Homeschooling with toddlers

Homeschooling in and of itself is challenging, but the task becomes even more challenging when there are toddlers in the home. Toddlers may be jealous of the attention older siblings get during school time, they may play noisily or constantly interrupt while you are trying to teach, or they might entertain themselves by destroying the house and/or school supplies. Whatever method they choose, any of this can be quite disruptive of lessons. So what are some options for entertaining these little youngsters while still being able to accomplish school with older siblings?

Know your toddler’s unique personality.
Toddlers, like all kids, have their own unique personality. And just like with schooling your older students, you will have far greater success keeping your toddler quiet if you consider their own unique personality. Not only will it help you determine which of the following ideas might be worth trying, but it can also help you to develop your own ideas and strategies. So before you read on, take a few minutes to think about who your toddler is and what they like and dislike.

Use nap time or quiet time strategically.
Most toddlers still nap or take quiet times (and if they don’t you can always re-implement quiet times), so use these times to your advantage. Depending on the age and academic levels of your older students, you may not be able to complete all lessons during nap time or quiet time, but you can focus on the subjects that require the most direct assistance from you and the fewest distractions from younger siblings. Then save the more relaxed subjects for times when your toddler is awake and use another strategy to keep them entertained during those times.

Create special school time activity boxes.
You know how easily kids can become distracted and entertained by new toys, so use this strategy to entertain your toddler. Set aside a selection of toys that can only be played with during school time and pull them out when you are teaching older siblings. Don’t forget to consider how children play in order to make this strategy more successful. Children will be more entertained and more creative–thereby prolonging play–when provided with a single or very few toys at once. So keep the number of toys you provide at one time to a minimum, and vary which toys they get each day to maintain novelty. Also try to choose toys they know how to use quietly and independently and that won’t create a mess as this can help reduce interruptions and the need for parental involvement.

Involve them in lessons.
Depending on the age of your toddler, you may be able to involve them in some of the lessons while you teach. Some great examples would be read-aloud time if you use a literature based curriculum, music time, or art time. Let your toddler join in during these lessons and participate at the level they are able. Depending on the subject, you may need to purchase extra materials for your toddler to use, so keep this in mind when planning.

Create lessons from everyday activities.
The beauty of using everyday life to create learning experiences is that the same activity can provide meaningful lessons for a variety of ages simultaneously. Toddlers are no exception. Go outside and plant a garden together. Teach your older kids about plants, soil, weather, etc. at their level, and let your toddler play along with their own patch of dirt, some rocks, and maybe even a few seeds. Go for a walk in the park. Look for birds, plants, and animals, or signs that they’ve been there and talk about wildlife habitats, lifestyles, etc. Cook together. Observe yeast as it multiplies and makes bread rise, watch the chemical reactions of baking powder and baking soda that allow cookies and quick breads to rise, or practice fractions as you measure ingredients. Need more ideas? Follow us on Instagram or Facebook.

Use older siblings as babysitters.
If you have multiple older students, let one student take a break from lessons to play with the toddler while you teach another student. Students need breaks throughout the day, anyway, and playing with their younger sibling will not only teach them great life-lessons, but it will also give you the peace and quiet you need to provide one-on-one instruction with another student. If you complete end-of-year standardized testing in your homeschool, this is also a great way to get those tests done with toddlers in the home.

Give yourself grace.
Toddler’s don’t just make school difficult, they make all of life difficult. So give yourself grace. If school is taking more of your day than you expected, find ways to create slack in other areas. Make simpler dinners, cut back on extracurricular activities, or reduce outside commitments. These changes don’t have to be permanent, but they can make a world of difference for your sanity in this season of life where you are juggling homeschooling and toddlerhood.

This is a season.
Remember that this is only a season. Your toddlers will grow up, and even if there are more toddlers behind them, there will also be more older kids to help out. So do the best you can during this season, and remember that what matters is the education your students receive as a whole and over a period of years, not whether they did or didn’t do math today.