Homeschooling Special Needs Part 2: Tips for Success in Physical Growth

"That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe." ~1 Timothy 4:10

Everyone wants to help their child succeed. But what do you do when your child has unique learning abilities and challenges? How do you find strategies to meet their needs while also helping them develop into confident, independent learners?

This can be a challenge, but it's also an opportunity to help your child thrive and is worthy of the extra effort. We’ll focus on three main areas where homeschooling can be especially challenging for some kids:

📍Social/Emotional

📍Intellectual

📍Physical

For the second part of this blog series, we’re sharing ideas for physical growth, because if we don't get our kids moving, they just may run right over us with their excess energy!

Physical Growth: Get Moving Everyday

We all know the importance of exercise and have seen the positive effects on our children’s ability to focus. It’s easy to lose sight of this when faced with a growing list of educational assignments, but YOU are the master of the curriculum – it is not the master of you. We’ve seen from experience, and research shows that kids with special needs benefit immeasurably when exercise is an integral part of their education. Add physical movement to the schedule every single day. 

Ideally, getting out in the fresh air for activity will bring the most gains, and a family bike ride or walk is a great way to bond. To add in learning, try Geo-Caching and/or LetterBoxing, two free and fun ways to explore the great outdoors, as well as seek and place treasure in your community. Your kids will be running to the clues to find the treasure!

Can’t get outside? No worries. While they’re learning inside the house, here are a few strategies we’ve used to slide movement into our routine:

📍Move on a balance board

📍Hop on a mini-trampoline

📍Stretch out, push up, sit up, let them be upside down 

📍Flexible seating*…traditional chairs can hinder a kid w/ challenges

We saved the best idea for last because we’re so passionate about it and that is, JUMP ROPE!

Not only is it fun but, we’ve seen how it helps kids focus and relax into reading and writing specifically. It also gives opportunities for kids to practice rhythm/timing when songs are added, and cooperation when they spin long ropes for each other. These skills translate into their scholastic efforts. 

Kim has taught jump rope classes at local homeschool co-ops for years and she’s created an online version in our member class library. These classes are motivating and perfect for beginners who sometimes get frustrated and give up easily – no actual jump rope is needed. They’ll have fun learning to use their “invisible jump rope” and quickly be on their way to the next level class. Try it for free with our 7 day member trial here .

It's easy to add jumprope in to your daily routine. Get the perfect rope* and maybe even a timer and counter to easily add this activity to your homeschool day. One surprising way to add the Gospel into jump roping is through the Salvation Rope offered by Learnin’ The Ropes. Learn to teach the Gospel with colors. It's a wonderful visual approach that kids easily remember.

Don't delay in adding physical activity to your homeschool day consistently. You give your kids a gift when you teach them to create the healthy habit of nurturing their cardiovascular and muscular strength. And you'll see the benefits in focus, production and more for your kids as well as yourself!

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