Homeschooling one child is a mission, but when you add in multiple grades along with little ones under foot that is almost a recipe for disaster! There is most definitely a fine balance in being effective at teaching but also remaining sane. Some day you will nail it but rest assured there will be some days that you feel like you are living in crazy town.
Teach Family Style
In the early days of the public school system children were taught in one room school houses. The system in which we now have is actually relatively young.
A one room school house was when children from all different ages were taught at the same time for different subjects. We can use this model effectively in our own homes when we have children of different ages.
There are certain subjects such as reading an math that will generally require more individualised instruction. Subjects such as history, science and art can generally be taught as a group to multiple ages.
Once you have taught the lesson to the group the children can then complete assignments based on their level. Younger children may enjoy a simple cut and paste activity where as older children who are more capable can complete research essays or more difficult tasks that require them to engage a bit more deeper with the topic.
We currently use The Good and the Beautiful for history. What I really like about it is that it is a four year cycle. This means that the children will be taught the same lesson three times before they finish their education. Each time they revisit the topics they will be older and more capable. The depth in which they can study the topics will continued to be built upon. Many history curriculums work in a similar manner.
Encourage Independence
Most children love and thrive on independence. It gives them ownership over their work and they tend to work more effectively when they have some control over what they are doing.
Teaching multiple grades definitely requires the older children to become a little more independent and self reliant. This actually benefits them greatly in the future as they become effective at know “how” to learn instead of just being fed information. They learn more about themselves and what methods and techniques work the best for their learning style.
Even the youngest homeschooled child is capable of having some independence in their learning. Whether that is simply completing a worksheet or practicing their handwriting. These are tasks they are able to complete without having some need to be sitting right there focused solely on them.
Once children start to mature in their education they can then take on more independent tasks. Children who can read well have the whole world opened up to them. They are now able to read instructions and understand what is required of them.
While each child is completing independent tasks this frees you up to work with each child on lessons that do require you to be totally hands on. Children can either complete their independent work at the table with you while you work with their sibling or they can find another more quiet space. I like to keep my younger ones at the table with me so they stay on task but my eldest likes to work in his room.
Create a Schedule
I have found creating a schedule to be highly effective while teaching multiple grades. This is more for my benefit that for the children. Each morning I put the schedule up for everyone to see. They know when they will do their work with me and when they will be working alone. When they have their time with me they will also bring the work they have done alone for me to check and to help where ever they have had trouble.
A schedule keeps things running smoothly in our day. If I try to just play it by ear we are not at all productive, things get missed, work is sloppy and everyone ends up frazzled and frustrated.
Enlist the Help of Older Siblings
It is obvious that you as a parent can not do it all. No matter how much you try or like to think you can, it just isn’t possible without going crazy!
Older siblings are a great source of support and help while homeschooling. They can listen to younger children read, they can help prepare lunches and keep a baby entertained.
Working with Babies and Toddlers
Babies and toddler bring a whole different ball to the game. I wrote a much more in depth post here on ways to homeschool with little ones so if this is something you are struggling with then go have read.
One of the best ideas that I have found for homeschooling with babies is to add “babysitting” to the schedule for older siblings. When my youngest was just a young baby I would have his brother or sister be “in charge” of him for 20-30 mins at a time. During this time they would rock him in his bouncer, feed him a bottle if needed, play with him or practice their reading by reading him books. This worked exceptionally well for everyone. The big kids loved feeling like they had some special responsibility, it increased the bond between them and I was able to concentrate on the child I was working with.
Toddlers on the other had need a bit more direction and focus. I have several bins of toys that are open ended and provide my toddlers with engaging but quiet work to day.
I have found that the best resources for toddlers that really hold their attention for long periods of time are open ended toys like blocks and play doh. We have both magnetic blocks and normal wooden ones as well as traditional Duplo. I should warn though that it is important that you buy good quality magnetic blocks. We had some cheaper ones that broke easily and magnets were swallowed which is incredibly dangerous. I recommend these ones here.
Online Learning
Online learning can be a life saver for parents of multiple children. You can choose to just do certain subjects online or you can do your entire curriculum online.
There are various options for online learning. Some schools offer virtual learning where you can participate in classrooms via video. There are other schools that send out all the curriculum, teaching and assignments online. Other online learning classes are subscription based where the instruction is given via video and then assignments are completed and marked by the program.
One of the benefits of an online school is that there is someone else that is in charge of delivering the learning to your child. Your responsibility is simply to act as a support and facilitator. You will always have the support of a teacher and do not have to create your own curriculum.
If your child is enrolled in an online school they are usually permitted to also participate in that schools social events, sports teams and attend on campus should they wish to.
My children are currently doing their math program online via CTC Maths. While I am not a fan of online learning in general, I prefer pen and paper I really do find this works well for our family at the moment. The teaching is good and the children are succeeding.
Final Thoughts
As you can see there are so many different ways that you can make teaching multiple grades work for you. It will take a bit of fine tuning regularly to find what works best for your own family but over time you will find your flow.
Homeschooling allows for a great deal of flexibility which is definitely what you need when you are homeschooling multiple children. The younger years are the most intensive and wearing on the parent homeschooling. Be aware of homeschool burnout in those early years. If things become overwhelming take a break and analyse what you might need to change.
