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#Post#: 167336--------------------------------------------------
Squirmy kid: Help?
By: muskrat Date: February 24, 2023, 10:17 am
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I'm going to start tutoring a 1st grader (6or7yrs old) in
reading on Tues.
Session lasts 45 min starting 1:15pm. (It's after lunch & right
before end of the schoolday so I'm sure she's tired and it's def
not ideal timeslot, imo).
Dilemma: Little girl cant stop squirming. Puts her hands in
her mouth constantly; slouches down in the chair almost to the
floor; always moving around and getting distracted.
The tutoring coordinator who ran the session I observed asked
her nicely several times to take her fingers out of her mouth; a
couple times readjusted the kid in her seat when kid was sliding
under the table. Very nice/calm/professional whenever touching
kid.
Dilemma: I'm not keen on physically wrangling a kid. I'd
prefer to use verbal prompts to change behavior vice me taking
her hands out of her mouth/adjusting her in the chair, etc.
Q: Realizing all kids respond differently, what things would
you say to entice her to modify her behavior ?
#Post#: 167339--------------------------------------------------
Re: Squirmy kid: Help?
By: Queenie Date: February 24, 2023, 10:22 am
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[quote author=muskrat link=topic=1760.msg167336#msg167336
date=1677255458]
I'm going to start tutoring a 1st grader (6or7yrs old) in
reading on Tues.
Session lasts 45 min starting 1:15pm. (It's after lunch & right
before end of the schoolday so I'm sure she's tired and it's def
not ideal timeslot, imo).
Dilemma: Little girl cant stop squirming. Puts her hands in
her mouth constantly; slouches down in the chair almost to the
floor; always moving around and getting distracted.
The tutoring coordinator who ran the session I observed asked
her nicely several times to take her fingers out of her mouth; a
couple times readjusted the kid in her seat when kid was sliding
under the table. Very nice/calm/professional whenever touching
kid.
Dilemma: I'm not keen on physically wrangling a kid. I'd
prefer to use verbal prompts to change behavior vice me taking
her hands out of her mouth/adjusting her in the chair, etc.
Q: Realizing all kids respond differently, what things would
you say to entice her to modify her behavior ?
[/quote]
DISCLAIMER: I am not a teacher and know nothing about teaching.
Me, I'd try to give her something else to do if possible. Can
she sit on a yoga ball instead of a chair? Can she read
standing up? Can there be a reading game involving, I dunno,
cards that you lay on a table? Something interactive. Like a
phonics game or something fun.
That made me think of this from Between the Lions:
HTML https://youtu.be/-6Zq2eYUn9Q
#Post#: 167341--------------------------------------------------
Re: Squirmy kid: Help?
By: VagueMagician Date: February 24, 2023, 10:26 am
---------------------------------------------------------
I have a squirmy second grader and I have no idea how to stop
it.
Her tutor last year did maybe 7 minutes of work at a time with
tons of mini breaks. She responds fine to verbal reminders to
sit up/ stop fidgeting. It just doesn't last terribly long.
#Post#: 167347--------------------------------------------------
Re: Squirmy kid: Help?
By: muskrat Date: February 24, 2023, 10:39 am
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=Queenie link=topic=1760.msg167339#msg167339
date=1677255770]
[quote author=muskrat link=topic=1760.msg167336#msg167336
date=1677255458]
I'm going to start tutoring a 1st grader (6or7yrs old) in
reading on Tues.
Session lasts 45 min starting 1:15pm. (It's after lunch & right
before end of the schoolday so I'm sure she's tired and it's def
not ideal timeslot, imo).
Dilemma: Little girl cant stop squirming. Puts her hands in
her mouth constantly; slouches down in the chair almost to the
floor; always moving around and getting distracted.
The tutoring coordinator who ran the session I observed asked
her nicely several times to take her fingers out of her mouth; a
couple times readjusted the kid in her seat when kid was sliding
under the table. Very nice/calm/professional whenever touching
kid.
Dilemma: I'm not keen on physically wrangling a kid. I'd
prefer to use verbal prompts to change behavior vice me taking
her hands out of her mouth/adjusting her in the chair, etc.
Q: Realizing all kids respond differently, what things would
you say to entice her to modify her behavior ?
[/quote]
DISCLAIMER: I am not a teacher and know nothing about teaching.
Me, I'd try to give her something else to do if possible. Can
she sit on a yoga ball instead of a chair? Can she read
standing up? Can there be a reading game involving, I dunno,
cards that you lay on a table? Something interactive. Like a
phonics game or something fun.
That made me think of this from Between the Lions:
HTML https://youtu.be/-6Zq2eYUn9Q
[/quote]
There's a methodical agenda that we go through - 8 min to read
outloud (something they've read before); then 10 min to identify
letter patterns (phonics); then 20 min to read/write based on
new text. I'm no teacher, but it seems like an impressively
designed program.
She gets really frustrated when she doesnt know a word (last
time it was "contact") and kind of gets a cranky attitude.
I might try to have her stand up and read something: maybe that
will help energize her differently.
#Post#: 167349--------------------------------------------------
Re: Squirmy kid: Help?
By: muskrat Date: February 24, 2023, 10:43 am
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=VagueMagician link=topic=1760.msg167341#msg167341
date=1677255979]
I have a squirmy second grader and I have no idea how to stop
it.
Her tutor last year did maybe 7 minutes of work at a time with
tons of mini breaks. She responds fine to verbal reminders to
sit up/ stop fidgeting. It just doesn't last terribly long.
[/quote]
I love the mini-breaks idea. We have a lot of material to get
through, but think those breaks would help her.
Do you recall what tutor & daughter did during their breaks ?
#Post#: 167350--------------------------------------------------
Re: Squirmy kid: Help?
By: Flipfloplife Date: February 24, 2023, 10:44 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Can you bring something for her to hold? An everyday item might
help, maybe something related to the reading lesson so it seems
purposeful? Or there are lots of fidget toy options for kids.
Also second the recommendation for a yoga ball instead of a
chair.
#Post#: 167353--------------------------------------------------
Re: Squirmy kid: Help?
By: VagueMagician Date: February 24, 2023, 10:46 am
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=muskrat link=topic=1760.msg167349#msg167349
date=1677256988]
[quote author=VagueMagician link=topic=1760.msg167341#msg167341
date=1677255979]
I have a squirmy second grader and I have no idea how to stop
it.
Her tutor last year did maybe 7 minutes of work at a time with
tons of mini breaks. She responds fine to verbal reminders to
sit up/ stop fidgeting. It just doesn't last terribly long.
[/quote]
I love the mini-breaks idea. We have a lot of material to get
through, but think those breaks would help her.
Do you recall what tutor & daughter did during their breaks ?
[/quote]
Hopping on one foot, super short dances, a couple yoga poses.
#Post#: 167374--------------------------------------------------
Re: Squirmy kid: Help?
By: Thetis099 Date: February 24, 2023, 11:30 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Not having children probably renders me useless here, buy here
it goes.
This was me at that age, fidgeting when I needed to be still.
My mother could not handle it well at all, but my first grade
teacher was pretty good at getting me to settle down a bit more.
She gave me what she called a "twiddler". It was a smooth
river rock with a hand painted frog on top. I don't really
remember much more, but do remember fiddling with the twiddler
whilst reading aloud. This was in 1979-1980.
I still twiddle with something when I can to alleviate anxiety.
If I go to the dentist, have an important meeting, or if I fly,
I have a twiddler in my pocket, just in case. Usually, the
twiddler is a polished lump of fluorite or labradorite. If I am
in a Teams meeting and off video and muted, I am probably
balancing a spinning fidget spinner on my thumb or index finger.
HTML https://media0.giphy.com/media/yJHN2CCfPIw4o/200.gif
#Post#: 167398--------------------------------------------------
Re: Squirmy kid: Help?
By: LesserGoddess Date: February 24, 2023, 11:57 am
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=muskrat link=topic=1760.msg167336#msg167336
date=1677255458]
I'm going to start tutoring a 1st grader (6or7yrs old) in
reading on Tues.
Session lasts 45 min starting 1:15pm. (It's after lunch & right
before end of the schoolday so I'm sure she's tired and it's def
not ideal timeslot, imo).
Dilemma: Little girl cant stop squirming. Puts her hands in
her mouth constantly; slouches down in the chair almost to the
floor; always moving around and getting distracted.
The tutoring coordinator who ran the session I observed asked
her nicely several times to take her fingers out of her mouth; a
couple times readjusted the kid in her seat when kid was sliding
under the table. Very nice/calm/professional whenever touching
kid.
Dilemma: I'm not keen on physically wrangling a kid. I'd
prefer to use verbal prompts to change behavior vice me taking
her hands out of her mouth/adjusting her in the chair, etc.
Q: Realizing all kids respond differently, what things would
you say to entice her to modify her behavior ?
[/quote]
Pivot from her sitting the whole time to allowing her to walk
around holding instruction material, or sit on one of those
large balls.
If she can't sit still, someone trying to stop that is going to
focus her energy on that obstruction rather than giving it an
outlet
#Post#: 167402--------------------------------------------------
Re: Squirmy kid: Help?
By: animaniactoo Date: February 24, 2023, 12:04 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
The breaks are a great suggestion, but also try engaging her to
help find a solution. She sounds like someone who either isn't
comfortable in the position she's been requested to be in, or
doesn't stay comfortable for long.
So, ask her what makes her most comfortable to be able to sit
(mostly) still and pay attention. Does she need a comfy, a
fidget toy, or just to sit a certain way which doesn't "look"
like "paying attention"?
Also, I would ignore the hands in the mouth, unless it is
actively getting in the way of things she needs to say - and at
that point you can prompt with the ask "I'm sorry, I couldn't
hear that with your hand in the way, can you take your hand out
of your mouth and try again please?"
The important thing is whether she's absorbing the information,
not whether she's the picture of still attention - so I would
focus the goal on the information absorption (and the
breaks/excess energy running around dump may help with that),
and the stillness may follow as she settles into routine with
you.
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