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Tips for Homeschooling Children of Multiple Ages
Are you busy homeschooling children of multiple ages? If you are, you know that it’s not always an easy task, but it is possible to get it done. Here are some tips to help you homeschool your children of multiple ages.
Create a Schedule
Honestly, it may be a little hard to sit down and homeschool all of your children at the same time. Creating a schooling schedule is one way to keep everyone’s learning needs in mind. Maybe one of your children learns better in the morning, and another child learns better in the evening. No two days have to look the same when you homeschool, but it is wise to create a schedule to keep everyone on task.
Complete a Study Unit Together
A genius way to homeschool children of multiple ages is to complete a unit study together. This is where all of the children work on one project together, but they are busy learning different things. A highschooler may be learning about the history of the project, and at the same time, the preschoolers are trying to wrap their head around the basics. See how that works? So easy!
On a similar note, we use Mystery of History for our history right now. The history is read together, and there are activities for different age groups. We have loved this series, but alas, this is our last year.
Allow Older Children to Teach Younger Children
There will be days when mom and dad can’t do it all. Allowing older children to teach younger children is one way to take the pressure off. You don’t have to put a ton of pressure on the older child to teach the younger child, but, oftentimes, it happens naturally. Simply having an older child read to a younger child is one form of teaching. Think about it.
Visit a Local CO-OP
Co-ops are a great way to get everyone’s schooling in without skipping a beat. More homeschooling Co-ops are popping up all over the country. You just need to find one that matches your family’s needs and style.
In our early years of homeschooling, we were a part of a wonderful co-op. It was a perfect fit for us as it was Christian-based and allowed everyone in who believed in the common Christian beliefs. However, we have not found a co-op that we liked that much since our time in Missouri.
Take Field Trips Together
Another great way to homeschool children of multiple ages is to take a field trip. Don’t forget that when you are homeschooling, you make up the rules! Take a fieldtrip to a local science center or to the beach. Learning doesn’t always have to happen at the kitchen table. Think outside of the “homeschooling box”, and you’ll be amazed at how well you can make all of this work.
Some of our favorite field trips have included trips to education days at Hersheypark, trips to the zoo, a 5K for charity, and educational beach days while on vacation. It’s easy to incorporate homeschooling field trips into vacations!
Homeschooling children of multiple ages comes with its challenges, as you know. However, these tips give you clever ways to homeschool those kids of yours without adding more chaos. Which tip will you try this school year?
It was a great read. You have mentioned some great tips. Actually I believe that grade levels are a very arbitrary thing and they don’t have to rule your homeschool.