Homeschooling with Babies and Toddlers Around

Every time I read a post about how to homeschool with babies and toddlers around, I take issue with some of the suggestions.  Older babies and toddlers need movement and exploration.  When we have to confine them, it should be in as large a space as possible--such as a whole room.  If we put them in one container after another just so the older children can have uninterrupted schooling, we will pay later.  Our precious little ones won't develop to their fullest potential.  The months between six and eighteen are crucial for intellectual development.  If they are wasted, we can't ever get the same window of opportunity back.

Why are their needs not just as important?  They too need daily schooling--which for them is movement and exploration.  I'm all for playpens when they're needed for safety, such as during Mom's quick trip to the bathroom or during cooking.

Suggestions that don't involve confining babies and toddlers:

- Go over mistakes in daily work at night, when Dad is home.  It doesn't have to be more than half an hour.  Use the time for a writing conference, or to explain new concepts in math or English.

- School year round so you can stretch out your year.  When babies are learning to crawl or walk, stick to just reading, writing and arithmetic.  Later that same year, work on just social studies and science.

- Finish school in a couple hours a day.  Remember that children are also learning while pursuing their interests.  While school-aged kids are busy building structures, or running a pretend restaurant, or putting together a play, mom can provide stimulation for babies and toddlers and preschoolers.

- If you choose a curriculum that requires a lot of planning time, or a lot of material gathering, or a lot of teacher-directed lessons, you'll most likely be asking your baby to stay put too often.  This isn't a problem for a younger baby in a sling--but later, that same sling will prevent necessary exercise and exploration.

- There will be plenty of time in upper-elementary, middle-school, and in the high-school years for you to use your ideal curriculum--whatever that might be.  When you have babies and toddlers along with primary students (no one over eight or nine), consider yourself successful if your primary kids are reading and writing and doing arithmetic every day.  Throw in the other stuff by reading lots of library books at night or during nap time, and by going on family field trips with your husband on the weekends (somehow between naps).

- If you want to use baby/toddler naptimes to teach your older kids, then try training your oldest child to shuffle laundry for you throughout the day (not fold, just load and switch from washer to dryer).   That way,  when naptime arrives, you won't be temped to shuffle laundry instead of teach.

- Plan art or messy projects on the weekends when hubby is home to play with the babies and toddlers.

- Older kids can take turns supervising a baby or toddler in a playroom--ideally one that is visible from the teaching area, or one that includes a baby monitor.  Train them carefully and post safety rules.  Go over what age-appropriate things they might work on with baby (i.e. stacking blocks, looking at object-naming books, putting things in a container).  Limit unsupervised sessions like this to twenty minutes or so, depending on maturity.  See Managers of Their Homes, by Steve and Terri Maxwell, for an extended discussion on this practice.  I don't like all their suggestions for babies and toddlers, but their discussion on this practice is excellent.

- If you live in a state requiring sample work, consider buying a textbook/workbook curriculum, or do lots of Charlotte Mason-style reading, dictating, journaling and questioning, but make sure you have time to document your learning.  Documentation takes time and planning!  You don't want to be scrambling for samples right before your yearly meeting (or monthly meeting, depending on your state).

- If you abhor textbooks and workbooks, use them only on the days you haven't put something more interesting together.  There will be plenty of days like that.  Diapers and potty training are time sucks, believe me.

- Kids need steady work.  The fewer days off per year, the better.  Have a back-up plan to keep them plowing forward, regardless of what you're doing.  You aren't going to over work them in two hours per day.  Those two hours are more beneficial year-round, than the traditional schooling practice of four hours per day, with extended summer and holiday breaks. Steadiness leads to proficiency (and even to excellence).

-When weather is nice in the summer, school one hour in the morning and one in the late afternoon.

- Do Saturday school for two hours if you need a free errand day during the week--with Dad home, this could make for an easy day.