Homeschooler - You Need Community!

Families choose to homeschool for a wide variety of reasons. However, if you took a poll, you’d likely find that faith- and worldview-related priorities factor in significantly. It’s no surprise that, if a family’s core values form their identity in a major way, they would choose an educational option that gives them more freedom to guide and develop their children’s hearts in the areas of those particular values. One great aspect of homeschooling is the opportunity to do just that! Additionally, homeschooling offers the opportunity to connect with others who share those values.

Homeschoolers (like everyone) need community. What a blessing it is to build relationships with people who value what you do! You may simply share a desire for intimate involvement in your child’s education, or you may share deeply held convictions on things such as passing on to your children your faith in Christ, raising them to seek first and serve the kingdom of God, or developing in them a passionate heart for evangelism and missions. No matter the foundation of your connection, you are likely to find a likeminded community to be a great source of support, encouragement, guidance, and resources.

Thankfully, today homeschoolers often have multiple options when seeking out a likeminded community. This week, we’ll look at a few.

Homeschool co-op – If your county has an active homeschool community, chances are you have several co-ops available in your area. Many meet once a week for a full day and offer classes that supplement the teaching you do at home as well as some classes you may not feel qualified to teach. Some co-ops center around a particular educational approach (e.g. classical). It’s worthwhile to check into all the available co-ops to find the one that fits your schedule, academic philosophy, and faith. Then, choose one or two or three to visit to get a sense about whether that particular community will be a good fit for your family.

Online community – Online classes, schools, activities, and organizations can provide points of connection as well. While it’s true that online options don’t exactly replace face-to-face contact, they can still be surprisingly beneficial. I have been greatly blessed by an online contact I found while searching for a Christian theatre community. With a daughter passionate about theatre, and no organized community of believing actors in our area, several years ago I sought out someone to connect with online. Since then, we have emailed, called, FaceTimed, and met in person. I am tremendously grateful for the guidance and support I’ve received through this contact (Thank you, Marlene!)

Homeschool moms group – Don’t forget that you need community as much as your children do. Having a sympathetic ear to share victories, struggles, and questions with feels like having your burden lightened. Also, sometimes you just need to get out and have some fun! Take advantage of the groups available for homeschooling parents. Often these will be connected to a co-op.

Non-traditional school – Somewhere between a homeschool co-op and a private school is a hybrid school that partners with parents and values their role as teacher. This includes university model schools and community schools. They offer a combination of homeschooling with classroom teaching, usually providing two or three days per week of on-campus teaching. Microschools are another nontraditional model. Typically, they serve fewer than 15 students and use a combination of teaching methods customized for the group. You may find a community like one of these to be your best source of academic and spiritual support and encouragement.

Homeschooling is often a joy, sometimes a battle, always a challenge. There is no reason to go it alone! Seek out a likeminded community to support and encourage you and to make you a better homeschooler than you are on your own. You and your family will be blessed!

Happy Homeschooling with a Toddler in the Home - Part 2

Today we’re adding to our ideas for accommodating a toddler while homeschooling. If you haven’t seen the first post on this topic, take a look here. We covered some really helpful ideas that are worth checking out! Here are some more.

Tasks

If your toddler likes to help (and many do!), some regular tasks can keep her busy while you work. Some of these might require a little training but should be doable for most two- or three-year-olds with some initial training.

Watering plants can be a fun and helpful job. A child’s small watering can will make this a

good toddler task. Toddlers can also enjoy sorting things like toys, plastic cups, and recently washed socks. Your little one might feel like a hero for wiping down surfaces like the kitchen table or cabinets with a sponge or damp rag, and making beds can be fun for some.

Outdoor time

Many homeschool subjects can be taught well outdoors, giving everyone a chance for some fresh air, and providing your toddler with an opportunity to run around, play with outdoor toys, and blow off some energy.

Screen time

Some families don’t do screen time at all for toddlers, and that is certainly understandable! But if you do, you can make use of it on homeschool days. If your toddler has a favorite show on TV or learning game on a tablet, take advantage of that activity to knock some things out with your older kids during that 30 minutes or so. If you do use screen time on a tablet, setting a timer is a great idea. Let your toddler know in advance that, when the timer goes off, it’s time for a new activity!

Screen time can be especially good for winding down after coming in from outside play.

One-on-one time with you

Though your toddler doesn’t have any school work that HAS to be done, as your older kids do, don’t forget that he still needs your attention and to know he is important to you. Carve out a little time with your toddler while your school-aged kids are doing some independent work. Just ten minutes of one-on-one time together could really help you get through the afternoon tasks you need to do with your older kids.

Time with older siblings

If a homeschooled child has a free block of time, let her use some of that to do something fund with your toddler while you work with another child. Your toddler will likely love having some sibling time, and hopefully your school-aged child will enjoy the time together, too. At the very least, she should enjoy the break from school work! It would be great for the older and younger siblings to find something they enjoy doing together, something that connects them and fosters closeness.

Other ideas

Talk to your toddler about the importance of being considerate to the other household members. As much as possible, help her understand that she is loving and supporting her siblings when she is mindful about not distracting them when they are working.

Celebrate each child’s achievements periodically in a way that includes everyone. This helps all the children learn that, when one person wins, all win. It’s a great way to establish a supportive and considerate environment, and it provides an opportunity to highlight different strengths and victories. What kinds of things can you celebrate together?

- Completing a math facts sheet accurately in the fastest time yet

- A project for science, literature, etc. completed and presented to the family

- A behavioral achievement, something your child (homeschooled or younger) has been

struggling with and recently succeeded at

- A fear overcome

- An act of kindness done voluntarily

Finally, homeschooling provides an opportunity for training. It’s a great chance to teach and build skills in self-control that will benefit your toddler and those around her.

Like so many things in parenting, some of our greatest challenges are also some of our best opportunities. Homeschooling older kids while meeting the needs of a toddler is no small task! But with creativity and intentionality, it can foster love, support, and closeness among siblings and provide opportunities for academic and personal growth.

Happy Homeschooling with a Toddler in the Home

There is no shortage of challenges when it comes to homeschooling, but one of the toughest is figuring out how to accommodate the needs of a toddler while tending to the teaching of your older children. A homeschooling parent can easily feel like there just isn’t enough of her to meet all the needs. Thankfully, we have the wisdom of many homeschooling parents who have dealt with this situation. You can glean from strategies they’ve used to find some that could work for you.

Here are some I’ve used or heard of others using successfully. Of course, every family is different, and every child is different. There is no one-size-fits-all answer to managing all the needs on homeschool days. But everyone should find some things below that are worth a try!

Inclusion in Learning

Toddlers generally love to be included in what’s going on. It makes sense to take advantage of this on homeschool days!

How do you include your toddler in learning? You may have some subjects that work for all your children together. In our family Bible was one of those subjects, and so was history. These story-based lessons lent themselves to piling the kids on the couch to listen while I read.

We also had math and phonics activities that toddlers could do when siblings were working on those subjects. A favorite at our house was using self-inking stamps for math. When my little ones were working on number recognition, I would have a few papers ready with large numbers written on them and have my toddler stamp that number of objects on the paper. For instance, if “three” was written on a paper, my toddler would choose a few stamps and add three of each of those on the paper – three kitten stamps, three mushroom stamps, etc.

For a phonics activity, you can take a letter your toddler is learning to recognize the name and sound of, and draw or print the outline of that letter on a paper. Then, give her stamps, stickers, magazine cut-outs, etc. that all begin with that letter. She can color the letter and decorate the paper with the items you provided. Then, she can name the letter and the items to you, reinforcing the letter name and sound that you’re working on.

Here are a few other ideas for including your toddler in homeschooling. Use counting bears for math activities. Give your child a colored paper to decorate with items of that color (and then name the color to you), etc. These fun activities let your toddler learn alongside her siblings. You are teaching her that learning is fun while also laying an academic foundation for future learning and building focusing skills. Maybe most importantly, you’ll be establishing a routine that will begin to adjust your toddler to the homeschool she will have in future.

Nap time

Most toddlers will still benefit from taking an afternoon nap. Use this time! How you use it is up to you. For some, it makes sense to work on a tougher subject that requires high concentration and few distractions. Others might let everyone (including you, parent) have a refreshing time of rest so that the rest of the afternoon can be more productive. Another idea is to use nap time to teach subjects that draw you into a sweet one-on-one time with your child. For instance, if your child loves science and really appreciates having your full attention and fewer time restrictions for this subject, you both might enjoy reserving it for your toddler’s nap time.

Special Rotation of Homeschool Toys

Many parents have a special stash of toddler toys that are only accessible during homeschooling. These should be toys the toddler enjoys and can play with fairly quietly. Here are some that work well: building blocks, playdough, coloring books, stickers, stencils, sturdy picture books, lacing toys, and puzzles.

It’s good if you don’t put all the offerings in at once! Let it be a little bit of a surprise for the toddler to discover, and maybe, change the offerings at lunch time so there are some new options for the afternoon.

You may also want to have a special, extra-appealing toy/activity or two that you can bring out rarely when you really need some quiet, focused time with an older child.

Independent Play

Independent play has benefits that go beyond giving you space for teaching. It helps your toddler learn to function within boundaries and can also open the door for creativity as he finds new ways to interact with the resources he’s provided, relying on himself to make fun rather than on others. It can also help with separation anxiety as your child learns that it’s okay to play alone for a little while and that you will always come back soon!

To establish a regular habit of independent play, create an area where your toddler can play safely within earshot of you, but not necessarily within eyeshot. In our family, we used the child’s room and put a safety gate in the doorway. If your little one is resistant to independent play, start with just five minutes. Explain that it’s time for independent play, and that you’ll come get him when the timer goes off in a few minutes. Be sure to come right when the timer goes off. You can gradually build up to 30-minutes or even a little more, depending on how your child responds.

Some children love independent play time, especially those who tend to feel overstimulated around too much activity. But all children can benefit from a little time to themselves. Meanwhile, you can use this time for presenting new material to your homeschooled children or to accomplish another part of your homeschool day.

Snack Time

During snack time, your toddler is probably secured in a high chair and happily enjoying some food. For some families, this is a good time to get a few homeschooling things done. This seems to work especially well as a transition right after naptime.

Audio books

You may be able to use audio books to occupy your toddler while also developing her love for reading! Of course, you can always purchase an audio book, but an even better (and free) option is to just record your own (or someone else's) voice reading some books that your toddler enjoys. She can follow along and enjoy the pictures while listening to the recording of you, a sibling, a grandparent, or someone else read. The voice memo app on your phone is an easy way to do this, and you could even have friends or family who live far away send you their recordings.

So there's a start!

We’ll share some additional ideas in the next post. Maybe you’ll want to give some of these a try in the next few days and come back for more inspiration and help for making your homeschool inclusive, productive, and beneficial for everyone in your home!