Learning needs · Anxiety
Homeschooling an anxious child
Streaks, coins and 'x of y right' can turn practice into a performance. Take the scoreboard away and the questions become just questions again.
What it often looks like in practice
- Avoids starting; upset by a single wrong answer
- Checks the score more than the question
- Freezes on anything timed
- Does well with a grown-up nearby and nothing at stake
What to switch on
On the child’s learning plan, tick Anxiety under Learning needs and these come on by themselves — untick any you don’t want:
- Hide streaks and weekly targets
- Hide coins and the reward countdown
- Plain, calm feedback (no celebrations)
Also helpful
- The child never sees a score go down anywhere in the app — stars only ever go up.
- A wrong answer gets a calm 'Not quite' and an explanation of the specific mix-up, never a red X.
- Chunked sessions with a breather between blocks give a natural place to stop.
- The printable learning report (Progress → Learning report) lists the accommodations in use, what is mastered, what is developing and suggested next steps — written for SENCO, EHCP (IEP / 504) conversations.
What we don’t do
If anxiety is affecting daily life, please talk to your GP; the app can lower pressure but cannot treat anxiety.