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For those with many children, how do you include them all for extra things?
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I have 6 kiddos 9 and under, 5 of which are old enough to want to be involved in projects/science experiments, etc. It is really stressful to me when we do extra things because they all want a part in it, but sometimes there just isn’t enough to go around. Do you all have them rotate each time you do something extra, or do you divide up jobs between them? Examples: salt dough map of Africa (I really don’t want two of them lying around, not enough space for that). So two of them mixed the dough and shaped it, another helped with mountains, etc. Then all of them want to paint grass and the Nile River. Or for science, adding food coloring to water, putting celery in, etc. I never know how to handle all that without discouraging them, and there are always little hands everywhere! Thanks for the tips
We do it two ways. If there are enough steps to go around, we just take turns starting with whose ever special day it is. If not, whose ever special day it is gets to be hands on.
“Special days” are they system we use to decide whose turn it is for EVERYTHING. Can I get the mail?? “Whose special day is it?” Can I sit next to you? “Whose special day is it?” Can I push the buttons for the debit card at the store? “Whose special day is it?” Can I pray first? “Whose special day is it? So if you had 3 children, Monday would be the oldest childs day, Tuesday is child #2, Wednesday is child number #3, Thursday would be child #1 again etc. I assign special days to my kiddos once they hit preschool age.
oh – and the punishment for choosing to disobey and take someones turn, or be impatient and ask “is it my turn?” constantly causes you to be in timeout or sent away for the duration of the activity.
I do my best to include them all. With the salt dough maps, I let my younger ones create whatever they want with a bit of leftover dough. They also helped paint a bit of the map when it was time for that. If there aren’t enough jobs to go around, I try to give preference to the older ones, since the younger ones will most likely repeat the same projects in a few years.
I’ve found the younger ones are pretty happy making their own projects with the same materials. This doens’t really work for science, but keeps them busy when we are doing anything crafty.
Mine learn quickly that life is not fair, turns are not even, and they don’t always get to do a part. 🙂 I’ve got eight children.
Yes, we try to let everyone look through the microscope (doable) but not everyone gets to put ingredients in for an experiment. Yes, we all get to do an art project, but not everyone gets to use the expensive quality materials. (Ex. tempera paint for littles, oil paint or watercolors from Prismacolor for olders)
Often an older child has a special buddy younger child who can team up and fetch spoons/measuring cups, sort colors, etc.
It’s not easy but is a wonderful life lesson!
Thanks ladies! I think we do a good job of making sure they know life isn’t fair (not everyone gets the same amount of food or the extra slice, etc.) but I haven’t done that in this area and hadn’t realized it. I think because it’s so good for them I didn’t think that way (as opposed to always wanting the best seat, or the last something) Laura.bora, what else is done on a special day, just that it’s always their turn, or are their other things? I was just wondering today how to handle this after two separate appointments with elevators:) “Can I push the button going in? Can I push the baby in the stroller on the way out?” and on and on.
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