Assistance for Fidgety 1St Grader

Have you tried making a special "reading" place in your home in a quiet area? Maybe he could pick out special bean bag chairs and a special lamp for this area in your house. Sometimes letting him have the control of where, when, and even the furniture may be helpful. Just a suggestion... may be worth a shot? Also, it may be helpful to do something really physical before reading... play tag for a bit, do some exercises to get all the "wiggles" out. I was a third grade teacher for seven years and found that the kids were fidgety if they needed to move. We would all do some physical stuff to get our wiggles out. We would even wiggle and shake all around and each body part first. It was silly, but seemed to help the kids settle to focus better for a bit. Hope this helps!!! Good luck!

Every now and then, my son can STILL be a fidgety reader!!! (He's almost 11!) What we like to do is - I'll read a page, then he reads a page (or I read one chapter/he reads one - however you can break it up. This also helps him learn how to use inflections when reading.) A few pages out - engage him in a brief conversation about the book (i.e."Oh... I wasn't expecting that! "Wow, this is....sad....funny....etc... What do you think he's going to do next???") Anytime you get to a word that is challenging - Stop. Ask if he knows what that word means - if he doesn't, immediately give a brief definition. Try to let him hold the book (two hands) if he is the one reading, especially if you are taking turns reading.

We have a general reading routine "soft blanket, nice couch and good lighting". I give a ten minute notice before we begin. When he was younger, there was always a beanie-baby that joined us. I have found that changing the reading time sometimes made a big difference for us. An hour before bedtime is usually MY son's best time to read. For us, just before bedtime, I sometimes lose him. Sometimes, even 30 minutes in the morning, before school, has worked nicely - keeps the morning quiet and prevents those awful fire drill mornings from happening.

This is not every night but more of a treat night when I want to squeeze in additional reading time. We'll change things up - sometimes we'll sit on the landing of our stairs, we've sat on a kitchen counter (dad's not home for this!), hallway, anyplace that looks pretty comfortable, cozy and different, we even move furniture around in the family room and get the fireplace roaring and make some hot tea. We've read in some odd spots!

Check with the teacher and see if she sees this with your son. See of she has any suggestions. As he matures, he'll also be more in control of his body movements. It's wonderful that you have patience. Keep making reading a fun activity!

I tutor a student in reading (1st grade) and he doesn't always like to sit still. I sometimes use the website www.starfall.com. It has interactive stories of different levels. He's reading, but stays interested. I have him read the text, then he can click to see what "live" action the pages will have. It seems to help him concentrate. There are some silly stories, as well as things like Greek Myths, Chinese Fables, etc. (elementary version) that can integrate social studies.

I don't have any experience with this but I remember some tricks that I have heard of teachers using in the past. Would your son do better if he stood while reading, maybe with the book on the counter top? Would he do better if he sat in a rocking chair so he was moving? Or would it help if he had a string to play with or velcro to pull at to keep his hands busy. These are things he won't have to look at to do but will keep him moving so he can concentrate on his reading. Maybe get him a cook book stand or something so he doesn't have to hold the book in his hands.

Good Luck

When a child fidgets when they are reading or becomes squirmy it means that there is a word they read that they don't have a definition for. (Actually the same goes for adults!)

Make sure he has definitions for all the words he's reading and that he fully understands what they mean. Does he start sitting fine and then begin fidgeting at a certain point? If so, when he begins to fidget go back and look at the words and make sure he knows all the definitions.

If he begins fidgeting right away, check the title.

I sit with my 7-year old and there are LOTS of words she doesn't fully know! Once the word is found and defined she sits still just fine. Otherwise she's moving, kicking, wanting to put the book down, changing the subject, etc.

This little piece of data is virtually unknown, but is true 100% of the time. It's part of Study Technology and has helped students all over the world.

If you would like to know more about Misunderstood Words, feel free to message me! I deal with it all the time!

I teach second grade and here is what I do...
1. let him read in a rocking chair or bean bag chair
2. give him a reading buddy (i use beanie babies in my classroom)
3. read next to him so that he is aware you are there.
4. have him draw a picture or write about his favorite part after about 10 minutes

I hope these help.

My daughter is 6 and is very fidgety when we read together, even when I'm reading to her. We actually just started going to an occupational therapist for sensory issues (problems with clothers feeling uncomfortable to her, etc) and are working in a number of ways to help her with a lot of these issues. I think the suggestion of the weighted vest was a good one from another mom or talk to your doctor. Obviously there is a huge difference in a little squirming because he doesn't understand a word or is getting frustrated vs. all over the place and can't stay still. If he really can't stay still at all talk to your doctor about a recommendation for a good occupational therapist. Even if you just talk to them on the phone 1st- they may have some suggestions for you. Good Luck!

Alison,
Try finding out from your son, what makes him feel comfortable while listening to a story. I think a comfort object works fine while a child reads, or maybe sitting on his favorite chair or pillow. Also,check the length of the story, and if it peaks the interest of the child. Kids can get bored easily.

Hope it works!

Peace

Maybe he could eat while reading? Like grapes which are healthy, clean, and will keep his fingers busy? Or try to act out what he's reading?

I was a teacher and my students always like reading in the bean bags..good for kids with ADD, ADHD or sensory issues...or just plain kids with no issues!!!! ;]

Try getting him some silly putty. He can squeeze it while he reads or is read to. You can set some rules with it such as no playing, just squeezing while reading. Give it a try. I had a student who had to do a similar thing for concentration.

My daughter does this too and so does my friend's daughter. My friend put bean bags in a larger baggy and placed it on her daughter's lap. Calms her down instantly. I tried it and it was like magic. Good Luck. Maria

If it isn't working to have him pick the book and the time, you do it. Find things he is interested in, get books at his level (check with teacher and librarians). I would recommend a specific "reading chair" and "reading time", make it a routine. I would also ask the teacher if there are any issues or tricks that work or don't work when reading at school.

Make sure you've had a healthy snack, gotten the wiggles out, etc. before you start.

If you and the teacher, etc. confirm there are consistent concentration issues, you may have to look into other areas and possibly contact a doctor-ask about resources at the school first, there should be a reading specialist.

Good luck!

Google 'fidget toys'. It might help him to have something to hold to keep his hands busy and help him concentrate.

Pay attention to the type of food being consumed.
We found that when we eliminated chocolate milk and items with high sugar content, our youngest daughter was able to sit still better.
All three of our children learned how to read at home on the couch. Learning to read requires concentration.
Other key items are eye checkup, a way to get exercise every day, and appropriate reading material (of interest to your child) and having other family members modelling an interest in reading as source of enjoyment with the TV and stereo off so the room is quiet.
BTW all three of our kids did attend school in addition to having reading time at home with us.
You can still do some reading to your child even after they are reading on their own as it gives the opportunity to discuss the story together.
It is really hard to sit still at school and then spend a lot of time sitting still at home too so the reading time starts out short.

My son started sitting on a weighted (so it doesn't roll around) exercise ball at school this year. It's made a huge difference in his ability to focus! I'm planning on getting one at home for homework and so on. It seems to keep his fidgety body busy.

I have a couple of photos of him reading in crazy positions - my favorite is upside down with his feet up on a dining room chair. Hey, whatever works. If his school has an occupational therapist on their resource team, ask for their tips/ideas that they use with other fidgety kids.

One thing I would try is using a timer, let him know he has to sit still for 3 minutes and show him the timer. It might take time to get him used to it, but work in small units of time and build up to larger amounts of time. Reward him for being still for those 3 minutes, even after that get up and exercise with him, have him do something and then do another 3 minutes. Break it down into small pieces, that seems to help with all boys I work with.

Does he also fidget and wiggle when it comes to other sit down tasks? Maybe a weighted vest would be helpful to provide him sensory input while he's sitting to help him focus. Here is some info on it.

http://www.playweights.com/why_use.shtml

Don't know if this will help, but as a classroom teacher, I give my fidgeters a stress ball to squeeze during quiet times. This way they can still move a part of their boy, yet it is controlled and non-distracting.

try having him chew gum, it's been proven to help people focus better

Look up sensory integrative disorder or go to the site Sensory Integration International. I am not saying that he has a sensory integrative disorder. But maybe some of the ideas they have will help. One thing that I am thinking of right off the bat is using some techniques which give him deep pressure (not light touch). Maybe put some weight cuffs on his shoulder. Also - have him lie underneath a gym ball and you can press down on it. But I would find out about sensory integration. Even though he may be considered normal, it is like a continuum and some people become more disorganized than others when they are taking in certain types of sensory information. If you need more help, I would contact an occupational therapist who works with children.

M. ellen s.