It’s Hard To Be A Verb!

Do you have a child that struggles to pay attention and stay on task? Does your child fidget often and have a hard time staying still? It’s Hard To Be A Verb written by Julia Cook is an excellent book about the daily struggles a child can go through with regards to ADHD. The book combines humor with practical solutions for parents whose children have a hard time focusing and staying on task.

Louis struggles to remember his morning chores, get his daily self care tasks done in the morning, be on time for school, and stay focused on learning in the classroom. His mother tells him “You just have to focus” and Louis always responds “It’s Hard To Be A Verb”. He describes his knees itching, his toes twitching, his skin jumpy and the grumpy reaction his gets from his mother and teacher.

What does his mom do to help Louis? She offers him ways to get his wiggles out before sitting for long periods of time (“wiggle dance”) and offers him a focus squishy (fidget toy) to keep his hands busy. I found many of the suggestions offered by Julia helpful and practical. I loved Julia’s idea of a nag board. Do you nag your children a lot to complete their chores, get dressed in the morning, etc.? I know that a nag board was something that I could use in my own home. Instead of having to nag and remind your children constantly of the same tasks, have your child write down what they need to do on a nag board and make them responsible for completing it. I tried this in my own home the past few days. Both of my children wrote down the morning tasks they needed to complete (e.g. eat breakfast, get dressed, brush teeth, etc). In the mornings, I just refer to the nag board instead of saying “You need to brush your teeth, You need to eat breakfast, etc). This is a very helpful and practical tool that can be helpful in many homes for both children who are typical and have special needs!

Check out the video of It’s Hard To Be A Verb