Support a Struggling Student.

We have some challenges in our homeschool  (like most people do).  Our challenges include learning differences that can make our school day seem long and dreary sometimes.  I know we are not the only homeschoolers (or parents) that have hard days that are different than we envisioned when we started down this path. Some of you may have a kiddo that needs extra help so I wanted to share some ways to support a struggling student (these aren’t just for homeschoolers).  We will be starting 6th grade in the fall with our oldest homeschooler and it has been a long row to hoe challenge to meet his needs.  We are using lots of different resources and techniques in our day to help lighten the load, in the hope that we can focus more on learning and a little fun.  I want to share some of the best things that we have used to help support our struggling student.  These address issues with reading and math and more broad issues like time management. This post contains affiliate links, please read my full disclosure here.

 10 Ways to Support A Struggling Student

1. Time Blocks

   • Often kids with learning challenges have issues with organization and time management.  I am not very well organized and I find that improving my own time management has been a lifesaver for me.  I have been devouring books about time management, goal setting, creating priorities, and organization in general.  I have also been applying some of the things I have been reading, I know gasp!  I love how productive it makes me feel and I want to give that gift to my kids.  This year we will be using assignment sheets as well.  I started lists last year and will be extending that concept. I feel like time management is vital when you are trying to support a struggling student.  Poor time management leads to frustration and shut down.

2. Extra Time

   • If you have child who is struggling there are two issues with time:
     1. If they feel rushed, they become flustered and struggle more.
     2. It simply takes them longer than people without these challenges.

3. Less Work

   • This one can be very difficult (especially at first), but please lessen the load.  I always think about it taking 10 times the amount of brain power as it takes me.  Kids who have learning challenges become overburdened with two much practice.  Consistent practice is important, especially in memory work.  In order to not exhaust your student you might consider 10 problems that are not timed for 5 days, over 100 timed problems in one day.  The first 5 minutes and last 5 minutes are the most productive of study/learning time.  The rest is often just lost.   Do less work in small bursts with several sessions a day.

4. Orton-Gillingham based Reading Program.

   • One of my favorite tools is All About Reading.  I posted about All About Reading in our End of Year Wrap Up and I can’t say enough good things.  It has been a game changer.  It has made an amazing difference in our child with dyslexia.  After a year of consistent use, he went up 3 full grade levels in most areas of his reading assessment.   It is affordable and requires little to no prep after the initial set up for each level.

5. Fluency Review

   • 2-3 times a week. Fluency in reading and math facts becomes essential in their development as a student.  My goal is to get to the point where there isn’t so much brain power used for sounding out words, so that there is more energy left for comprehension. If you have a child that has reading difficulties then you should be checking out Homeschooling with Dyslexia. She has so many wonderful resources for you, and one of them is this fluency activity.   We are getting there, but I think I owe a lot of that to Marianne’s wonderful course and pinterest.

6. Sight Word Review

   • Daily.  We have used lots of different methods, but we are currently using this method discussed at homeschoolingwithdyslexia.com .  This method includes kinestethic inputs.  I have also used salt trays and lemon juice to work on sight words.  We work on three words a day and we work on those until a word is automatic, once he has the word we put it in a card box behind learned and add another new word.  1-2 times a week we review the “learned” words.  I also have him go through one of the sight word lists (Fry or Dolch) that I am pulling words from and we go through the whole list.

7. Audiobooks

   • Use audiobooks where you can.  This will be a lifesaver for your kiddo and you.  My dyslexic devours audiobooks.  I try to keep my goal in mind when we talk about books.  Is he reading to practice reading or to be able to analyze and discuss the text?  This helps me determine when an audiobook is acceptable (usually it is).  This is one of my favorite ways to support a struggling student You can get audiobooks through paid sources like audible , but there are free sources like overdrive and learning ally.

8. Scribing

   • If your child struggles in writing, you have to find a balance.  Sometimes that might be scribing, or using dictation software instead of writing. The purpose of the writing will be important, similarly to the decision to use audiobooks.  You can also accommodate, by cutting down the amount of writing and narrating instead.  Are you working on penmanship or word choice?  That will help you make a decision about how to best accommodate in this area.

9. Math Fact Apps

   • Daily review of math facts is essential.  We use a very standard app: Math Fact Master: Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, and Division .  We have also used MathiXL and Khan Academy.

10. Charting Progress

    • I feel this is so important for their self-esteem to track their success.  My child with dyslexia often feels like there is no improvement and it so helpful to have charts and assessments so he can see he is getting better and the hard work is paying off.

In conclusion, I hope that you can avoid some of the pitfalls we have endured and that this list can be a blessing to your homeschool.  One key is consistency.  I have found that makes all the difference.  These are just 10 ways to support a struggling student, but there are still lots of other things that you can do to help your learner be successful.  Please stop by my pinterest board for more ideas.

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