Homeschooling moms of multiple children face a unique challenge. These homeschooling moms need to manage multiple ages and stages of children under one homeschooling roof. Basically, she needs to learn the art of juggling. As a mom of four children ages 14, 12, 6, and 3, I have had my share of juggling routines. You need to avoid your home becoming a source of stress or having your children fall behind in their studies. Here are some tips to managing different ages under one homeschool roof.
*Set up a classroom in your home with each child having her own desk or space. You will be able to keep an eye on all your students to make sure everyone is staying on task. However, I must stress that it is not mandatory to have a traditional classroom set up in your home. My daughter uses her room, while one reads while swinging and the other will often sit on the porch off the upstairs during independent study or for projects.
*Give presentations that are easily adaptable for all grade levels. Once your presentation is over, assign different activities and assignments based on level.
*History and science are subjects that work on a multi-age level. Curriculum such as Story of the World, Mystery of History, Considering God’s Creation, and Christian Kids Explore are some examples of curricula you can use seamlessly with multiple ages. Real Science 4 Kids divides lessons into levels yet pre-level Biology and Level 1 Biology will give you the proper age-appropriate assignments while teaching the same subjects.
*Art, music, nature study, and unit studies are more ways to include children of multiple ages.
*Literature-based approaches such as Five in a Row or Sonlight are options to teaching all your children simply yet effectively.
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Rotate lesson presentations. Allow one child to read while you teach another child math or grammar.