3 Essential Keys to Homeschooling Multiple Ages
If you're new to Preschoolers and Peace, this post is just for you! I've spent the last 10 years writing helpful posts and giving you tools to thrive as a homeschooling mom with a variety of ages in your home, and I hope you will find exactly what you're looking for.
Of course, if you're one of those faithful and fabulous readers who's been around here as long as I have, I bet you'll find something you can use here, too. Pass it along to a struggling new homeschooling mom, a burnt-out old homeschooling mom, or take a walk down memory lane. I don't know about you, but I look back and wonder how I have survived all of this crazy life!
Let's keep this really simple, okay? Who needs complicated and wordy when all you're really trying to do is make it to the next hour without losing a toddler or forgetting to feed the baby, right?
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3 Essential Keys to Homeschooling Multiple Ages
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A plan will be your very best friend.
You've probably realized that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. That old adage is exactly right. If there isn't some sort of structure in place, you are going to sink and sink fast. I spent a good decade feeling like I was almost drowning and that was with a plan. Believe me, you need a plan.
How do I make a plan? Start here:
Start right here if you need the basics: Homeschool Scheduling 101
How do I plan My Homeschool Year?
How do I plan to homeschool when my family has suddenly grown large?
How can I get my kids to work independently?
Loathe schedules? See why a flow chart works for me
Grab a clipboard and make it mobile
-2-
Work smarter, not harder.
Is it possible to double-up on subjects or teach most of your kids at the same time? Yes. Undoubtedly, yes. Why teach different periods of history to kids in different grade levels when you can teach everyone the same information, expecting different levels of work and understanding?
Create a group teaching time, or what we have always called Circle Time in our home. All ages, a wide variety of subjects, and a lot of fun!
Wondering what exactly Circle Time is?
Needing Circle Time Resources?
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In the midst of caring for everyone else, take very, very good care of you.
My husband and I have a helpful and fun weekly podcast and we touch on all of the topics that concern a homeschooling family, including how homeschooling affects a marriage, how to talk to your kids about sex, and financial concerns. We recently did an episode with Christian psychiatrist and homeschooling mom of 6, Dr. Melanie Wilson, on the plausibility of "me time".
Are you taking care of yourself? Here's a checklist to remind yourself of the basics of self-care
You can do this! You can homeschool multiple ages and stages and live to tell the tale! Start with the 3 essential keys and let everything flow from there. Will there be tough days and hills and valleys? Well, of course. But with a plan and some strategies to take care of everyone in your home, you're on your way to success.
