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Episode 13 | Practical Tips for Homeschooling Big Kids with Little Ones Underfoot
Hello homeschool moms! In this episode, I shared some practical tips for homeschooling big kids with little ones underfoot. The tips that I shared are just tools to help you accomplish the bigger picture of homeschooling, which is discipleship. If you haven’t listened to episode number 9, where I shared some encouragement for homeschooling big kids with little ones underfoot, then make sure to go back and listen to that episode. In that episode, I talked about how God uses the distractions and interruptions of our little ones as opportunities to disciple our children and point them to Christ.
I know from experience, that when I focus on implementing practical tips without remembering the bigger picture of homeschooling, that those practical tips can often cause frustration and discouragement. I get frustrated when the hours and hours I’ve spent implementing the practical tips are wasted. I get discouraged that all the practical tips aren’t helping relieve the chaos. But when I focus on the bigger picture of discipleship, then those practical tips become tools that help me accomplish what God has planned for me and my children on any given day.
Do What Works for Your Unique Family
As you listen to me share these practical tips, think about what will work best for your family in the particular season that you are in. All of our families are different. We have unique gifts as parents and unique challenges. Our children, our families, and our situations are all different.
What works for me might not work for you. You might listen to all these ideas and realize that none of them will work for your family but maybe they will be a springboard to help you think of some other things that would suit your family better.
You also need to remember that these practical tips may work one day and be a total flop on another day. I think God plans it that way because if I knew that there was one practical tips that was going to work for me every single day, then I would start relying on that practical tip and stop relying on the Lord. God wants us to rely on Him for all our needs!
10 Practical Tips to Try
So, let’s jump in and look at ten practical tips for homeschooling big kids with little ones underfoot.
- Establish a rhythm to your homeschool days.
- Get creative with when and where you homeschool.
- Put organizational systems into place.
- Choose curriculum wisely.
- Stick to the basics and to their interests.
- Teach older kids to be self-learners.
- Spend time with the little ones first.
- Set aside school time toys.
- Have school supplies for the little ones.
- Pray for patience and compassion.
Additional Tips
- Create an efficient space for homeschooling. This means finding a safe space for your little ones to play that is close by where the big kids do school.
- Utilize mulit-age teaching (also called multi-age learning) when possible. Here are some subjects that work well for this.
- Have your older kids use curriculum designed for independent learning. We like BJU Press video courses for independent learning.
- Establish how much screen time you feel comfortable with and allow your little ones to watch a show when you are working one-on-one with an older child.
Things Mentioned in this Episode
- Homeschooling Big Kids with Little Ones Underfoot | Ep 9
- Homeschool Organization | Ep 8
- My Student Logbooks
- Weekly Checklists
- Workbox System
- Homeschool Hub
More Help for Homeschooling with Little Ones Underfoot
- Homeschooling with Little Ones: There’s More to It Than Just Keeping Them Quiet
- 11 Tips for Homeschooling Older Children with Little Ones Around
- How to Homeschool with a Baby
- 5 Simple Solutions for Homeschooling Big Kids with Little Ones Underfoot
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