Name: CHEC Rocky Mountain Homeschool Conference
Start: 2025-06-12T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-06-14T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Denver, CO

Tagged: multiple children, toddler

This topic has 8 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 10 months ago by sunlady3.

Viewing 9 posts - 1 through 9 (of 9 total)

Author
Posts
July 30, 2010 at 12:09 am
sunlady3
Member
I’m sure there are plenty of discussions on this, but I think I will find some answers more quickly this way.

This will be my first year to homeschool. I have a 6 year old that has gone to kindergarten so we will start 1st grade. I also have a 4 year old. I have a general idea of what I will do with her – some work that she will do on her own and then the rest of the time giving her the freedom to listen in while working with my oldest.
Where I am stumped, though, is what to do with my 2 year old. He takes an afternoon nap so I do not want to wait until his nap time to school.
I am looking for suggestions on how I can occupy his time while I am trying to work with the older girls.

Thanks
Heather
July 30, 2010 at 12:55 am
quietwatersmommy
Member
Here’s a great article from Karen Andreola about this issue
http://www.homeschoolhighlights.com/01_preschoolers/
July 30, 2010 at 1:50 am
Sara B.
Participant
Keep a bin on hand of learning toys that he can only have during school time. I have 4 kids, my youngest is 1. When we do school with the older kids, he “helps” or just plays with his toys or naps. When my 3yo was littler and not doing any “school” yet, she would occupy herself playing with toys or listening in or coloring or doing puzzles or “reading” books, etc. My kids are extremely good at playing alone, though, so this may not work for every child. But I HTH!
July 30, 2010 at 1:59 am
Sonya Shafer
Moderator
Here are a few more ideas for homeschooling with preschoolers in the mix.
July 30, 2010 at 3:21 am
Hope
Member
My kids are 6, 4, and 3. I invite my younger two to sit in on school time, but tell if they are going to sit with us they need to be quiet. They are allowed to play quietly with toys, but cannot interrupt or be loud. If not, they may go to their room to play. My 4 year old usually sits right along with his and my 3 year often sits in my lap, especially during our literature books. During math time or phonics work, I get the younger two busy with something like puzzles, their own “worksheets”, coloring, etc. If we are really struggling that day, I wait until naptime to do one-on-one theinstruction that is needed, but most days we try to be done by noon. This is all new to us too and we’ve done a light school schedule this summer, but this is what is working so far.
July 30, 2010 at 5:34 am
MamaSnow
Participant
I’ve found that my 2 year old really likes to ‘play along’ with us, and is much less likely to be whiny and disruptive if I let him. He really likes to have something that looks like what his big sister is doing. So when we do our calendar time – he has his very own that looks just like his sister’s to scribble or put stickers on. When we do phonics games he likes his own little tray of letter magnets or pile of word cards. When we do math he likes his own little pile of manipulatives. (I just hand him the extras that we aren’t using.) You get the idea! I also have a shelf in our school area that has special toys on it (puzzles, a magnet tray, playdough, other ‘educational’ toys) and a basket of board books that I rotate out every couple of weeks. Our ‘school time’ has gone much more smoothly since I have worked on ways to include him as much as possible.
July 30, 2010 at 1:41 pm
6boys1girl
Participant
Oh, the joys of homeschooling with a little one. This year my little is 16 months (my 3 year old just does what her 5 year old brother does).
I put together 5 shoebox size boxes with special activities in them. Some ideas are: cups with little animals or other thing to put in and out, blocks, tea set, small puzzles, coloring, cars and something to make tracks out of, beans (if she’s not too oral) with cups/spoons. I’m sure you could just look around your house and come up with some. These were placed out of reach and only used during indepent school time. They sat in their booster seat at the table with us and played while we worked.
I also trained them on blanket time (this works best after 18 months). Just put a blanket on the floor with some toys and teach them to stay on it quietly and play. This worked great for reading time (if they didn’t do well sitting on my lap or next to me that day). Also, comes in handy for the Dr office, church or other people’s houses.
I would definitely keep the short lesson times in mind. Have them do one activity for 10-15 minutes or so at first working up to a half hour as they are able.
July 30, 2010 at 2:18 pm
quietwatersmommy
Member
I wanted to add that since your oldest is still so young, and the lessons will be short, you can also try “doing school” only during nap times for your youngest. I see you said that you don’t want to do this, but you can save it for an option if you have to.
It definitely is a juggling act, and you have to be flexible but it is doable.
Also, as someone else said, the youngest will probably want to “do school” with your older ones. That’s the way it’s always worked in our house. Get some inexpensive coloring books or just print out some coloring pages from the internet, put them in a binder and let that be your 2yo’s “work”. My youngest just turned 3 in June, and all through our last school year, it was so cute to hear him say that he wanted to “do his math, too” (he wasn’t doing math of course, but he heard the others say it). He He would sit right at the table with us and color or play with the Math blocks.
And be encouraged…the younger ones will pick up so much more from being in the rich environment, that it actually will make your life easier in the long run

Nanci
July 31, 2010 at 2:39 am
sunlady3
Member
Thanks everyone! It is all good advice. I can’t wait to get started!