Brain Coach Tips

Living in a household where the environment is negative is no fun for anyone.  There are many factors that could cause this undesirable situation to be happening in your home.  Some such factors can actually result in symptoms of learning struggles and even labels like ADD, ADHD or dyslexia.  I am not saying your child […] The post Create a Positive Learning Environment – Part 1 appear...

The discussion from part 1 of When Does Homeschool Really Begin? continues as Jan Bedell, the Little Giant Steps’ Brain Coach, leads you through the last stage of brain organization at the cortex level.  The cortex is the thinking part of the brain and is where you interact most with your children.  Be sure to […] The post When Does Homeschool Really Begin? Part 2 appeared first on Ultimate...

Most people don’t think about educating their children until pre-school age. In this episode, the Brain Coach lets you in on some tips that will save you hours of effort in later years.  When children go through ALL the developmental steps that God intended, the foundation for successful education is laid.  Children will then be […] The post When Does Homeschool Begin? appeared first on Ulti...

The almost militant battle of how to best teach reading has been waged over the last 150+ years with proponents from both sides being adamant about their recommendations.  As the reading curriculum pendulum has swung back and forth from phonics to sight to phonics the controversy roars on with little attention given to anything except […] The post The Best Way to Teach Reading appeared first...

Organizing Einstein: Enhancing the Abilities of the Gifted Learner Part Two – with Dr. Jan Bedell In part two, the Brain Coach continues the workshop on staying ahead of that voracious appetite for new ideas and expanded content that comes with a gifted learner.  Additionally, the concept of teaching with frequency, intensity and duration to […] The post Organizing Einstein: Enhancing...

The Gifted Learner with Dr. Jan Bedell When your child has an above average IQ, you have a whole new set of challenges.  Staying ahead of that voracious appetite for new ideas and expanded content can definitely keep a home school mom hopping. The goals for podcast #26 (part 1) and #27 (part 2) are: […] The post Organizing Einstein: Enhancing the Abilities of the Gifted Learner Part 1 appear...

Do you have a child with special learning needs?  While every child is unique and needs specialized attention, some seem to require more. They struggle to progress through typical milestones and traditional curriculum and approaches don’t seem to help them much.  They have learning, behavioral or emotional struggles or have received labels like Sensory Integration […] The post Special Needs...

Homeschool Success with Your Struggling Learner with Dr. Jan Bedell It seems more and more children these days have some sort of learning struggle that challenges their academic progress or gives them one of the common learning or behavioral labels like ADD/ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, OCD, bipolar, Asperger’s and the list goes on.   It is estimated that […] The post Homeschool Success with...

You Knew It Yesterday – What Happened On The Test with Dr. Jan Bedell Have you ever had that frustrating experience where you were certain your child grasped an academic concept, and then the very next day, she couldn’t recall ever seeing it? Well, it is not just a frustration for you.  The child is […] The post UPDATED: You Knew It Yesterday – What Happened on the Test? appeared...

Stop Twirling That String with Jan Bedell, PhD Visual challenges can be varied and sometimes hard to detect, but often mom or dad know something isn’t quite right. The challenge is to figure out what is causing the problem.  The doctor might say, “The child’s vision is fine.”  The question from a neurodevelopmentalist standpoint is, […] The post Stop Twirling That String appeared first on Ul...

Stop Overreacting It’s Just A Sock with Jan Bedell, PhD – your brain coach.   Do you ever want to just yell, “IT’S JUST A SOCK, put it on your foot!”? It is hard to understand the reaction of some children when their tactile system is giving the wrong messages to the brain. The sensory […] The post Stop Overreacting It’s Just A Sock appeared first on Ultimate Homeschoo...

#20_StopOverreactingItsNotThatLoud_handoutStop Overreacting! It’s Not That Loud! Episode #20 Stop Overreacting! It’s Not That Loud! Have you ever been really frustrated with your child’s reaction to sound?  Have you been troubled by his ability to understand what you are saying?  Has it crossed your mind that you might need to get her hearing checked?  If the […] The post Stop Overreac...

Neuroplasticity – Rewiring The Brain with Dr. Jan Bedell Podcast #19 Neuroplasticity, hmm? Do we really have to use such an unfamiliar word?  Yes, to describe the amazing gift that God has given us we can start with a big word and break it down.  It really is quite simple – “neuro” is having to […] The post Neuroplasticity – Rewiring The Brain appeared first on Ultimate Homeschoo...

Making Math Easier with Dr. Jan Bedell  Podcast #18 Be sure to download the handout below As homeschoolers we tend to teach the way we were taught or at the very least we are influenced by how we experienced school ourselves.  In this episode, Jan Bedell, the Little Giant Steps Brain Coach, challenges the standard […] The post Making Math Easier appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast...

Making Reading Easier by Dr. Jan Bedell   A prerequisite to reading using the phonics approach is a good auditory processing ability (auditory short term memory).  If processing is not well developed, reading with phonics past three letter words can be next to impossible.  Don’t go buy another phonics program!  It isn’t the phonics program […] The post Making Reading Easier appeared fir...

That Absent-Minded Professor with Dr. Jan Bedell Podcast #16 Do you have an Absent-Minded Professor at your house?  The child that is really smart but has a low attention span, trouble sitting still, difficulty following directions, knows something one day and not the next, overreacts to sounds, touch, etc.  Many of these are symptoms of […] The post Absent Minded Professor appeared first on...

ADD/ADHD A Drug Free Solution with Dr. Jan Bedell Podcast #15 Show Notes: ADD/ADHD A Drug-Free Solution The labels ADD/ADHD are symptomatic labels.  In other words, there is not a blood test or brain scan used to diagnosis an individual with this label.  Typically, there is a list of symptoms or a checklist filled out […] The post ADD/ADHD A Drug Free Solution appeared first on Ultimate Home...

She’s Such a Drama Queen! This podcast explores the root causes of why children act out  and some solutions children that seem to get out of control. What Causes a Drama Queen? This child is typically labeled a Drama Queen or King. The classic response from parents is frustration and aggravation at such emotional responses […] The post She’s Such A Drama Queen appeared first on Ultimat...

He is Just Not Trying with Jan Bedell Podcast #13 Have you ever thought that your child is not trying? There could be a number of reasons for your child’s behavior. In this podcast, Jan explores those reasons and ways you can help. Visit our sponsor Little Giant Steps for information about Free auditory processing kit […] The post He Is Just Not Trying appeared first on Ultimate Homesc...

School Reboot After a Break with Dr. Jan Bedell Show Notes: Everyone needs a break from the school routine but how do you gracefully get back in the swing of things after a holiday or summer break?  That is the focus of today’s podcast.   Breaks from school typically come with other challenges that make it […] The post School Reboot After A Break appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast...

Avoiding Labels – Podcast #11 To Label or Not To Label? That is the question.  This podcast discusses whether or not labels are effective and the amazing work from Jan Bedell at Little Giant Steps Show Notes: Avoiding Labels It is a very challenging world out there for parents of struggling learners.  All types of […] The post Avoiding Labels appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podca...

God Made Us Different with Dr. Jan Bedell Podcast #10 Intelligence comes in many forms. In this episode, Dr. Jan explores Dr. Howard Gardner’s identification of many different ways in which a person can be intelligent.  Besides your specific “IQ smarts,” you may also have kinesthetic, spatial, musical, logical/mathematical, linguistic, naturalist, interpersonal or intra-personal intelligence.  [&#...

Shoring Up The Foundation of Learning Styles with Dr. Jan Bedell Podcast #9 The brain has an incredible ability to grow and change in order to shore up the foundations for learning.  There are certain natural intelligences that are God given which are outlined here. The question is, what is the best way to take […] The post The Foundation: Learning Styles appeared first on Ultimate Homeschoo...

Understanding the Foundation of all Learning with Dr. Jan Bedell The Learning Styles Philosophy has become a paradigm of many in academia and adopted by homeschool families as well.  It promotes the notion that you should find the primary learning style of each student and then teach whatever you are teaching through that style.  The […] The post Understanding The Foundation Of All Learning...

  Reading Roller Coaster – with Dr. Jan Bedell Reading can be a roller coaster when you have a struggling child. In this episode, you will understand more about why we at Little Giant Steps say that most labels are symptomatic labels. When things are not going well, symptoms are what most people pay attention […] The post Dyslexia Reading Roller Coaster appeared first on Ultimate...