Are you wondering how to homeschool with toddlers? After all, it’s probably REALLY FRUSTRATING! You can’t seem to get anything done because when you sit down and try and do something with your older child, your toddler is always there. Perhaps they’re crying at your feet, perhaps they’re getting into mischief that they shouldn’t be getting into – whatever’s the trouble, this article on tips for homeschooling with toddlers will help you.
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Homeschool with Toddlers by Using Their Naptime Wisely
The first tip I have for you is to use their nap time wisely. My toddlers generally slept for two to four hours each day. This would be two to four hours without having to worry about your toddler where you could aim to get the work done in that time. So, capitalize on that free time.
Assign Older Siblings Babysitting Duties for a Period
If you have multiple children, you can assign one of your older children to one of your younger children to keep them busy. This means that you have time to spend with a chosen child on a particular subject that they need help with.
So, you could have a 10-year-old child who is building blocks with a 2-year-old toddler and a seven-year-old child playing trains with the four-year-old.
This is a great way to build a good relationship between homeschool siblings and a chance school children don’t often get. This means they will be closer as they are older.
Choose a Suitable Curriculum
Some curriculum options require a lot of attention on the part of parents as they sit with children while they complete activities, read texts, or examine them.
But, other curriculum options are much less intensive and children can either self-homeschool (like the Lifepac curriculum) or have a teacher teach the work to them like BJU.
Choosing the right homeschool curriculum in this case has a massive impact on your homeschool happiness especially if you want to homeschool with toddlers around.
(BTW, if you have younger children, check out the article on Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum Packages.)
Homeschool with a Toddler with an Activity Bag
The third tip I have for you is to gather a whole lot of toddler activities in one bag and give it to them as you try and do the subject with your other child.
What this means is that your toddler is kept busy for 20 to 30 minutes as they play by themselves as they’re interested in the new things in the bag.
You might give them an assortment of the following items:
- kitchen utensils
- bathroom items
- hair-care items
- pegs
- board books
- hard puzzles
- packets of food they can’t break but they can shake
- a treasured toy of their older sibling they haven’t been able to play with yet (may require some pleading with said sibling).
I’m sure you have other ideas as well.
Homeschool with Toddlers by Taking Work Outdoors
A great tip on how to homeschool with toddlers is to take everyone outside and do schoolwork there.
Nature has such a calming effect on our little ones and they love it. You don’t need to entertain them, because nature does that for you!
They find little sticks, leaves, seed pods, mulch, and a thousand and one other things to entertain them.
You enjoy it too as you see them growing and thriving.
Homeschool with Toddlers at Play Parks
Another good tip on how to homeschool with toddlers is to take them to a play park.
As the toddler plays on the equipment, you can set up a picnic rug nearby and get some homework done.
This is a great place to read to your child as they lazily relax on the picnic rug.
When you’re done, they can have a nice play on the playpark (or if they’re itching to get onto the equipment, you can allow them ten minutes before the the start of the lesson, and some time at the end too!)
Set Up Toddler Activities
You can also set up some toddler activities to keep them busy while you homeschool your kids. This might be a good option to do while your kids are homeschooling in the morning.
That is, you could do a harder subject in the morning at home (like math) while your toddler does an activity (here’s a list of good activities for toddlers and some you might adapt for them to do by themselves) and then do the easier subjects in the afternoon at the park (see above tip for homeschooling with toddlers).
Conclusion on How to Homeschool with Toddlers
So, I really hope that this will give you some ideas about how you can mix homeschooling your children and sitting down with them at the table as well as having a little toddler in the mix. All the best!
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