I am at my wits end. I have a very bright 3rd grade son who just day dreams his school day away. He is turning in late assignments or not turning in assignments however the work that he does is almost always 100% correct. The problem is he gets points deducted for late work. He has always been a very slow moving child with a very creative imagination. His mind is always someplace else. I just don't know how to get him to focus and pay attention to what's going on in school. He does not have ADD and his teacher has not offered me much in the way of suggestions. She says this is just his personality. My concern is that his teacher may not be as understanding next year and give him E's for late assignments and this could really escalate. Does anyone have any tips or experiences that would help me? I want to believe this is just a function of immaturity and he will outgrow this but????
Hi L.! I have a nephew who exhibited the same behavior. Come to find out he was actually really smart and wasn't being challenged enough. He ended up going to a different school for the gifted.
I wonder if he's bored. It sounds as though class isn't stimulating enough to keep his attention. Perhaps he needs more challenging school work. My neice was that way too - once they gave her harder work, her attention span snapped back in. (She's now taking college courses in her junior year of high school - and making A's...)
Talk with the teacher and see if there is anything more difficult that he can work at and see if that clears up the day dreaming...
I think he is probably gifted and isn't being challenged enough to keep his interest.
I have a child like this and I have learned its the diet.....I found a nutritionalist and If her diet is right, She is a completely different child. Basically she gets spikes and lows in blood sugar and this causes hyperactivity at times and sluggish slow reactions at others..Its amazing what a good diet can do for the body! Now if I could just keep my own in check....
My son acts the opposite he talks, and is bouncy in class. My son at conferences told his teacher that the work is too boring cause it is too easy. Like for example my son in spelling gets all of them right cause they are simple and easy, and has said the same thing about math. My son gets the report of not wanting to stay on task, but when likes what they have to write about or reading he is good as gold. I had to ask the teacher to give him more challenging words, cause I do not even have to test him before the spelling test cause I tried and several times he just said they are easy I already know them and spelled all of em and said say see I know them. My son like challenging himself so after he has it down he doesn't want to redo it and prefers something new to learn. My son too has a very creative imagination, and loves asking all kinds of questions to learn exciting things. Sounds to me like he is bored and ready to move onto more advanced things. Talk to the teacher and make this suggestion to see if you are right. Good Luck
M.
Hi L., Boy it sounds like you're describing me as a child (except the "son" part)A few things come to mind:
Since he is first born (and I can relate to that also) do you see a tendency that if he thinks he can't do it perfectly (to his high standards) the first time he procrastinates?
Have you thought about things like allergies? Have you ever heard of weak adrenals?
I commend you for talking this seriously now. If these things resonate I would be happy to share more of what I've found.
M.
I think I would have him checked out to make sure there isn't any medical problems. He could be ADD or something that might cause him to be unable to stay focused. It could just be the way he is but it wouldn't hurt to have him checked out since it seems to be a real concern.
Good Luck.
