When toddlers are around, sometimes they are literally underfoot and you trip over them or they are quietly introducing the permanent marker to the wedding quilt from your late, great aunt. Whichever moment you find yourself in, homeschooling with a two foot tornado around can be tough. Let’s be real and not act like our home is the perfect Montessori classroom every moment of the day.
In my home, having a toddler around has caused us all to stretch our flexibility muscles when it comes to schooling. As the parent/teacher, I need to be prepared to shift my focus to the two year old, catch a toy car as he rolls it off the table next to me, change order of subjects to accommodate an unexpected nap-time or lack thereof, and have a range of activities kept especially for school hours. My elementary aged kids are developing flexibility as their days sometimes get tossed in the air – my kids have no idea what order their subjects will be taught these days. They are fairly easy-going about moving things around, which is a great life-skill. And the toddler, well he is learning that I cannot or will not come to his aid at every whim or babble he makes; I am not here for just him and sometimes he will have to wait his turn, another great life lesson!
As far as some particular tips on schooling with a tiny one around:
- Set aside a basket of activities that remain available only during school hours. This makes tearing through them important and special for the toddler. Organize the basket so that each activity has its own box or bag. Take an afternoon and pick out fun activities he or she doesn’t get to do anytime else.
- Establish and keep a routine for the toddler’s day as much as possible. This makes napping and mealtimes somewhat predictable.
- Allow an educational TV show (many on Netflix) that he or she can only watch when necessary during the school hours.
- Save tricky subjects for quiet hours, whether that’s actual quiet time when the toddler is sleeping or a time and place that the baby isn’t allowed to go. Sometimes, math requires one of my older daughters to go “hide” in my bedroom. She appreciates the change of scenery and the quiet for harder topics.
- Invest in headphones for the school-age kids. Once their assignment is given, quiet music can be playing for them and all baby noises will be covered.
- Take shifts with the toddler. If one child needs one on one teaching time, assign another child to the toddler and give them a task such as reading to the toddler, craft, train-table time, snacking, etc. This builds rapport between the two and develops great mentorship moments. If the younger one is old enough to begin preschool-level concepts, maybe the assigned sibling can teach a little, too. (My girls have already “called dibs” on teaching preschool and kindergarten level lessons for their brother. Poor kid!)
- Keep breathing! Some days you will kick the schedule to the curb and start over the next morning. Other days, you will kick the challenges in the face and have a banner day!
Being completely transparent, educating your older children with a toddler in the home – whether it’s yours or perhaps an in-home daycare type situation – is more like keeping spinning plates going all at once. It can be done, but it takes creativity, loads of deep breaths, and learners that are willing to shift an assignment or task at a moment’s notice.
Lindsay Banton is a caffeinated mother to three great kids. She never expected to homeschool, but has found that it is a wonderful addition to their lifestyle and wouldn’t change it for the world. In addition to homeschooling, Lindsay works alongside her husband in campus ministry at a large university in Connecticut. She grew up in Virginia but has settled into life in New England, learning to love the long winters, cool springs, green summers and gorgeous autumns- and has built a boot collection to meet all the demands. She is currently blogging at www.oaksreplanted.blogspot.com