The Homeschool Juggle

Written by Rebecca Duitsman

A question I receive frequently when friends see my crew of five is, "What do you do with the little ones while you homeschool?" It's a great question and one I wondered about a few years ago before I found myself in this reality. The thing is? There are many answers to this question! I would encourage you to continue asking this question to homeschooling moms with multiple age categories at home to best paint a picture of what may work for you and your crew. 

But since you asked...

My kids range from 8 down to 0. Having a baby that can sit (yay!) but won't crawl off all the way to two older kids that are semi-independent, with two in between that take much attention and supervision, makes for a fun (sometimes) day! Some tips and tricks I have found to help with the homeschool juggle are:

 

1) Maximize the subjects that everyone can participate in together. 

For us, that is easily any P.E., arts/crafts (AKA coloring sheets if I'm being honest. Glitter is the enemy!), and Bible time. Sometimes my 4 year old sits with us during geography because the pictures are interesting but not always. 

 

 

2) Create an open learning zone.

Maybe the desks and whiteboard in that basement room makes for a clutter free, cute homeschool room, but it also makes you totally inaccessible to the littles. For us, the kitchen table is the place to be! It is open to the living room, which has the playroom off to the side.  

Pros: I can sit at the table AND supervise my three littles as they freely play (which IS school for them!).  

Con: The toys can become a bit much, but we have mid-day cleanup time to address that. Phew!

 

 

3) Prioritize reading and everything else gets easier.

Every child learns to read at their own pace (I was 8 before it really clicked), but prioritizing reading will allow for greater independence across the disciplines in the long run. My 8 year old struggles with a word here or there, but can read his own math word problems, the instructions to his lego building set, and nearly anything else he desires to read! So as an example how prioritizing reading is helpful in the homeschool juggle, math requires nearly none of ME for my oldest to succeed. And for my 6 year old? We focus heavily on reading and writing so that she too can become an independent learner. 

So there you have it! 

Is that an exhaustive list of tips to help juggle children in different age categories? Absolutely not! The tips above may or may not work for your family but remember, keep asking great questions to homeschooling mommas around. Because the first learner in this homeschool juggle is us. And we make for some pretty good lookin' learners if you ask me.