Snippet of “5 Tips for Homeschooling with Toddlers”
Written by Denise James of Taking Route for the Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers Blog.
1) Enlist big brother/sister in the task.
This is my favorite and go-to strategy. I love to rotate my bigs with my littles. I will have my 8-year-old reading to the 4-year-old. My 9-year-old will be doing puzzles with the 2-year-old. All while I am studying phonics with the 6-year-old. Everyone is busy and actually productive. I also find that this time is great for sibling relationship building! Nine-year-olds and 2-year-old don’t have much in common, but they can both laugh at the crazy Harry and his purple crayon.
2) Busy Bags/Folders or other hands-on activities.
There are so many great resources out there on blogs and on Pinterest for sensory boxes, pasting sheets and busy bags. You can buy them or make your own. I like to pull these activities out during read aloud time but always ONLY during school time.
3) Use Nap Time Wisely.
We have a sanctioned quiet time/nap time from 1-3 pm. The smalls are sleeping and the bigs are either reading, coloring/drawing or doing school work. This is a good time for the kids to have distraction free time to work on math or other difficult subjects. I don’t teach much during this time, but I am always available for questions.
For more tips to help with homeschooling with toddlers, pop on over to Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.