Homeschooling Multiple Kids

Have you wondered just how some parents homeschool all of their kids? There are multiple grade levels and abilities to consider, strengths and weaknesses, and not to mention various personalities! All of that and only 24 hours in a day! How on earth do they do it?

Today I’m sharing 6 helpful tips on how to homeschool more than one child at a time:

1. Do what you can TOGETHER.

A huge plus when homeschooling is the time spent together to grow closer. For us, it is often at the beginning of the day. We call it “together time,” but many may call it something else, such as having a “morning basket” time. During that time, we might review Bible with a story or memory verse, share current event stories, read aloud a picture book with a particular holiday or science or social studies theme. We might have a calendar time or a time to learn a new song together. Since we are using some of the classical method, we might also work on memory work then as well. It has looked different during different times of the year as well as during different years.

Our together time brings us closer. When we see something during the day that reminds us of our together time, we all make a connection to it. If mornings don’t work well for you, together time can be near lunch time or even in the evening.

2. Expect age-appropriate responsibilities.

Older children may be expected to do more independent work. They may also be asked to save more difficult questions for later on when you are more available to help. During the independent time for an older child, you might choose to work with a younger child one-on-one. You might, on the other hand, allow a younger child to color or play quietly while you help an older child with something more difficult.

Older children can be helpful when it comes to accomplishing household tasks or helping a younger sibling when your hands are busy with something else. You can choose to reward your older children with pay (money, time or privileges) depending on how much you ask of them. Large families truly understand where they need to rely on each other to make this work. It is possible!

Did you ever think how many of our ancestors homeschooled or went to school in one-room schoolhouses? Somehow, they made it work too. We have the internet resources and books to help us streamline the process!

3. Adapt your schedule.

Rigid schedules can be difficult to keep. If it works for your family, by all means continue on! For us, every time I made a schedule where my children were doing all the same subjects at the same time, it crumbled. It seemed like someone always had to get up and go for a long bathroom break, someone might call on the phone, or one child would linger on the assignment while the others sped through it.

So for us, we have a start time. We aim to be finished with all or mostly all of our work by lunch. Sometimes my older child will need to wrap up a few assignments in the afternoon. Sometimes we postpone reading until later in the day or afternoon.

When babies and toddlers take naps, that is an opportunity to give more attention to an older child who is completing more difficult work.

If someone in your household works odd hours, you might even considering working on some of the school work during the evening. You do not have to keep the same school schedule as a brick-and-mortar school. You are using a different approach—a customized approach—for far fewer children than what are enrolled in a school.

4. Take breaks when needed.

Even YOU might need a break! Allow your children to watch a learning show, work a puzzle, use play-do or something else to give you a break.

A child who is about to melt-down or who is super sleepy might need a break. My 3 children are closer in age, so there have been times where they are all grumpy and sleepy. I have put our activities on hold so that they can lie down while I read. When they fall asleep, I grab me a cup of coffee and we all have a break simultaneously! It’s a win-win!

We use a timer for breaks so that we have a reminder for when to come back and get back to work. I might send a child outside to play if they’ve been extra focused. Somehow it encourages siblings to get busy and get done as well. If not, at least the child who put forth the effort was rewarded.

Sometimes you reach a good stopping point to pause and go outside for a walk. School doesn’t have to stop there. You can discover things on your walk and still have discussions. At the very least you are getting exercise!

5. Use different areas of the house.

I’ve lived in three houses over my homeschooling experience. Only one of them had a designated homeschool room. Even then, we did not stay in that same room to do what we needed to do. After all, I had an infant and a toddler to keep up with as well. We use the outdoors, the couch, the kitchen table (our main area), and even the family minivan!

Moving to a different area of the house can change the mood and it can put space between the children. When we are having issues with focusing, I will often send one of the children to the couch to finish their assignment. If a child requests to do work on the floor or under a table, I’m all for it (as long as the work gets done and no one else is being bothered).

6. Make a to-do list for your kids.

If the children are all younger in age, you might use one list for everyone. For my K, 2nd and 6th graders each child has their own to-do list. I write it on a page in their one subject bullet journal. As the children finish an assignment or activity (even our together time), they get to mark it off. You could have your child place a sticker on it when completed. Get creative if you want. Ours is pretty “stick-in-the-sand.” I write the lists in the morning or the night before. It is on the kitchen table when we start together time. On days that are filled with extra curricular activities, the lists are shorter. You can even use the page to write encouraging notes to each child. :) Even if we don’t complete everything on the list every day, we complete more than what we would have if we had not used any list.

What advice do you have for homeschooling multiple children? Share your comments below.

Remember that you can download my FREE guides at www.TheParentTeacherBridge.com. Just scroll the bottom of the page.

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YOU are your child’s MOST influential teacher.

—Rebecca