Help for the Mom at Home Through the Chaos

Through all of the current chaos there have been hundreds and maybe thousands of wonderful resources shared to help with educating children at home but I have seen less for helping out mothers who suddenly find themselves navigating a challenging time at home. Whether you have been home for years and just lost all of your ‘extras’ or you suddenly find yourself going from working and school to be home together all day, I hope these resources provide you with encouragement and support in this challenging time.

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at home amidst the chaos

First, I want to assure you that you can do this. God has placed you here in this time with these children and He will provide you with all that you need to support them through it. Before you worry about academics, focus on the heart of your home. Take care of the physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of those you are responsible for and then the academics can fall into place. For some children, the need for routine, structure, and the continuity of academics is really important. Others may need a little time to adapt to this new reality. There is no one size fits all answer.

Right now, you may feel overwhelmed, last week may well have seemed chaotic and challenging. This is not because you were doing something wrong, it is the result of lots of changes and everyone having to learn to adapt. However, you can find a new peace and routine in the midst of this chaos. Your home can become an oasis and safe space for you family.

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I would encourage you to take some time to pray, read God’s word, and sing praises both alone and with your children. This can keep you grounded and strong because it will help you remember that God is still in control and he will provide.

Then as you have time in your day, take some time to utilize some podcasts, books, or other resources that can give you helpful tips and encouragement for navigating these times as well as just for creating a home that is a safe haven for your children. One of my favorite podcasts related to the current chaos is this one Podcast by Sally Clarkson. She has many other wonderful podcasts that you can download, but that particular one is directed at the current situation. I also highly recommend Read Aloud Revival for encouragement on the academic side of things. She is great for helping you encourage reading in your home in a fun and natural way.

There are a couple of great summits/Expos going on right now that have wonderful speakers that can encourage you and help you find solutions to the challenges you are currently facing. The Purpose Driven Mom Summit is going on this week with lots of sessions from setting goals, connecting with your children, meal planning and so much more. You can get a free pass this week or if you want to have access for long you can grab the VIP Pass. The Homegrown Generation Online Family Expo 2020 is a great collection of speakers that will encourage you as you teach your children at home. It does cost $20 but you get lifetime access to some wonderful speakers and encouragement from folks like Kirk Cameron, Heidi St. John, Connie Albers, Todd Wilson, and more. You can also check out a few of the sessions for free to get an idea of the content and style.

Finally, take some time to really enjoy this time at home with your family. It may feel overwhelming trying to work out all of the logistics and I am not minimizing those challenges. However, the silver lining in all of this is that we get precious time to spend with our families. Time to make memories by reading books, playing games, baking together and just catching up with each other while the busyness of our lives slows down for a few weeks. I pray that you can make your home a haven for your family and that at the end of all of this, they view this time in a positive light. If I can help you in anyway, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. If you have resources you found helpful, please share them in the comments.

A Few Other Resources that Might Help:

Play Beside Me Challenge — Hands on As We Grow is offering this FREE 5 day challenge to help out with activities that can keep younger kids engaged in play for 15 to 20 minutes while you get something else done. Great for those with toddlers and preschoolers.
Fit2B Sale If your gym is closed or you can’t get out to do your favorite workouts, you can try my favorite online program. They are having a great 41% off sale on March 26th and 27th!
Misfits Market Box, finally if you are having a hard time getting fresh produce in your area or you would just like the convenience of food being delivered to your door you can use code: COOKWME-IW0OPU to get 25% off your first Misfits Market produce delivery.

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When you sign up for the Schoolin’ Swag free resource library you will get a link and password to the library, we are adding to the library each month with new items. You will also get a bi-weekly newsletter email to keep you up to date on what we have going on.

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This post may contain affiliate or referral links, including Amazon affiliate links. As always I will never recommend a product that I don’t believe in and you will never be charged more for purchasing through our links. It does help pay for the costs associated with the blog.

Deals and Freebies

Evan-Moor is offering their Daily Fundamentals book FREE right now to help out during this time.

Homeschool Complete is offering a special 10% off discount to my readers! Just use code: SWAG

Some of my favorite homeschooling people are joining together to do a FREE gala all about one of our favorite book series! I highly encourage you to sign up for the Green Ember Gala that is happening on April 2nd at Noon! You will get an art lesson, a nature lesson, and a chance to hear from the author himself!

Get a FREE Literature Kit from LitWits using Code 11READ4FUN. We are currently enjoying the Heidi kit but have also previously loved the My Side of the Mountain kit.

IEW is offering some great free resources right now.

Little Women is only .99 on kindle right now! (Amazon prices subject to change always check before purchasing.)

FREE Baby Yoda Art Lesson from Nana!

All About Learning has released the best deal of the day: A FREE Snowman Pack with reading and spelling activities for a variety of ages.

Free Makeover Your Morning 5 Day Challenge! This is a great way to help re-focus and get your day off on the right foot.

Illustrated Would You Rather Book (Free on Kindle)

The Kingdom Code Journal #8

In the last lesson of The Kingdom Code that we shared, my son learned about making sales calls and using his calendar to track his business obligations. Lesson 8 is titled, ” Are Your Books in Order?” and was a much needed lesson for my son.

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Key to the Lesson: ” With my calendar and ledger, I will stay organized so I can have a successful Treasure Builder”

My son has a wonderful work ethic, but is not always great about being organized. This has caused challenges for him personally and academically, so this lesson was a great way to help him make sure it didn’t cause problems with his business. Hopefully, what he learned is helping him in other areas as well. I know that he is getting better about using his calendar for other obligations as well as his business.

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My son learned that he should keep all of his business materials together in a bag, so that they are easy to find when he needs them. We found him a bag that he could dedicate to his sales folder, receipt book, pencils, business cards, business wallet, and thank you notes. Since he does lawn care and is often outside, he chose this heavy duty bag to protect his books and stand up to the elements.

Next, he learned about bookkeeping in his business. The Kingdom Code program comes with a KCK ledger and this lesson teaches students how to use the ledger to track income, expenses, and money in hand for the business. This was a little tricky for my son at first as he learned how to use the form, but once he had practiced a couple of times he got the hang of it and was on his way to keeping good records.

Stay tuned for lesson nine of The Kingdom Code and don’t forget that you can get 10% of this program using Coupon Code: 10TKC08! If you have any questions about our journey let me know in the comments and I will be sure to try and address them in our next installment.

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YWAM: Benjamin Franklin ( Review)

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

We have been blessed this month with an opportunity to review Benjamin Franklin: Live Wire which is a part of the Heroes of History series by YWAM Publishing. Through previous reviews and lots of family reading, we were already very familiar with this series. I did not have to ask my son if he wanted to participate in this review, just which title he wanted to try. There are so many great titles that it was a tough decision, but he finally decided on Benjamin Franklin.

The Heroes of History series are all biographies of heroes that had a historical impact and told from a Christian perspective. Some of these go back to the founding of our country, men such as William Bradford and Captain John Smith. Others are more modern day heroes like Ben Carson and Billy Graham.

Benjamin Franklin: Live Wire told the story of the life of Benjamin Franklin. The book shared stories from his childhood through his adult life including his inventions and political contributions. My son said his favorite part was when they were talking about Benjamin Franklin’s younger years, after he moved to Philadelphia, when he was working with the post office and helping with the fire service.

In addition to the book, we received a PDF study guide which included 83 pages of ideas and activities. You could use this to make the book into a complete unit study or you can pick and choose activities to make it fit your needs. There are discussion questions for each chapter, writing prompts, creative writing activities, hands on projects, and arts and crafts. The guide also included a timeline activity, basic information sheet, and several maps. We chose to select a variety of activities to expand on his learning through the book but did not attempt to complete all of it since he was also continuing his other studies.

I started by having my son complete the basic information sheet, timeline and a couple of the maps to help him show me what he had learned while reading the book. I also had him answer a small selection of the discussion questions. Then, he was to choose two activities from the wide variety in the study guide.

First, he chose to make a movie about Benjamin Franklin. He decided to use Stop-Motion animation for the movie. It was short and a bit silly (he is a thirteen-year-old boy), but it showed some of what he learned and he had a great time being creative.

Next, he decided to write a one act play about Benjamin Franklin and the Stamp Act. Again, I saw both a good understanding of the content and the silliness of a thirteen-year-old boy. It was a great way to allow him to express himself, share his knowledge, and yet not feel bogged down by a formal paper or book report.

The books work great as a family read aloud, independent reading, or complete unit studies when combined with the study guides. For our family, I prefer to use most of the books as read alouds or personal reading, but add in the study guide for a unit study once or twice a year.

If this book interest you, you might also want to check out my reviews of one of a couple of the other books in the series: Alan Shepard and Orville Wright. You can also click the graphic below to check out the variety of reviews by other Crew members. There are so many great choices to choose from. Which one would you like to try?

Scheduling Ideas Part 2: But What Do I Do with My Younger Children?

Keeping my younger children (especially toddlers) occupied while I taught my older children has probably been one of the biggest challenges for our homeschool. It is even harder than Algebra (thanks to video lessons and a helpful husband). However, with some work and creativity you can make it all work. Also, keep in mind that these years are short and they grow up fast. These challenges are not forever.

*Some of the links in my posts are affiliate links see below for more information. *

Last week I shared some ideas for scheduling your school days with little children. This week I want to focus on ideas that you can use to keep your young children safely occupied for short times while you work with your older children. I have broken the ideas up in to toddler and preschool ages, but use whatever works best for your situation and child.

Toddlers

First, utilize nap time. I know that sometimes means waiting until after lunch if they have dropped the morning nap. However, it can be worth it to get a little bit of uninterrupted time to focus on subjects that need direct attention. For us the two that are hardest with a toddler, are math and spelling. My children need more of my time and more quiet focus for those subjects so those are the ones I would do during nap.

Second, if the weather is good, think about working outside. We all enjoy the fresh air and sunshine and the outside toys and sandbox occupy the toddler for longer than anything on the inside. We can bring our books to the picnic table or on a blanket in the backyard and work while the toddler plays.

Never underestimate the power of a snack. I can put my toddler at the table with a slow snack like cheerios or cut up cheese and fruit. This will occupy him for ten or fifteen minutes while I work with the older children.

It can also be a good idea to have a few special toys that you only bring out during school time. This keeps them a little more interesting and helps keep them engaged longer. For one of my children we actually had five small plastic tubs with different toys and games. The tubs were labeled Monday through Friday and only came out on that day during school time. It wasn’t anything fancy of expensive, puzzles from yard sales, blocks, lacing boards, etc.

Finally, audio books can be a great way to help keep them entertained. Typically, they don’t have the attention span for a chapter book, but there are many picture books on audio. They can enjoy listening to the short stories while they play. As they get older, they can follow along in a real book.

My friend Tricia over at HodgePodge has a great article on Morning Room Time to keep toddlers and preschoolers entertained. We have not yet used this idea but I am working on getting it set up to use with my toddler soon.

Preschoolers

Many of the ideas that work with toddler will also work with preschoolers. In addition, they are much more able to sit and focus for longer times and engage in the day to day activities of your home and school.

First, I find that if you can spend time with them first, they are less disruptive to your day. They crave that attention and are not yet able to really understand the need to be patient. So, if I spend 30 minutes with my preschooler before to get to work with the older children, his need is meet and he is better able to play independently.

Some preschoolers love the idea of ‘doing school’ like their older siblings. For those children, I highly recommend having a school bag with worksheets and manipulatives that they can use. One that my son really enjoyed was pattern blocks. He could take out the papers and the blocks and work through them independently but felt like he was ‘doing school’. You can also pick up inexpensive workbooks or print off papers where they can trace letters or numbers.

Art projects are another big hit with preschoolers. We do a combination of structures art from You Are An Artist and just giving them a bucket of art supplies and letting them be creative. It is amazing what they can come up with when you give them paper, crayons, glue, and scissors. We also like to add in fun surprises like googly eyes and stickers to keep it fresh.

We also enjoy using the activities from the Activity Room both for me to engage with them and for them to work on independently. They are fun and educational ideas that are perfect for them developmentally.

Finally, don’t under estimate how much they can learn and participate in family activities. If you are reading history with your older children, they can listen while they play with blocks or color. If you are doing a science experiment, they can watch and help by handing you materials. Their minds are learning and growing so much just by hearing what is going on in your home.

Overall, do not be discouraged by your younger children. Expect to work in small increments and have plenty of ideas to keep them busy. Also, keep in mind that they are growing and changing. What works this year might not work next year, and even though something didn’t work this year it might work next year.

What are your favorite tips and tricks for keeping younger children occupied and engaged during your homeschooling time?

Ideas and Suggestions From Other Bloggers

Homeschooling with a Preschooler and Toddler (Teaching with Faith)
J is for Jewel Box (At Home: Where Life Happens)
R is for Routine (My Full Heart)
Multi-Age Learning (My Full Heart)
Homeschooling with a Toddler (My Full Heart)
Teaching Multiple Ages (Hodgepodge)

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Deals and Freebies

HUGE Tuttle Twins Sale for the Lock Down, get the entire set and LOTs of extras for only $60.

Evan-Moor is offering their Daily Fundamentals book FREE right now to help out during this time.

Homeschool Complete is offering a special 10% off discount to my readers! Just use code: SWAG

Little Women is only .99 on kindle right now! (Amazon prices subject to change always check before purchasing.)

FREE Baby Yoda Art Lesson from Nana!

All About Learning has released the best deal of the day: A FREE Snowman Pack with reading and spelling activities for a variety of ages.

Free Makeover Your Morning 5 Day Challenge! This is a great way to help re-focus and get your day off on the right foot.

Harry The Happy Mouse (Free on Kindle)

Illustrated Would You Rather Book (Free on Kindle)

The Kingdom Code Journal #7

After the review and presentation work in lesson six of Kingdom Code we are ready to move onto making a sale in lesson 7. Even as an adult, making sales calls can be a bit unnerving so, I think this lesson was really important in helping them to be proactive about growing their business.

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*Some of the links in my posts may be affiliate links see below for more information. *

Key to the Lesson: ” With practice I am boldly prepared to make sales calls.”

This lesson started with reminding the student that they can be bold, because God gives us strength. Next, they gave a lesson on sales calls, which taught the student about gaining confidence by practicing and continuing to try until they reach their goal.

For my son, one of the most important parts of this lesson was learning how to use his calendar. This was something he had struggled with in the past, but this lesson and the encouragement from the program helped him to become more committed to using a calendar to track his business as well as personal obligations.

This lesson taught a really great acronym about professionalism: LAPS

Look Good!

Act Awesome!

Pay Attention!

Speak with Confidence!

The lesson then went through and explained those points in more details and talked about using good manners, paying attention to their customers, etc. They also gave information and help about the three types of sales calls: telephone, face-to-face, and written.

One of the bonus activities that my son really enjoyed was a project where you make fliers about your business with tear off information tabs. As the weather warms up and lawn care business gets going again, he plans to hang some of these at a couple of local businesses.

Stay tuned for lesson eight of The Kingdom Code and don’t forget that you can get 10% of this program using Coupon Code: 10TKC08! If you have any questions about our journey let me know in the comments and I will be sure to try and address them in our next installment.

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David C Cook Action Bible Anytime Devotions (Review)

In addition to our family Bible time, I encourage each of my children that can read independently, to have a personal Bible study/devotional time each day. My daughter was excited to get a chance to try out the The Action Bible Anytime Devotions by David C Cook as we reviewed it over the last few weeks.

The first thing I noticed when the book arrived was the colorful illustrations on the cover and for each devotional. The interior pages are full of bright colorful illustrations that help draw a child into the stories.

The book consists of 90 devotionals, each one about two pages long. The devotionals each includes a Bible verse, a short story/devotional thought, and several action points. The devotionals each conclude with a “Take it Further” section, which gives references to which scriptures you can read for the full story that was discussed in the devotional. If you have the Action Bible, this section also refers you to the appropriate story in that Bible version. The scriptures that are quoted with-in the book use the New International Version.

The action points include prayers, things to ponder and consider throughout the day, and ways that you can share what you are learning, help others, and put into action the things you learned in the devotional.

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The devotionals are divided into several different categories: love, strength, courage, faith, service, trust, hope and kindness. These categories are labeled both on the devotion itself and in the table of contents. If a child was struggling in a particular area, this could be a great way to choose devotions to target that area.

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For example, one devotional was titled, ” When You Feel Ignored” and was in the courage category. This devotional used 1 Timothy 4:12 as the key verse. It discussed how it can be hard when people say you are too young to do things, but Timothy was young and was a strong leader. It encourages the child to become a leader as well. The action points for this devotional included making good choices to ” choose to show God’s love, share your faith, and live a pure life with your body”, a prayer asking God for strength, and an opportunity to talk to your friends about the good choices you want to make. The “take it further” section recommends reading Deuteronomy 31:6, Joshua 1:9, and 1 Chronicles 28:20 for more Biblical insight into courage.

This devotional was recommended for ages 8-12, however, my twelve-year-old daughter felt like it was a bit too young and basic for her. She thought it would be better suited for ages 6-10. She thought that the devotionals were well written but that she was not growing like she would like to because it was mostly covering the basics. This may vary depending on how much exposure a child has had to the Bible and devotionals.

All in all, this was a well written but very basic devotional book. It is a great starter devotional for an elementary child or an older child that is just learning or resistant to reading longer devotionals. The pictures are amazing and very engaging, but it may be to easy or basic for an older student who has a strong Bible background. Be sure to check out The Action Bible Anytime Devotions for more information and don’t forget to click on the graphic below to check out the reviews from other Review Crew members to see what they thought.

The Kingdom Code Journal #6

Last week, we shared about how my son learned about advertising and marketing as well as making a financial plan using lesson five of Kingdom Code . In lesson six, we reviewed what he had already learned and he had a chance to finish up a presentation on his business.

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Key to the Lesson: ” I will enjoy learning and show perseverance by reviewing what I have learned “

This lesson went fairly quickly as a review lesson, but was a great chance to make sure that he had a good grasp of the material and was ready to move on. We went back over the clues from the first five lessons:

All Knights need to put on the full Armor of God for protection.
Treasure Builders make money by selling inventions, services, and goods.
An entrepreneur takes a risk to start a business build on supply and demand.
KCKs make plans so their Treasure Builders are successful.
To be successful, KCKs know their strengths, study the competition, and have a winning strategy.

Next, he learned about Joan of Arc and her hard work and perseverance. Then he spent some time using the forms provided, finalizing a presentation on his business. He practiced giving the presentation to family and may at a later time get the opportunity to give that presentation to potential customers. We have the advantage here of having participated in 4-H public speaking events since he was about 5 years old. That experience helped him have the confidence to be able to speak in front of other people and this course gave him a good outline of how he should present his business. Between the two, I think he has a winning combination.

Stay tuned for lesson seven of The Kingdom Code and don’t forget that you can get 10% of this program using Coupon Code: 10TKC08! If you have any questions about our journey let me know in the comments and I will be sure to try and address them in our next installment.

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Byron’s Games (Review)

My children adore playing card and board games! They play with each other, they play with friends, and their favorite is having family game nights. Sometimes we play games that are just for fun, but I really like being able to play games that also sneak in a little educational component in the process. Byron’s Games has created a wonderful card game called Continent Race that combines fun with education.

Continent Race is recommended for ages 7+ but with some help younger children can also enjoy the game. The day it arrived in the mail my children were ready to play and the five-year-old was determined not to be left out. The game is ideal for students that can read but because the cards are color coded, my five-year-old was able to participate with a little help from me or one of his siblings.

From the time we opened the package until we were playing the game was probably less than 10 minutes. They were very excited to play and it was very simple to set up and understand. There were two options for play, one being a simpler version for younger children. Since my five-year-old was playing we started with that level. However, my 12 and 13-year olds enjoyed both levels of play.

The game included:

1 World Map
5 Continent Lists with Maps
205 Country Cards
3 Antarctica Wild Cards

One thing that I really appreciated about the game is that it can be played with only two players or it can be played with multiple players. This meant that we could use it for a family game or my older children could play on their own when they had a few minutes of free time.

The idea behind the game is that each card has a country and flag on it. The cards are different colors based on the continent where the country is located. The goal is to collect groups of countries from the various continents. Then you have to located the countries on the map. This is a great way to get familiar with the geographical location of a variety of countries in a fun and competitive format.

Each round of this game lasted only about 15 minutes which makes it perfect when you only have a short amount of time between activities. You could also continue playing if you had a longer block of time. I also appreciated that it came in a nice reusable box that makes it easy to keep the contents together and would allow you to travel with the game. We are traveling out of state soon for a missions trip and the children are planning to take this game with them for night time entertainment.

We enjoyed playing Continent Race and I liked knowing that it as helping my children become more familiar with geography and global awareness. I think that the game is best for ages 7+ independently but you can certainly include younger children that can sort colors, with a bit of help. Be sure to check out the website for more information and don’t forget to click on the graphic below to check out the reviews of the Continent Race and Connections Stationery Kit by Byron’s Games from other Review Crew members.

Keeping Children Engaged and Active During COVID 19

COVID 19 is affecting all of us to varying degrees. For most homeschoolers, schooling is going on as normal but many extra activities are canceled, travel plans postponed, and we are home a little bit more. For those that utilize other schooling methods, there may be even bigger changes of having children unexpectedly home all day for several weeks or months. No matter your situation, I have rounded up some fun freebies and discounts for activities that can be done at home to keep your children occupied and learning. Most of these aren’t ‘school’ activities but rather fun educational ideas that will hopefully help keep the boredom at bay and their minds engaged.

*Some of the links in my posts may be affiliate links see below for more information. *

freebies and deals

Raddish Kids(They are offering this free kit with only a $4 shipping fee. This is a great way to get cooking in the kitchen with your children.)

Musik at Home you can click on their family music for all ages and access for FREE until April 3rd. We love these classes and have an annual subscription to the program. This is a great way to try it and see if it is a good fit for your child.

Evan-Moor (If you want to keep those math and reading skills fresh the kids are at home, their skill sharpeners and summer bridge workbooks are a great option and can be shipped right to your door or downloaded and printed out. )

Metropolitan Opera (Check is one for suitability for your child but the Metropolitan Opera is live streaming Operas each day FREE!)

Adventure Academy from ABC Mouse First Month Free (This is a fun online program for keeping those skills sharp.)

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Practice Monkeys is a wonderful violin and piano program. We use it all the time and the teacher is fantastic. If your child isn’t going to be able to make it to their normal lessons because of restrictions this could be a great way for them to keep working or get started on a new hobby.

SchoolhouseTeachers.com is a great option if you are looking for academic content for your children or some fun electives that they can work through including photography, music, art, and more. If you have young children we loved the Sensory Science class. Membership is for the whole family and gets you access to over 400 courses. You can try it for $5 for the first month or they have a great special right now for $24.97 for 3 months with code: finishwell You can also check out how we use this program: SchoolhouseTeachers.com (Review)

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You Are An Artist has some wonderful art lessons for preschoolers through adults. We have an annual membership and love it, but she also have a variety of free lessons that you can try. All you need are paper and chalk pastels or acrylic pants and brushes.

Hands on As We Grow has some great easy to implement activity ideas for young children, babies through preschool and early elementary ages.

Fit2B is my go to for fitness and with many gyms closing it is a great option for at home fitness for both mom and children. She has a variety of workouts designed for adults as well as some specifically for children. She even has workouts that are safe for moms to do with babies.

Kindle Unlimited (You can try it out for free for a month. There are books for every age and interest.)

Audible: Audiobooks are a great way to keep engaged and learning without feeling like it is ‘school time’. You can get your first one for free and if you need ideas for titles, just let me know the ages and interests.

MOMS: If you are looking for something to help you during this time, if you need help creating routines and ditching the overwhelm? You can get a free ticket to the online Purpose Driven Mom Summit 2020.

Hooked On Phonics is offering your first month for only $1 if you have any beginning readers that need to keep practicing so they don’t lose ground.

Scholastic Learn From Home Website

IEW has graciously offered some of their language arts lessons for FREE during this time.

Share the deals and ideas that you have seen in the comments and I will continue to add to this list as I see ideas and deals. I pray that you and your family stay safe and comfortable through this time. If I can be of any help, please reach out.

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Deals and Freebies

Evan-Moor is having a special sale this week on their Teacher File Box! TeacherFileBox is a subscription to digital lessons from over 450 Evan-Moor books including ALL grade levels and ALL subjects

Little Women is only .99 on kindle right now! (Amazon prices subject to change always check before purchasing.)

FREE Baby Yoda Art Lesson from Nana!

All About Learning has released the best deal of the day: A FREE Snowman Pack with reading and spelling activities for a variety of ages.

Free Makeover Your Morning 5 Day Challenge! This is a great way to help re-focus and get your day off on the right foot.

Harry The Happy Mouse (Free on Kindle)

Illustrated Would You Rather Book (Free on Kindle)

Scheduling Ideas for Multiple Children (Part 1)

One of the most common questions that I am asked about homeschooling is how I manage to homeschool with little ones. I would be lying to you if I told you that it is always easy and Pinterest perfect, but there are some tips and tricks that make it easier. First, I need to be clear that what works for one family or child may not work for another. If you are trying one plan and it doesn’t work, just keep adjusting until you find something that fits your needs.

If you have a baby or toddler that still naps, especially if they take multiple naps a day, I highly recommend using some of that time for schooling older children. That can be the time you provide them direct instruction in areas like math or spelling that may need more focused attention.

Another tip that really helped our family was spending time with the little ones first. This is especially helpful with toddlers and preschoolers. They crave our attention and will often be disruptive until they get it. If I spend a little time playing or working with them first, they are more apt to play independently for a few minutes while I work with my older children.

Often younger children have a fairly short attention span, so they may only play independently for a few minutes at a time. In this situation, you can have them playing near where you are working on school. Instruct your older children in a subject for five to ten minutes and then while they are practicing the skill you can spend time with your younger child. You are available to answer questions but still giving your younger child attention. Then you can have them play independently again for a few minutes while you instruct the next subject. We tend towards a Charlotte Mason approach, and so our lessons are fairly short. This also has the benefit of helping your older child learn independence while still having you available and involved.

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If you have more than one school age child, they can take turns playing with the younger children while you work with the other child. We have utilized this for subjects that are independent and more challenging for the older child. For example, there have been times when my older children struggled with math and needed more help.

This is not an option for everyone, but it has been an amazing help for me. If you have a grandparent or other family member that is willing to help, they can come once a week and visit with the younger children for a few hours while you work on the areas of your school that need the most focus. This gives the double benefit of giving your younger children some wonderful time and memories.

Also, remember that you do not need to do school all at once. While it can be nice to start in the morning and work straight through until you are done, in some seasons it is easier to break it up into small chunks throughout the day.

Finally, do not under estimate how much younger children can be engaged and involved in various subjects. You can go on nature walks to work on science with your older children and keep your younger kids active, young children can listen to you read aloud while they color or play with quiet toys, preschoolers can join into history crafts and art lessons.

There are challenges to having small children while you homeschool older children, but there are ways to make it all work. In the end, remember that you are creating a lifestyle of learning and they will all benefit from learning together. Next week I will share specific ideas for keeping toddlers and preschoolers busy (and hopefully out of trouble) during that independent time. Please be sure to check out all of the great ideas from some other bloggers and how they make their schedules work. What are your favorite scheduling tricks for managing younger children and older children?

Ideas and Suggestions From Other Bloggers

Homeschooling with a Preschooler and Toddler (Teaching with Faith)
J is for Jewel Box (At Home: Where Life Happens)
R is for Routine (My Full Heart)
Multi-Age Learning (My Full Heart)
Homeschooling with a Toddler (My Full Heart)
Teaching Multiple Ages (Hodgepodge)

Resource Library and Affiliate Disclosure

Resource Library

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