Are you homeschooling children that have been gifted with extraordinary energy like mine? If so, you will relate to their behaviors:
- Little patience for anything not involving movement
- Constant climbing, running, wrestling, fidgeting and talking.
- Energy levels that push them to engage in risky behavior
- They have two speeds: whirling dervish and sleeping
While these characteristics are slight exaggerations to make a point, if you are raising children with high energy, you will already be picturing how this plays out in your home. This type of child demands more than typical parenting strategies. Here are some strategies I have learned that help embrace my children for who they are and have helped ensure we all survive their journey to adulthood.
Tips for Raising and Homeschooling Very Energetic Children:
Tip 1 – When possible, start every day with physical activity
Our two young men need to run every morning before school. This began when they were three years old. We used to live near a park and it became the venue for our morning running circuit. Working out my boys’ energy before school, prevented many tears, lots of frustration, and saved time in getting them to focus.
Tip 2 – Find safe places for them to take risks and let them go
This recommendation runs against the grain of current parenting trends. As our culture over-shelters and protects children in many areas, they become stunted in their initiative, tolerance for risk, and problem-solving skills.
Our sons have been risk-takers from toddlerhood. For us, state and national parks provided a refuge where our children could be wild and not bother other people. When younger, our sons ran miles of trails and climbed many of rocks. Now, at 12 and 14, they climb 14,000 ft. mountains for fun. My sons have tackled challenges usually reserved for older children. At times, their daring feats have caused onlookers concern, but they have always operated within their abilities.
Tip 3 – Encourage exploration and experimentation
Overly active children’s abundant energy, often comes with inquisitiveness and ingenuity. These are wonderful traits that will serve our children well as they mature. Encouraging these traits means you will have a messy house at times, often leave workbook learning behind, and won’t be in control of this aspect of their learning. What you gain is worth every bit of the cost.
Tip 4 – Set strong boundaries around personal property and people
High-energy children can literally crash through life. To help avoid the social problems caused by this propensity, we must teach our children firm boundaries. This takes direct teaching, lots of repetition, and opportunities to practice. Teaching our children to respect others’ property (not touching or grabbing things without permission), not rough-housing unexpectedly with other children, and to confine wild play to the outdoors can help prevent behaviors that overwhelm or repel others.
Tip 5 – Limit or avoid times they are required to be still
In our family, we expect our children to sit quietly during worship, funerals, weddings and in time-out. These times teach them self-control and self-regulation which are essential skills. However, their ability to do this successfully was much less-developed than their peers. We have had to closely assess what they could tolerate and not push them past their limits. When they do not have to be still, I try to let them move, fidget and chatter as much as possible. As they have grown, maturity has tempered much of this overactive behavior.
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| Dyana with her very energetic boys |
Tip 6 – Participate in shared activities with them
My husband has helped immensely in this area. He started taking our sons running from a very young age and cultivated a deep bond with them in doing so. It has been more challenging for me as the boys have grown into young men. I cannot keep up with them on trails anymore and time constraints also make it difficult. So, a couple of years ago, I did something absurd and wonderful: I signed the three of us up for martial arts classes.
I am over forty, struggle with weight and health issues, and was frankly terrified of getting out on the mat. However, two years in, we have grown closer to one another, discovered another great outlet for their energy, and gained a supportive and loving community. This experience has also helped us stay connected as they are becoming young men.
It is easier to schedule things for our active children and watch from the sidelines to get a much-needed break. I am not discouraging that altogether. However, I want to encourage you to find shared activities as well. Close bonds develop from shared hobbies and wonderful, lifelong memories are made.
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