenging, especially if your student has ADHD. Make it easier with Shawna’s four essential tips for homeschooling a child with ADHD.

When my child was diagnosed with ADHD almost three years ago, we were already homeschooling.

We already had routines in place that accommodated his attention gaps. I knew he needed short bursts of learning, rather than long sessions. I thought I had it all figured out, and I wasn’t the least bit concerned.

Fast forward about a year post-diagnosis, however, and I was fighting a daily battle – not with my son, but with my expectations of how learning should be, ADHD or not.

I knew we needed an out-of-the-box approach for my out-of-the-box learner, but I found myself, over and over again, going back to a more traditional school approach. I wanted worksheets and textbooks. Not for him, mind you. No, I wanted them for me.

It took me a while to let go. To embrace the reality that our homeschool was going to look very different than the one in my mind. And, on Instagram.

Here’s what I wish someone would’ve shared with me years ago, as we navigated an ADHD diagnosis and homeschooling. [Read more…]

If your children have learning differences, choosing homeschool curriculum can be a challenge. But Shawna shares one simple way to ensure you get it right.

Nine years ago this month, I ordered my very first homeschool curriculum. It was an all-in-one, everything-you-need-in-these-boxes type of curriculum and I was so excited. I unpacked the boxes with the enthusiasm of a kid opening presents on Christmas morning.

I carefully put together my lesson plan binders and organized my bookshelves. Every once in a while, I would glance through a workbook or two, excited to get started.

Then, we began homeschooling.

It didn’t take long for my children to rebel. To their credit, they tried. Their little five- and eight-year-old faces looked up at me with an expression that showed they knew I really, really wanted to do all the things. They tried to appease me.

But within a week, it was clear me that they both needed a different approach. I felt like a total failure, only five days in.

Almost a decade later, I have to smile looking back on those early days. Back then, I didn’t know about any of my boys’ learning differences. I didn’t realize that recreating school at home would have the same outcome as school itself had for them. (Not a good fit, to say the least.)

I didn’t know that I could take advantage of the freedom homeschool offers. That I could help my boys learn in ways that worked best for their strengths and differences. 

I only knew that the only person this amazing, beautiful curriculum was working for was me. [Read more…]