Homeschooling multiple grades simultaneously with babies in tow is always going to be a challenge! But it can be done!
Check out my 4-pronged approach to success!
I. Group time
II. Independent studies
III. One-on-one learning
IV. Pre-school strategies for infants, babies, toddlers, and pre-schoolers
I. Group time:
This idea involves getting all the kids of multiple ages to work together on some subjects.
When my number 3 baby was born, I already began planning how to sync her up with her brother who was 21 months older.
My firstborn was 5 when she was born, so he was starting kindergarten when she was about 6 weeks old, (this is when you learn the art of nursing and teaching simultaneously), so I knew my best bet was syncing #2 and #3.
Strategy plays a part of how you will minimize the number of directions you are pulled!
As it turned out, she was capable of starting Kindergarten at 4 10/12, so that put her and her older brother only one grade apart. They ran together and loved it until this year (2021) when he started Running Start.
(February 14, 2020)
I also want to address the experience that some homeschoolers have when trying to get kids in multiple grades to work together on a subject. Issues can arise when older students are offended that they are doing work in a grade level they perceive as not up to where they are.
If you can set up a culture early where that is avoided, it will do you well down the road.
From day one I conveyed that we can all learn together and it makes no difference what grade is printed on the spine of the book. They do that in schools to keep track of everything, but we don’t need to worry about it.
I stressed that just as we love each other, play together, eat dinner together, and many other things, there’s no reason we can’t learn together.
I told them practically mom can’t teach completely different things to each child, so we do what works great in a home.
I basically made it a non-issue and they never had an issue with it either. They enjoyed having a work buddy.
If you have older kids who complain about working with a younger sibling, sit down and talk through it and see what compromises you can arrive at and if you can walk back their idea that everyone working together is somehow demeaning to them.
If you have young kids, instill in them that this is just what we do. When there is a huge disparity in achievement levels, you will have to individualize some of the work required, but lessons can still be presented together.
One great example of this is my kids’ taekwondo classes.
For many years, they attended classes with young children through adults, and all belt levels, white to black.
This culture was all they ever knew. Instruction was given and many of the basics were done together. Small groups would be segregated together to each work on the level they were at.
The black belts began to take initiative and teach the younger students, helping and correcting (with the Master’s approval).
Can you see how this could be cultivated in your homeschool? Brilliant!
Several areas lend themselves nicely to this approach of all children learning together at the same time: Bible, history, copy work, art, music, projects, and possibly science, to name a few.
Your curriculum may be slightly higher or lower than some of your students if you have a broad age range, however many curriculums for homeschool families already build the multi-age approach into their system.
Present your daily lesson to all students. Stress the basic concepts to the “youngers”, and address the “olders” with more nuanced questions about the topic. It is a group discussion happening at several levels.
You will be surprised what the younger kids pick up that you thought went right over their heads!
Very young students do well to have a coloring page or drawing page to keep their hands busy. For example, you may be teaching about American history. A flag coloring page for your kindergartener would be great!
You may ask the younger students a question related to the reading like, “How many colonies were there, originally”, (13)?
The older students may engage with a question about why the colonists left Great Britain and why they became unhappy under its rule here in America.
Do you see how this one lesson, with some thought, can be parsed out to several different levels?
Bible lessons progress in the same way. Listening to the answers and observations of the older students is stimulating your young minds around the table and everyone is leveling up!
Copywork is a great way to learn the English language and can easily be adapted for multiple grade levels. This is the art of copying a passage word for word, including all grammar, punctuation, and spacing.
Each child can work on a passage that is appropriate for them, and enjoy sitting together at the family table! It is lovely!
Art can be as simple as everyone drawing at their level from a photograph, or a curriculum that presents specific lessons. Instruct the younger kids to focus on one element of a more complicated lesson.
Perhaps you are teaching color theory. Younger kids may experiment with mixing the 3 primary colors and creating the 3 secondary colors.
Older kids may go into mixing the 6 tertiary colors, as well as hue, shade, tint, and tone. Meanwhile, your toddler scribbles with crayons for 4 minutes before chasing the dog who has dad’s shoe in its mouth!
This quick overview gives you an idea of how to combine several grades/ages in one lesson and everyone wins!
Tip: Take a peek at your lesson in advance and make sure you have a general plan for each different level you are targeting.
High schoolers will likely be off for more and more time, doing their lessons independently. Let’s cover that topic now.
II. Independent studies:
Math, language arts including grammar and spelling, and possibly science are some areas where independent learning is going to work.
The more independence you can encourage in your young learners, the better off everyone will be, not to mention the advantage of moving into adulthood with this skill.
Math lends itself nicely to independent learning with programs online that include not only a lecture but a lesson and even automated grading! We have used Math-U-See as well as Teaching Textbooks and enjoyed them both very much!
Tip: You will need to either have a computer/laptop for each child or have them share by scheduling math at different times.
Once you know how to connect to your math program, sit with your child the first time and show them how to sign in and access the lesson. Watch the lecture and the beginning of the lesson. They will very soon be off and running as these programs are user-friendly and kids are computer geniuses!
This starts to establish what happens when you say, “It’s time to go do math”.
Tip: If kids get stuck and need your help, have them learn to jot down the problem number and move on. At the end of the lesson, they can call you for help so you aren’t running back and forth.
Language arts programs that are workbook-oriented (for those students who enjoy workbooks) are great for some independent learning time.
Independent reading is great, but make sure their book level is at or below there actual reading level so they can read easily with fluency and will likely know the vocabulary (this is especially good advice for struggling readers/dyslexia).
Completing pages of concepts they have learned reinforces those concepts while you have the coveted, one-on-one time with students. Let’s look at that next.
III. One-on-one learning:
No matter how you slice it, one-on-one learning is going to be important when kids are learning to read, learning early math skills, and getting the basics down. It also comes into play with grammar, spelling, reading comprehension skills, vocabulary, etc.
When you have covered some subjects with all students, and others are on to independent subjects, you sit down with the students who need one-on-one instruction.
Rotate who is working independently and who is working with you.
Again, in a large family, you will likely have to implement other strategies like older siblings helping with a toddler for a short time, or reading to a younger sibling.
Make sure you aren’t putting too much of a burden on the older kids, but appropriate levels of working with siblings and helping, just like they do in everyday home life. We are a family, we help each other and work together!
Perhaps Grandma or a neighborhood teen can come over on a limited basis to give you time to work one-on-one with your kiddos. Big families know all these tricks…use them!
Let’s take an example where you have four kids, and you have all done bible and history together.
The older two can go do their math independently, the Kindergartener can have some playtime, and now is when you give your undivided attention to your 3rd grader who is learning some grammar rules for the first time.
Later on, worksheets on this concept you have taught can be done independently!
Rotate the kids through chunks of time alternating who is doing independent study and who is working with you. But what about the baby…?
IV. Pre-school strategies (for infants, babies, toddlers, and pre-schoolers)
Infants tend to be easy when they are in the phase of sleeping and nursing. As long as they are nearby, schooltime can typically move forward.
If you are doing a lot of pumping, this makes things trickier. This may be a good time to work on independent studies as discussed previously.
You could also have a list of choices they can refer to when you have to pump, or any unexpected interruption.
Packets can also be made with independent worksheets, crosswords, coloring pages, etc. they can work on during these times.
There are tons of options with Ergo! Snoop around Amazon and have fun looking!
If you aren’t wearing your baby…you should be! It’s amazing having them close to you in a secure carrier.
My baby is 10 1/2 years old, but I loved using my Ergo and it made so many things possible that I wouldn’t have been able to do without it!
Wear that baby during school and you won’t regret it!
Once the baby wakes up and gets active and even begins to crawl, the motto becomes, “Safe and nearby”.
This is the perfect time to utilize a pack and play, swing, bouncy seat, activity center, or enclosed area with a baby gate.
The trend away from playpens of the old days was good in many ways, but erring on the side of complete freedom for baby to roam at all times comes with it the high price of keeping baby safe at all times, even when adults are distracted, like during homeschooling!
The length of time your little one may be happy in an enclosed environment may be short, so make sure when that time comes, everyone is ready to mobilize.
Go for the one-on-one learning or group time around the family table.
Check out these cool ideas from Amazon! I haven’t use these ones but they look like good options!
Moving into the toddler and pre-school years is a great time to start having bins of toys that are only for school hours.
These highly engaging favorite toys can be rotated during the week.
It would be fun to pick up 5 bins in red, orange, yellow, green, and blue and label each one for a day of the week. The toys stay fresh and the anticipation to play with them is high, so you and the older kids can get busy!
If you prefer a more stream-lined look, check out the clear bins with handles! Pretty cool!
Add a new toy occasionally so they never know what they might find when the lid comes off!
Special art supplies or snacks, only for schooltime, is fun too. Keeping them engaged longer gives you more time and these tricks may be just the trick for you!
Depending on how you feel about preschool television, this would be the strategic time to use that when you need a chunk of time with an older child.
Speaking of older siblings, is there any reason they can’t spend a few minutes reading to baby brother or sister so you can work with someone else?
Give them “credit” for their school work as well! If attitudes flair up, remind them that family works together, supports each other, and loves each other, even when it’s hard.
Naps are a blessing when you have little people, so use them to your advantage if you can. You probably know how long you have before the nap is over, so again, be ready to mobilize and get to business when naptime finally comes. Plan for this time.
Of course, if you have family nearby or a trusted neighbor or teenager, there is no shame in asking for help with the babies so you can get things done with the older kids. Even once a week for an hour would be a welcome break and you can accomplish a lot!
You already know, momma, this is still going to be challenging! It won’t work out as perfect as it sounds here, but with a strategy in place, you will have more moments that are efficient than if you have no strategy at all.
Let's do a quick review of our strategy:
I. Combined studies
II. Independent studies
III. One-on-one learning
IV. Pre-school strategies for infants, babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers
If you haven’t read my post on block scheduling, check it out: How should I structure/schedule my homeschool day? (Block scheduling for focus and flexibility)
It will work well with these strategies and you’ll have a complete plan!
Make sure you have realistic expectations for this season of your life! You are building a strong foundation and it will get easier! The foundation you build will withstand the test of time.
Just remember, these challenging years don’t last forever. The days are long, but the years are short!
Leave a comment with your tips and tricks for teaching multiple grades with a baby and toddler!
I think this photo just about sums up the crazy when you have multiple kids…and this was before #4 was born!
[This article contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase with a link I make a small commission. Any product I link to is one I have used or vouch for unless stated otherwise. ]
This is super helpful information. Eh! Wish I had read it like 5 years ago! Haha! Never to late to tweek our “routine”. Thanks Holly!
You are very welcome, Hillary! I’m delighted to hear it was helpful…thanks for the inspiration my friend!