Neurodivergent Homeschool Life

Tag: autism

  • How We Handle Fourth of July Sensory Overload in Our Homeschool

    Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you buy through them. I only share products our family has used or genuinely believes would be helpful. I only share products our family has used or genuinely believes would be helpful. Thank you for supporting NDHS Life!

    The Fourth of July is full of traditions. For many neurodivergent kids, it’s also full of loud noises, crowds, and sensory overload. Here’s how our family keeps the holidays enjoyable while protecting our daughters nervous system.

    We build up learning prior to the actual day.

    Instead of trying to fit homeschool into a busy holiday, we celebrate the history and traditions earlier in the week, By the Fourth itself, we can focus on family, rest, and enjoying the day.

    • Books (paid link)
    • Coloring Pages
    • YouTube Video Read Alouds
    • Counting stars and stripes on the flag
    • Cutting and gluing stars and stripes on the flag. My daughter doesn’t like the feeling of glue on her hands. When she refused to use it, I handed her a small paintbrush instead. It worked great and she happily finished the craft. (Just remember to wash the paintbrush before the glue dries!)

    We’ve learned it’s okay to leave early-or skip an event altogether-when our daughter’s sensory and social battery battery runs low. Protecting her regulation protects our family’s peace,

    Our Fourth of July Sensory kit

    Wishing a happy and safe Fourth to you all!

  • How We Handle Morning Dyregulation Before Homeschool

    Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you buy through them. I only share products our family has used or genuinely believes would be helpful. I only share products our family has used or genuinely believes would be helpful. Thank you for supporting NDHS Life!

    If your homeschool day feels over before it even begins, you’re not alone. Many neurodivergent children wake up dysregulated from poor sleep, ADHD, sensory differences, anxiety, or simply having a hard morning. For our family, part of raising a resilient neurodivergent child isn’t pushing through every difficult moment. It’s helping her recognize when she needs regulation and giving her tools to get there. We focus on regulation first and academics second. 

    How do we help the deregulation before we get into learning and set the table for a good day? Well, first off we use homeschooling to our advantage. We have no need to rush off in the morning and we have no strict schedule we have to keep. When my daughter wakes up deregulated, the worst thing I can do for her is push math at 9 AM. We pause and keep the morning focused on regulation. 

    These are some of the items that help us regulate:

    • Sensory swings
    • Trampoline jumping
    • Outside walks
    • Playgrounds 
    • Calm corner 
    • Calm tv time

    Every morning looks different in our house. Some days we start with silence and giving her the space she needs. Other days we start with a wagon ride, a sensory swing, or an episode of Bluey. Homeschooling gives us the freedom to meet our daughter where she is, and I’ve learned that those slower mornings are still full of learning.

    Tools that help us on dysregulated mornings: