Homeschooling with toddlers around can feel like an impossible task. I’ve done it and you can too, especially if you use these 6 tried and true tips that will save your sanity. Homeschooling a big family is both challenging and rewarding, but it takes planning to pull off successfully.
Toddlers and preschoolers have short attention spans and need a lot of interaction. Planning for their frequent interruptions will make them less frustrating when they occur.
Here are some tips that worked for me and hopefully they’ll be helpful to you too.
Spend time with your younger children before doing schoolwork with your older children.
By spending a good twenty minutes reading and playing with your youngest children first, you’ll find that you can count on having just about the same amount of time or more to do some schoolwork with the older children. You can give your older children some independent work to do while you’re engaging with the younger ones.
Before starting school with the big kids, make sure the little ones have eaten, and have some special toys or activities ready to keep your younger children busy.
Teach younger kids that fun happens when you’re working with the older kids.
Teach your child that when you work with their older siblings, they get to do something that they really enjoy. My youngest son liked to watch Daniel Tiger. When I worked with the older kids or had to be busy doing something, he watched an episode of his favorite show. I also reserve special toys for my youngest kids to play with while I work with the older kids and I rotate the toys so they’re fresh and fun when they do get to play with them. Kids play longer with toys that are “new.”
Offer a lot of praise for good behavior.
Little children want to please their parents. Offer a lot of praise when you “catch” them playing nicely on their own and making good choices while you work with their older siblings. This positive reinforcement encourages desired behaviors and motivates your children to keep making the good choices.
Keep as consistent a schedule as possible
Keep a consistent schedule of meals, naps (if they take naps), and activities. Children are much more compliant when they know what to expect and when. Ever changing schedules are hard on kiddos and in turn, hard on parents.
Multi-tasking is a myth- do less for more success
Don’t try to take care of your children, do your homeschooling, work from home, and do housework all at the same time. Schedule focused time for each activity rather than trying to combine them. You’ll be amazed at how much more efficient and less stressed you are when you’re NOT multi-tasking. Mompreneur, business coach, and homeschooling mother, Alyssa Wolff, teaches homeschool moms how to achieve a homeschool-work-life balance. Check out her website, Unbusy Business.
Take planned breaks.
Plan a mid-morning snack break and lunch time. Don’t try to eat while doing school to get more done. Making sure you and your children are nourished is very important to getting through the day well versus just surviving. Little children are prone to be hangry if they go too long between meals. Even though I homeschool, I often pack lunches the night before for my kids to make lunchtime easier on everyone.
When you have little children in the mix while you’re homeschooling, the days can feel never-ending. But all too soon, that toddler will be old enough to join everyone else. Until then, give these tips a try and see how they can help your days to go more smoothly when you’re homeschooling with toddlers around. Best wishes and Happy Homeschooling!
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