Teaching with lots of little ones underfoot is definitely difficult. Large family homeschooling is made up of multiple ages from babies to teens, but even two or more children can be a challenge since you are juggling your time between more than one child with different needs.
This homeschooling article is sponsored by CTC Math Your Online Math Curriculum. See below for more info.
If you have pre-school children and school-aged children, you may feel like you are not doing enough in your homeschool since your time is going in two different directions. I understand!
The good news is that when you homeschool in the USA, you have tons of flexibility. Check your state’s homeschool laws, then customize your homeschool to fit your season of life!
Homeschooling with multiple children needing your attention isn’t easy but it also is not as hard as many imagine. I am here to tell you that you can do it!
Check out: All About Teaching Language Arts For Homeschool Moms eBook
Large Family Homeschooling Resources
Teaching with lots of little ones | Practical Tips
One huge thing is to change your mindset about “school” versus “education”. When you home educate your children, you are actually not doing “school” like a public school.
EDUCA’TION, noun [Latin educatio.] The bringing up, as of a child, instruction; formation of manners. education comprehends all that series of instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations. To give children a good education in manners, arts and science, is important; to give them a religious education is indispensable; and an immense responsibility rests on parents and guardians who neglect these duties.
Public schools have developed a way of teaching children that is based around large groups of children that are (supposed to be) at the same level developmentally. That is a lot different than having children ranging from 0-18 as many homeschooling mothers have.
You may consider the “one-room schoolhouse” method a good model for teaching with lots of little ones, but even then things are designed for a classroom setting rather than a private home with just one family. So, how can you teach many children with many levels of needs – whether academic or not?
- think of how you can see to your youngest child’s needs first. Start your lesson time after you have spent 15-minutes with the baby, not only caring for their obvious needs (food, diaper change) but also giving them love and hugs. I do this with my developmentally delayed children, even though they are not babies.
- think of academics as an extension of parenting. How do you parent more than one child outside of textbooks/seatwork/lessons? Consider the natural routines and natural flow of your family’s dynamics outside of academics and adopt those into your lesson time.
- think of life as one big learning opportunity. You may realize that many educational lessons are caught (rather than taught) and so the burden of formal lessons is lifted in those areas.
- think of how to work around the youngest child’s nap time. Which academic subject is most difficult to teach with lots of little ones underfoot? Save those for when the baby is down for a nap.
- think of how you can include the littlest ones. By six months old, most children are interactive enough to enjoy participating. Put your infant/toddler in the high chair with educational toys (appropriate for their age) and intentionally include them while you are supervising the academics of your older children. Sidenote: this will make adding them in as a “student” easier since they will have learned to be involved from infancy!
- think of how you may combine all levels for subjects. Many subjects such as history, science, art, and social studies can be adapted for children of varying levels of development. Either find a curriculum that is designed for group lessons or simply teach those subjects through literature (living books) and keep the younger children quiet during the read-aloud time with coloring pages – and they are learning by default.
- think of how you can take turns. When there are subjects that require you to be focused on teaching one child (math), then take turns teaching 1:1 while another child watches the youngest children – great life skills are learned, too.
- think of how you can “hire” help. Enroll your child in an online program for the most difficult subject (math in my house) that teaches and grades their work so that you know they are getting taught without your full attention.
- think outside the academic box. In seasons of a pregnancy (sickness), newborns, or medical crisis you may simply take a break from textbooks for most subjects, but that doesn’t mean your children will stop learning.
Consider these options instead:
- an online or computer-based curriculum for difficult subjects like math
- educational games that your children can play without you
- living history/science/social study books that you can read to them while in bed
- documentary-style DVDs for science, history, etc.
- have your children read out loud to you
- give your children blank notebooks/nature journals and encourage daily documentation of their lives in words and/or pictures depending on their learning level
- realize that life lessons of empathy, service, work ethic, and all that your children may learn during academic breaks are some of the most important lessons they will learn
- ask your children observant/educationally-minded questions and that will encourage your children to ask questions, learn, and be observant as well
I have learned that, with seven young children, planning a rigid schedule doesn’t work. Having two medically needy/special needs children means that our home operates similarly to how it did when I was pregnant, had a newborn, or during a medical crisis – although stable health for the last few years has allowed a more steady routine (thank You, Jesus).
However, I have also learned that academic lessons are not limited to the textbook or classroom setting. My children have shown me that learning is a mindset and the world is the classroom.
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She asks to do her CTCMath lesson every day and does as many as I will let her! The weekly report emailed to me lets me see exactly how she is doing with math!
Reasons we love CTCMath:
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They are super homeschool-friendly. They are definitely worth checking out today!
Isn't it just awesome to see our kids LOVE to learn??!! All my kids are self-motivated and I love that..And I love how they can read something and retain it. Chancy loves to read about anything..including dictionaries, survival skills, animals, bugs, tress and plants…oh about anything. You ask him and he usually has a answer 🙂 Liberty is really getting into reading and coming and telling me all about it. She has no idea she is giving me an oral report 😀 My older girls play piano (self taught), crochet, sew, paint, draw, bake and so much more and mostly self taught. I lOVE it! I am not a perfect teacher.. I just thank God that they have the love of learning…and yes I pray they will love to learn more of our Jesus and what He has done for us!!
I like how you "wing it", I have to most of the time too. I've noticed the love of learning is more obvious in my little kids, but some are much more motivated or interested no matter their age.
I also wing it, quite often. Young children need time to play, explore and learn at their own pace…and they WILL learn. There is nothing more exciting than when their interest is sparked and they start trying to find answers on their own!
I have also wing it, and have ever since Mom passed away. Life is just always getting in the way and if I don't just let go then I start to get discouraged.
I have another point of view that I want to point out because some people seem to be blessed with quick learners and don't seem to see that you CAN have a child that loves to learn and not very good in their daily "school work". I have a child who LOVES learning about the world around them. This child has questions about EVERYTHING! Also can remember #'s VERY well and is the person I ask to remember all of those kinds of things for me, but the same child has struggled over seat work since the beginning. As this child's mother I know this child knows a lot of things, but is different than what the world at large thinks is "smart'. This child has a huge heart and loves everyone and God's word.
Everyone is different. This is the reason I do not think testing tells us very much. It will not tell you a persons true character and whether they will be a patient and good worker who will get along with their co workers, etc.
I have another child who is quite bored with traditional learning and "hates school", but doesn't struggle with tests or anything at all. We are prayerfully working on this child's character because according to them life is never exciting enough or fare. Everyone is out to get them…sigh so we are real people over here I guess.
Thankful you have ,"quick learners" for you need that. It takes so much prayer and"waiting on God" to teach a child who just can't seem to "Get it" when it comes to learning to read.
No, I'm not offended, just want to help people to see a different point of view.:)
I understand.. I wasn't even trying to imply that my kids are excellent at the typical textbooks anyway… just that they love learning in general. 🙂 I haven't done much of any "school books" with any of them except Josiah.
I know the first child you are referring to and I know that child is VERY smart and holds a lot of knowledge in their brain, has a very good heart, is a hardworker, desires to know and follow God, and whether that child tests well or not is not important (or shouldn't be, but sadly our nation/world is beyond seeing and knowing the hearts of people and all about tests and labels)… anyway, that child will succeed in all the ways that matter in this life. :O) I think once "said child" is an adult, reading, writing, spelling, etc. will come easier and the brain knowledge that they have attained will already be there just waiting for them to apply it to whatever is set before them… does that make sense??
As far as the second child (I'm not sure who you are referring to), but I think it is probably a "heart matter" and probably something every human must go through and prayerfully will come out the other side grateful and content and desiring God's will more than anything else. I will pray with and for you. 🙂
We are very real over here too. 😉 I know it's easy to only point out and talk about the "good/easy" things on my blog, but I don't want anyone to think that I'm implying that we are in any way perfect.
p.s. the first child will probably be a missionary/preacher/teacher (I picture them being a missionary teacher.. lol), or something else that helps people in a very special way… just saying. 🙂 (of course, God already knows and directs their path, but just what I could easily picture them doing, with how big and caring their heart is!)
Thank you , Clarissa. Yes, only God knows. I too wonder about that child being a missionary in some way…and yes, please do pray for us. We all need prayers on our journey here on earth.
Question about the phonics road….Do you have every level? They are pretty expensive, is it worth it? Now that I am homeschooling all my girls, I am trying to find what works for everyone.
I have levels 1-3. They were awesome to use with just one kid, but when I added in the younger kids it got harder. I still use them as reference and occasionally we watch the DVDs together for introducing new phonics rules, etc. But we use Abeka as our main textbooks for the younger kids. Josiah did Abeka for language arts for K & grade 1, then levels 1-3 of the Phonics Road, then he started Fixit Grammar and Easy Grammar Plus in 5th grade and has continued those this year for 6th grade. I do think the Phonics Road is an awesome program, it taught me everything I never learned in elementary school! It does require 60+ minutes to do on the day you watch the week’s DVD and then probably about 30min the remaining days of the week… It was just too much of a time commitment for me as I added in more kids, etc. It also depends on how you, as the tracher, like to do things, etc.! A lot of factors play into whether it’s a good fit for your family’s style. But in and of itself, it’s the best program I’ve used for phonics, spelling, etc. I still apply what I learned to how I teach the younger kids. I do think Abeka is the next best, but there’s things that bug me about Abeka. However, like I said, we are using Abeka for Hadassah, Marcus, and Cyrene this year. Sorry, probably not helpful, lol!
The time put into the Phonics Road needs to be focused and dedicated time. With Abeka, I can get one kid started, go on to help the next kid, etc. It probably takes 30-60min per day for each kid to do the Abeka books, but it’s happening all at once.
Hadassah is in second grade this year and I did the Phonics Road with her for K and first grade. Marcus is in first grade this year and I did the Phonics Road with him for K. They are both doing Abeka for language arts this year. But I kind of modify and teach the concepts from the Phonics Road. In some ways, the Phonics Road is for the parent more than the child!
We love reading living books in our homeschool. My kids are no longer Littles, but great ideas here.
I have been homeschooling my oldest for 2 years now, but my youngest (starting Kinder this year) is globally developmentally delayed and has been attending a Special Needs Preschool for 2 years. I am looking forward to homeschooling him for the first time this year, but am also nervous about how to do so, because, like you, it’s kind of like having a baby in the house. Reading your blog has been a great source of encouragement and inspiration. Thank you for sharing openly. ❤
Great advice. I would have never thought to do the hard subjects while the young ones nap.
thank you for all this great info. your a special person. thank you
These are some great tips! We can’t wait to start up again! Starting school next week!
I don’t have lots of littles, it still gleaned some great useful information. Thank you.
Great ideas, Clarissa. Especially regarding teaching as many subjects collectively as possible.
I would add that I spend the time to print daily lesson plans for each child to check off (it takes me about one hour every two weeks); that has been a huge time-saver for each child to wake up knowing exactly what needs to get done each day.
Generally speaking, I’m not great at winging it. However after my dad’s illness and passing, moving my mama, who has dementia, in with us for a year and a half…, I definitely had to let go of a lot, and find peace with winging it.
So true that changing your mind set is key. I have to keep reminding myself that I’ve chosen to have my children learn at home…and for me that does not mean “school at home” as in trying to recreate the typical classroom setting in my house.
Nap time is when I got the hard subjects done when I had little.
I have 6 children ages 1-18 and I have found that doing school all together has been the best solution for us. I involve the littles in our science experiments and read alouds. The littles play together in another room sometimes, but they will sit and color or listen to the books I am reading. I bring out the playdoh or paint when I am focusing 1:1 with the bigger kids. We start with Bible time and when I ask the big kids to get their Bibles the littles run and grab theirs as well 🙂
These are some very useful, practical pieces of advice!
This advice is very helpful and encouraging. I have lots of littles, including a newborn. I’m definitely gonna have to think outside the academic box!
Thank you for this. I am new to homeschooling this year. While I only have one little, my oldest is 16. They will both be homeschooled. It’s all a bit daunting!
These are wonderful tips & the perfect timing for me to see them! My oldest just turned 8 & my youngest is almost 5 mo with 2 others in between. 🙂
This is all great information to have. I need ways to keep my granddaughters interested in learning.