Homeschooling is very rewarding, we all agree…but it has it’s challenges, too! Anyone who has ever tried homeschooling with toddlers knows how difficult (or better yet, seemingly impossible) this task can be!
I spend most of my attention on my oldest, naturally, as we work through our learning activities together. Then there’s my 3-year old, playing in the bathroom (which never turns out well). And let’s not forget my 16-month old twin toddlers, who need me for a variety of reasons, but mostly ones involving dirty diapers or food. My days get hectic!
Finding a balance between all four children without neglecting any of their needs continues to be a challenge. I have discovered a few secrets along the way to help me achieve more harmony while homeschooling with toddlers. Here is what has worked for me:
1. Out of Sight, Out of Mind.
When I first started homeschooling my daughter, most of our learning activities were in the same room or area as the twins. This was mostly so I could keep an eye on them as well. I quickly learned this was not a good idea. As long as I was around, the twins thought they needed me. They constantly vied for my attention and I was not able to provide my oldest the proper attention she needed.
I have since learned to move our activities elsewhere–anywhere, actually–away from the twins! We have a small but well-equipped classroom in our upstairs loft area, but we only use this area for more structured lessons. I made a mistake of trying to re-create school at home (that’s another post). So we now do lots of activities around and outside the house. We usually do reading on the back deck. Some days we do math in my bed, before the twins wake up. We do lots of science activities outside in our backyard. And math happens many times with sidewalk chalk in our driveway.
2. Provide a Safe House
Please note that I’m not suggesting that you leave your toddlers alone to their own devices while you teach your other child(ren). Homeschooling with toddlers requires knowing the whereabouts of all children at all times, even thought this sounds impossible! My husband and I worked hard to make our house safe for our children. Our furniture is strapped down. We have a child-safety gate at the bottom of the stairs. The outlet plugs are covered. No electric cords or electronic devices are within reach. Our kitchen cabinets and drawers are fastened and locked. The interior doors are closed and inaccessible with childproof handles. Finally, all exterior doors are locked from the inside with sliding bar locks at the very top.
Even with all the safety precautions, I still check on the twins frequently as we transition between activities. This happens naturally as we move from one subject to the next. If you are less mobile during your activities, you may consider using a baby monitor to keep an eye on your younger children as you are homeschooling with toddlers.
3. Toys, not TV.
I’ll say it here…one of my biggest pet peeves is using the television (or tablet, or computer, or any other electronic device) as a babysitter for younger children while you are homeschooling with toddlers. Experts recommend that preschoolers shouldn’t watch more than 1 hour of screen time per day, and some pediatricians don’t even recommend TV at all for children under age 2.
Yes, it’s easy to stick toddlers in front of the television so you can get through the learning activities with your homeschooler. But just because it’s easy doesn’t make it the best choice. I will admit that I get tired of picking up the same foam letters and trucks and stacking blocks and recyclable goods (the twins love playing with milk cartons and cereal boxes) day after day. Multiple times a day. Every single day. But I do it knowing that my children’s brains are developing, not depleting!
4. Transition Toys and Activities.
To make playtime more interesting for the twins, I transition their toys throughout the day. For example, I’ll let them start the day off by playing with the foam letter mat. To be honest, they aren’t interested in the mat, just the pieces, and they end up everywhere…but it keeps them engaged!
During our first break, I’ll clean up the letters and put them away, and then pull out the toy box of miscellaneous (mostly trucks) toys. They play with these until our next break, which is when we usually all go outside. Remember to include plenty of outside time during the day, especially if your homeschooler has ADD/ADHD…but I digress…. When we come back inside, I’ll pick up the trucks and put them away, and then pull out some stacking blocks for them to play with next. They will play with these until we are done with with homeschool, and it’s time for a lunch and a nap.
I do the same thing for my 3-year old, although many times he joins in the learning activity with us. He’ll start off with play-dough, transition to cut/paste-type activities or waterpainting, and then transition to legos or play with his trucks. After this last round of toys, we are usually done with homeschool, and it’s time for lunch and a nap. The key to homeschooling with toddlers is transition. Transitioning keeps my younger ones from getting bored while most of my attention is diverted to my oldest.
5. Full Bellies = Happy Babies.
Mmy children are much less grumpy and more willing to play or learn if they are simply not thirsty or hungry. It may set me back in the mornings, but I make sure that everyone eats a hearty breakfast (including myself), before we start homeschooling.
We also treat ourselves to a snack the first break we take, which is usually after the first hour of homeschool. My three-year-old turns into a monster when he gets hungry, and my twins are inconsolable without their mid-morning snack. My oldest has not yet mastered the art of eating and working at the same time, so she needs a snack time just as much as the others. And I’m not gonna lie….my yogurt and granola have probably worn off by then, so it’s time for a snack for me too!
As long as no one has a rumbling tummy, I am able to continue learning activities in a relatively distraction-free zone!
6. Minimize the Distractions.
After the first week of homeschooling with toddlers, I realized that I was constantly being pulled away from our learning activities. The phone was ringing or the dog was barking outside at my neighbor. My twins were fighting over a remote control on the floor. I left some lesson materials downstairs, etc. It seemed like there was always something preventing me from finding a good flow and I couldn’t figure out why I was having such a hard time.
I thought back to my teaching days. Quickly, I realized that I was shielded from many distractions and had everything I needed in my classroom. I had to create the same sort of atmosphere at home by minimizing the distractions the best that I could. I made a mental list of all the things I needed to do in order to minimize distractions for homeschooling each day, and now I follow it daily:
- Put my cell phone on silence during homeschool time
- Put the dog inside my room (he doesn’t play well with the twins and he barks too much outside)
- Move all remotes, phones, tablets, etc. out of the twins’ reach
- Set out the first set of toys for the twins and my 3-year old
- Make sure all doors are closed/locked
- Gather all the materials needed for the day’s activities before starting
- Finish any nagging housekeeping chores, like switching the laundry over or washing the breakfast dishes
I’m not perfect and I occasionally forget things that cause distractions. But by making a conscious effort to try to minimize them, homeschooling with little ones goes much more smoothly.
7. Be Flexible.
Some days, my twins are just entirely too needy for me to spend enough attention homeschooling my oldest. Homeschooling with toddlers is always an adventure! I don’t want to lose the opportunity for an educational day, so sometimes I will deviate from our schedule if it just isn’t working out. We’ll pick up our learning activities when the twins go down for a nap or when my husband gets home from work. Or we’ll change activities to a less-structured one that the twins are less likely to interrupt. We can go outside for “PE” (my favorite 🙂 ). Or I can take advantage of small time frames here or there and have my daughter work on some skills.
Yes, I prefer to complete homeschool before noon each day, but some days it just doesn’t happen, and that’s ok. Just remember that the beauty of homeschooling is the flexibility it offers, so take advantage of it!
Final Thoughts
Homeschooling one child is challenging enough, especially with the distractions of younger children! Just remember, you have made an awesome decision to homeschool your child(ren). If things are rocky some days, have faith that you will find your flow and strategies that work for you!
If you have some strategies for homeschooling with young children, please share them in the comments!