Often, I see people asking “How to homeschool multiple children.” As homeschool parents, we want to give our children the best. When you homeschool multiple children it can feel overwhelming but know that you got this because God got you.
Debunk the Truth
Let us start with some truth. Homeschool is not like traditional school. You do not have to teach for 8 hours. You don’t have to sit at desk even though desk are helpful. You do not have to follow a cirriculum. One of the many blessings to homeschooling is you get to study your children. You can can tell when their tapped out or what works best for their way of thinking. We don’t want to spoil our children and cater a world around them. However we do want to set them up for success. For example I know my oldest is at his best for learning before 11am. I also noticed my youngest really loves art. So some activites will incoropperate art to help her grasp the lesson better. Then I challenge her learning the same thing other ways.
Know Your Children
More than likely you’re reading this article because you have multiple children at different grade levels. Currently I have a kindergarten and preschool. The Holy Spirit has shown me two things when it comes to teaching my littles. The first one was allow their bodies to move. We don’t always sit in the same spot. I sometimes give the option to dance while we do our daily review. There is still structure and expections when certain lessons require their desk. The second thing God showed me recently, was I needed to stop forcing school on my youngest.
When I said “forcing school” I meant having my youngest constantly sitting still at the desk or having the same expectations I have for my oldest. It is not fair to expect her to sit still and shut up especially when some adults have a hard time paying attention in church. She is at the age that requires a little more play and creativity. She learned some of her letter sounds by jumping off the couch. Learning should be fun. They have enough years ahead to be more serious.
One more tip before I go on to the nitty gritty. Just because your child is at the age level of learning a new skill does not mean they’re ready. Your child has a whole 12 months to be that age. That means being 2 in their first month looks differently than being 2 in the 5th month. As you teach your lesson, watch how your child responds. If it looks like it’s going over their head it probably is. Try the same lesson in another week or even a month. Our children are constantly maturing.
Teaching Multiples
Having brain breaks is the best tip I can give. For example there are some things my kindergarten and preschool can learn together. Together, they can review their letter sounds, numbers, shapes etc. However when it comes to specific subjects like math I might need to seperate them. I might give my oldest a math activity he can do on his own while I work with my youngest on counting. Or sometimes I have my youngest paint while I focus on my oldest. This keeps them learning and provides me the time to do one on one.
We often regroup for a game activity or my oldest will sometimes help teach my youngest. Whatever activity their are doing on their own it is often fun, desirable, and incorperates learning. My daughter loves working in her activity book while I do one on one with my oldest.
Finale
What is your goal for each child? When you set a goal then you will know how to set expectations, lessons, and determine how your homeschool atmosphere will look like. What do you want your homeschool days to look like? I am asking you these questions because one tactic the enemy will use to rob you of your joy is comparison. I’m sure you follow other homeschool parents to get ideas and learn. Be careful of comparing your child to theirs. Remember you are getting a spinnet of their life. Remember your child thinks differently. Remember you teach differently. Most importantly remember your children were created by God. He knew your children before you. (Jeremiah 1:5)
Recommendations
Read The 8 Great Smarts by Kathy Koch. There is also The 8 Great Smarts for Homeschoolers. I have not read that one yet but I am sure it is just as amazing as the first.
Watch the movie The Homeschool Awaking. A great movie to encourage you.
Follow pages like @toddlerscanread @toddlerscholars and @learningwithbrii
This was very helpful