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schedule with toddler
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I know this topic has been discussed before…and I’ve asked questions in the past, but I need to work through this issue! 🙂
Ok, so I have a 7yo, 5 1/2 yo and 2 1/2 yo My youngest makes schooling very difficult. I think I’m coming to the realization that the best time to do school is during his nap time after lunch. Everything inside me absolutely hates this idea. I’m a morning person, and LOVE to get up, get our morning chores/breakfast done and then start school. The later in the day it gets, the less motivated I am to do school. Usually during his naptime, I have the older two do a quiet time. This gives me a hour or two of uninterrupted time to either clean, or do other things that need to be done (and a chance to take a breath!). If I do school during naptime, I will be giving up that portion of my day! I’m fighting against it…but I don’t see any other way of doing school without continual interruptions. My little one does play well alone at times..it’s just that I dont’ know when it will happen! 🙂 Yes, I’ve tried giving him things to do, and activities…but it doesn’t always work too well.
Anyone else out there going through this? If I change my school time to the afternoon, I need to completely reschedule my mornings. I don’t know what to do in the mornings. I can’t let it be 100% free play, as that usually leads to arguing between my kids. When they have long periods of unstructured play time, they tend to get in more trouble. KWIM?
So, I need some encouragment!! I have to completely change my thoughts about my day, and was hoping some of you have had to make this same adjustment so you can tell me what worked for you! I’m looking forward to the time when I can school in the mornings, but I just don’t see that happening till my youngest is a little older.
Thanks for any help in this!!
Is it just your youngest that your having a problem with? Could you take turns and have the older 2 play with the younger at different times while you are working with the other one, one on one? This might leave a little time in the afternoon where you might have to do the together things but it will be a shorter time and maybe you could still get an hour of quiet time in there 😉 Or what about trying to train them to have a quiet play in a safe room alone for maybe 30 minutes. You might have to work up to it. Starting at 10 and then 15 and so on.
I am right there with ya but I have a 19 month and a 3 yo. I need to do some major training with them. I am realizing how bad I have been letting them slip that last 6 months or so. And sadly it shows 🙁
Actually having them play together (one on one with the youngest) usually ends up badly! 🙂 They tend to play wildly and someone gets hurt, OR they both want to play with the same toy..or the youngest messes up what the older one is playing with. Yes, the main problem is only the youngest. I thought about having him play in his room, but I dont’ know how to go about doing that. It’s not like I can put him in a pack n play. Of course I would have to allow for an adjustment time. If he’s crying/screaming in his room, not much school will be able to be accomplished due to his noise. 🙂 I need a routine with him, too..but again, not sure how to do that.
Hi – I’m new to the boards, but just wanted to throw in a couple of thoughts.
What if you scheduled certain toys/activities for each day of the week? Monday would have it’s own toy, Tues, Wed, etc.
Then, break up the school time for your toddler with an activity every 15-20 min and make it routine. So coloring for 15, play with the day’s toy for 15, sit on moms lap while she reads to older 2 for 15, etc. I think this would be similar to planning out the day for your older kids minus the school work. 🙂
I am definitely not an expert on this but these are my thoughts for my twins as I’m preparing to homeschool my oldest sons this coming school year. They will be a little over 2 then, and we do some similar things now, just not as routine!
Hang in there! I think you can find a groove that works for you and for your toddler.
I do understand the fighting as well. When my dd 3yo & dd 8yo play together alone it can be more of a headache than it is worth. My older dd tries to boss the 3yo and it just doesn’t fly.
I’m wondering if over the weekend you could plan some training time with your youngest. Put a gate up in his room, of course making sure it is safe in their for him to be alone, and then set a timer for 10 minutes the first couple times. Talk to him, tell him you want him to play quietly and nicely by himself. That when the timer goes off then mommy will come get you. Leave him. If he screams then atleast you are not trying to do school. I would try this atleast 3-4 times Saturday and Sunday. Hopefully by Sunday evening he won’t be screaming anymore and hopefully you’ll be past 10 minutes.
It is just an idea. In MOTH they talk alot of scheduling and littles playing alone. That is where I got the above idea. Do you know of that book?
Yes, there will be a transition time while you “train” the toddler. I have a 7yo, 5yo, 2.5yo, and an 8mo, so I understand. There will be times when not much school happens, and your older ones will survive it.
I try to spend some 1 on 1 time with my youngest before I start school – to sort-of fill up her need-cup. I have a few activities up high that are brought down (one at a time) during school time – and she knows that is her school-work. These are puzzles, sewing cards, and huge beads to string. The huge beads have numbers on them, and also have different shapes… those are her “math blocks”. (the older kids have math blocks (cuisinaire rods), so this makes her feel included… and I do sometimes ask her to find the various numbers, or a specific shape, to make her feel like she is doing school. She has to “put away” one activity before I will get down another. Now that said – I am going to have to find a few more activities…. some montessori style ones would be good…. honestly the time taken to show her what to do is very worthwhile.
The suggestion of every-so often having a break (maybe put on some music and have a dance time with everyone for “recess” is good. If your toddler likes books, adding in a “reading” for him/her every so often (not forced of course) can help make the toddler feel like a part of it.
Training to stay in the bedroom might not be that hard… can the toddler climb a baby gate? If not, then give them some toys, maybe put on some music or an audiobook, put up the gate, and leave them in for 5 minutes. they might cry, but will learn not to. Yes, you might not get much school done during this training period… but once the toddler is trained on it, you can get more done. gradually increase the time up to about 30 minutes. If they can climb the gate, then it will be a bit more work – but is similar to training for a quiet time, or staying in bed at bedtime. don’t expect to get ANY schoolwork done during the training period… Just keep putting the toddler in, with as little fuss as possible. Having a visual type of timer that they can see when they can come out might help.
My kids have learned to do school around distraction. It isn’t ideal, but it is life.
For my oldest, I’ve also done some steps to help them become independant learners… there are some topics he is to work on without my constant help… http://www.URtheMom.com has ideas on this.
I hope that helps some.
Nina- wow…that’s a great idea. Trying it over the weekend would be perfect!! I do know about MOTH, but I’ve not wanted to spend so much money on something like that. Wish I could see the book in person. Then I would be able to know if I wanted to buy it or not.
Mommyof5 – I’ve tried having certain toys on certain days…but probably not long enough to really see how it will work. I will make another effort at doing that. I told my husband that I want to take some of our “school” money and buy toys for our youngest…lol! I was only half joking! He loves puzzles, but already has about 10 of them. I don’t know if getting more would be helpful, or just a waste of money.
Thanks for all the responses so far!!
suzukimom – I posted the last one before I saw yours. Yes, he can climb the gate. Or rather, he can knock it down. I just recently got rid of it, as it was of no use. We do keep our lessons short, as CM reccommends…15 min at the most, at a time.
When I’m asking my 7yo to listen carefully because it’s a book he narrates, he’ll say his little brother is too loud and he can’t concentrate. I will look at that link you provided. Right now I have to be by his side for everything. He doesn’t read well enough to do any of his school books on his own, and I have to teach the math and phonics, of course.
I’m enjoying this thread as I have a 6.5, 5.5, 4, 2.5, 18mon in the mix. We have good days and some where it’s much harder to focus! I’ve also thought about rescheduling the day, but I know myself and if I had to read to them or teach during our quiet time in the afternoon I think I’d fall asleep:)
One thing I’ve found is letting my 2.5yr son do “school” at the table, he loves marker boards and dry erase markers because he feels like the big kids. I also will let him play with his brother’s small legos while I’m at the table with them, and he really likes putting those together. I’m also not opposed to putting a short Baby Einstein movie on(or something else educational) for just a small amount of time if we really need to focus on the book we are reading. He also knows that if he sits patiently and quietly during the older children’s readings, I will read his books to him aftewards, so you could have that or something like it for a reward also.
I also think we have to train our older children how to play with the youngest. They need to learn it’s not really “play time” for them, more of serving mommy and helping with the day by just playing how the little one wants to, and their kind of games. I think they need ideas, like roll the ball 10 times, or let him build a tower and help if he wants, etc. It’s easier said than done, but I know a lot of times I just tell my children to do something, but don’t really give them the tools to do it.
I also know a mom at our church who does their schooling between 6:30am-8am before the little ones get up. Maybe that would help too?
Thanks for all the ideas ladies!
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