When I started homeschooling I really only had the Princess who was doing school. Sure, sometimes my Little Man would “sit-in” on schoolwork, but my primary focus was on the Princess. Over the years our family has grown by one more, the Littles have gotten older. And now I am homeschooling 3 kiddos instead of just one.
Honestly, I kinda let things go with the Littles long after I should have been working with them. I was anxious about trying to educate more than one child at a time, and especially THREE at once. But apparently, I can’t wait until one is graduated to start educating the others. Who knew?
Seriously though, this year is my first year with all 3 kiddos officially doing school work. You can read what curriculum I chose in this post ———> Paterson Academy Curriculum Round-Up 2018-2019. The biggest challenge I have is the large age gap. The Princess is 11 and in 6th grade, while the Littles are 5 and 7 in K and 1st respectively. That age gap doesn’t seem like a big deal with some things, but educationally speaking, that gap can be more like a canyon. I approached things with that in mind and made my primary goal to make things as easy as possible for everyone, especially me. Here is how I did that:
Give older students as much independence as possible
With that in mind, I have started sitting down with her every Sunday and going over her week’s assignments. I give her a daily list of assignments for the week and she goes on her way. I am always available to answer questions, but for the most part her schoolwork is self-directed.
Remember that kids won’t always do what they’re supposed to do. At first, they may take advantage of their newfound freedom and shirk their responsibilities. But with persistence, consequences, and open conversation about increased responsibility you all will find a rhythm that works for you.
Find work that can be done as a group
Field trips are also a fantastic way to get everyone learning together. As you already know we are on the go A LOT and this is one of the main reasons why. Everyone learns when we’re at the museum or exploring nature or whatever. They each learn at their own level and are better able to find things that interest them specifically. Sometimes they do go in 3 separate directions so maybe they are not necessarily learning “together” but it’s still better than trying to teach 3 completely different subjects at once.
Get curriculum that matches even if it's on a different level
If kids are very close in age (like within a couple of years) and/or at the same level, it is also possible for the kids to be doing the exact same book. Both of my Littles are doing Handwriting Without Tears and Explode the Code 1. They work together with the Little Man reading directions to the Baby who doesn’t read well yet. This also gives them a little healthy competition as they try to get their work done. I do try to discourage real competition, however.
Older kids can help guide the younger ones with their work
Even the Little Man will read things to the Baby to help out, although he struggles with not just giving her the answers.
Overall, I believe that pairing older and younger kids is a very good way to help younger ones get through their work. If I had more children like many wonderful homeschooling families I know, I think this would be something I put into practice quite often. I believe there is a benefit to both age groups because they each get to learn from the other and work cooperatively.
In the end, I think that homeschooling multiple children is definitely different than just focusing on one, but no more difficult. I think that you have to plan ahead, considering that those little kids need (and deserve) to be educated as much as the older ones. Most importantly I think it’s imperative that you consider the ways you can make this easy on yourself while still giving each child a full educational opportunity. Don’t stress yourself trying to give each child complete individualized attention. There’s only one you and 24 hours in a single day and sometime during that 24 hours you still have to eat, sleep, go to the bathroom…. Give yourself the grace to make it easy on yourself and I assure you the kids will also appreciate it.
Karmen, you are an inspiration for a lot of mothers out there including myself. I am so happy to know you and wish you the best to you and the family. Jeanie