Homeschooling Boys

I have often said that if my boys were in public school, the staff would request that they be medicated. I know that my boys often have the attention span of a fly on crack and stay still about as long as that same fly. At least this statement is true when they don't get enough physical exercise!

Boys, by their very nature, have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). I know that it is politically incorrect to say such things, but I feel it is true. Think about the children you know. How many of the girls you know are diagnosed with ADHD? The statistics are alarming. Some say that for every four boys diagnosed with ADHD, there is only one girl diagnosed. Some say that girls are just under diagnosed and suffer in silence. I say it has more to do with the nature of the boy. Search for ADHD on the web, and you will find that most say there is a difference between the ADHD boys have than the form of ADHD girls have. It says that boys are fidgety, inattentive, like to talk to others and like to touch others. Yes, boys are like that and boys are very physical- this is normal boy behavior.

Is the surge of ADHD diagnoses due to an increased incidence of ADHD among boys? No, I think that there are contributing factors such as over use of video games and television combined with a lack of time to run, play and climb trees. Boys are not as active outside as they once were. Our neighborhood has very few children running and playing outside-even on weekends. Children certainly live in our neighborhood, but they just are not outside playing. I had to laugh when a friend told me of a news report she had heard on NPR. A curriculum was developed to help children learn creative play because a study showed that children lacked the imagination and ability to pretend. Could it be that families have too many structured activities and children are not allowed to have free time to just run and play? Is a curriculum like this really needed? Could we reduce the number of boys diagnosed with ADHD and on ADHD medications if they were allowed more time for creative play and running around?

How do we homeschool these normal boys without the use of medications? It really is not that difficult once you realize that most of their behaviors are normal boy behaviors. My oldest boy learned to read upside down and on the go. I do not think he ever stopped moving until he fell asleep. When he would read aloud to me, he would bounce his knees up and down in a repetitive motion and move his arms around at the same time. I often wondered how he could even see the words on the page, but he certainly did a fine job reading them. When he would get to wiggling too much, I would send him outside to run laps around the house. We lived on three-quarters of an acre and had no fences. He would get joy out of trying to break his all time speed record as he raced against the clock. I would time him and his brothers would often join in the fun. Once he was tired out, we would go back to the classroom and he would sit quietly and do his work. It is amazing what a little physical exertion can do!

When the boys become restless and cannot sit still, they often go out to play basketball, baseball, football, climb trees or play on their fort. They still like to race and compete as they run laps around the house. My two youngest love to climb the trees in our yard, too. Physical exercise does their bodies and minds good. When they come back in from playing, they are better able to focus on their school work and usually don't wiggle and jump around quite as much. We are in our ninth year of homeschooling three boys and this method of sending them out to run and play has really worked for our family.

We built a fort that includes swings, monkey bars, a rock climbing wall, fireman's pole, secret passage to the top deck and lots of ladders for climbing. You probably guessed it-this fort was built and designed by our boys as a homeschooling project. Not only did they enjoy the building project, they also learned math and the value of hard work. Now when mom tells them to go burn off some energy, they have an exciting place to climb and play. We can't forget the physical contact that boys seem to thrive on. Each and every recess they can be seen tackling, grabbing or rolling around with each other on the ground. This is an important part of boyhood-physical bonding. I, as a mother, do not understand the reason for this need, but do understand that such physical contact is something they thrive on. It is truly a boy thing.

If you are a homeschooler of boys and can't seem to get them to settle down, try adding physical exercise. I am sure that there are some boys who truly have ADHD, but I also believe that for many boys, physical exercise is the only remedy needed. They will smell, but will usually sit and do their school work without a problem!