Homeschooling 3, 6, or even 8 children at a time is a daunting task! Here’s a plan to maximize your time, energy, and resources!
I remember when I added our second child to our homeschool day. My oldest was 7, his sister was 5. I had their baby sister in my arms and another one on the way. And truth be told, I had no idea what I was doing.
For a time, I tried to do everything separately, but quickly realized that was going to take more hours than I had in a day. So, I began combining subjects and experimenting with different ways to teaching them, and by the time I added Child #3 and Child#4 (because they were only 16 months apart, so why not add them at the same time!?!), I was beginning to realize the only way to keep my sanity was to quit categorizing my children by age, and turn the entire traditional school model on its head.
So, let me start by asking you (no, begging you!) to rethink and reimagine education. From there, you’ll be free to create systems, routines, workflows, and lesson plans that work for a multiple age classroom without feeling trapped by traditional educational models!
<Deep sigh of relief>
Now, let’s start where I started…
1. Teach Together What You Can
To be honest, nearly every subject can be taught corporately, but you are probably not going to want to do this (see point #3).
In my eCourse – Creating a Homeschool Schedule You Love! – I help you figure out exactly which classes will work best for your family to do all together, so if you finish reading this post and need more help, definitely take that class!
Creating a Homeschool Schedule You Love
Can’t stick to a homeschool schedule?
I get it! I was just like you! But, after years of searching for a way that worked for me and my family, I found that the truths I learned worked for other families as well!
Let me help you figure out the PERFECT SCHEDULE for YOU! I’ll guide you through the entire process, start to finish with video and wo…
The easiest way I have found to do these all-together-subjects is to put them into their own category that we call Morning Time.
I have a lot of Morning Time posts on this blog where you can take a look at what a typical Morning Time looks like for us, the simple Morning Time routine we started with back when I had a bunch of babies and toddlers, as well as how we make Morning Time work with multiple ages. These posts will give you a good overview of what subjects you can teach together and how to make it work in a Morning Time setting.
Teaching your kids all together is one of the best ways I have found to maximize your homeschooling efforts when you have multiple ages to teach, so starting there is going to be a crucial first step!
Next…
Teach to the Middle, Assign to the Edges
Now that you have combined kids and subjects, you might be wondering how this works when the ages and stages are so varied. One of my best pieces of advice is to teach to the middle and assign to the edges, and the best way to explain this concept is to give you an example from our homeschool
I teach History to everyone at the same time using Tapestry of Grace. We gather in the living room or around the table and I read from a text that is geared toward my kids who are the middle of our various ages. My current crop of kids are 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16, so I am choosing books and resources that cater more toward the 12 year old range. In this way, I am “teaching to the middle.”
Then, I “assign to the edges” by giving my older kids History assignments (books to read, projects to complete on their own, etc.) that suit their ages, and do the same for my younger kids. I lay the groundwork with them all together and it gets reinforced on their individual levels during their independent school time (see point #3). This is how you make sure that the work you are doing all together isn’t too difficult or too easy for your multiple ages.
Teach Your Kids to Work Independently
When you have multiple ages of children in your homeschool, it is CRUCIAL your children learn how to work on their own. And one of the best things about having independent learners is how well it translates to adulthood. You are literally teaching them a skill they will need their entire lives, and one that will benefit you as a homeschool mom in the meantime.
I have a fantastic post that teaches you how to teach your children to work on their own and another post that helps them create a routine that puts their independent work on autopilot so you don’t have to stand over them day after day telling them what to do next.
When it comes to homeschooling multiple ages, having a set plan for independent school work takes a lot of the burden of direct teaching off your shoulders. For independent school subjects, look at workbooks, online resources, and apps to help you even more!
Work from Youngest to Oldest
In my post, How to Add Another Child or Younger Sibling to Your Homeschool, I give various timeframe options for working with your students independently, but personally, I think starting with your littlest ones is best because their schoolwork doesn’t take very long.
Curious how many hours various ages need for school? Check out my post How Many Hours Does it Take to Homeschool?
Working from youngest to oldest also gives you an easy way to remember WHO you need to work with next! Yes, we large family moms need all the help (and systems!) we can get to keep it all straight.
Use Your Time Wisely
Often, when you have multiple ages you are homeschooling, you also have little ones underfoot or you have a lot of life going on outside the home. This means you need to use your homeschooling hours wisely.
*Use naptime for your Morning Time (even if it isn’t in the morning!).
*Get your kids started on their independent school work before you need to do something that is time intensive like nursing the baby or washing the dishes.
*If life is overwhelming, skip the together subjects and focus on independent school work only.
*Hold on helping your students with their independent subjects until naptime or a natural break in your day. Teach them to move through their subjects and make notes of anything they need help with so you can come back to it when you aren’t so busy.
*Put appointments and grocery runs on the same day, so you aren’t running around outside the house all the time.
*Utilize siblings to help with younger ones as you work your way through the other children. We had an entire schedule of siblings for one of our preschoolers! (check out the post below to see it!)
How I Occupy My Busy Preschooler
Homeschooling multiple ages is definitely a daunting task, but you’ll find your groove! When a wrench gets thrown in the works, pry it out and try something different. I have a post on Challenges to Homeschooling Multiple Ages that is a great place to start brainstorming solutions!
You’re doing great, mama! Just keep going! And feel free to pick the brains of other homeschooling moms of multiples ages – including me! None of us learned all this stuff on our own and we are all to happy to share what we have learned!
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