Homeschooling with Multiple Children? Three Tips from Experienced Moms

Life can get hectic fast when you have children running around all day and your family is involved in church and extracurricular activities. Constant rushing can lead to stress and frustration, especially when things don’t go exactly as planned. Courtney advises homeschool moms to be proactive about protecting their schedule, as it can set the tone of the week. Since your kids are homeschooled, you have extra freedom to set up a Thursday morning appointment for them, but that doesn’t mean you should. Check your calendar first!

I would highly encourage you to create margin in your schedule. This will help prevent burnout for yourself and your family and also create a more peaceful environment. If you know you’ll have a late night from Wednesday night church, you might not want to schedule that dentist appointment for 8 AM on Thursday morning. A slow morning at home might be preferable! And if you are planning a vacation, do what you can to come home on a Friday so that you have the weekend to settle in before jumping into the week. Overall, just beware of putting too many things on your schedule. It can be tempting to fill empty spaces on the calendar with plans, but sometimes what your family might need most is nowhere to be. — Courtney B.

By protecting breathing space between commitments, you minimize chaos and stress for your family.

By protecting breathing space between commitments, you minimize chaos and stress for your family. But how do you minimize the chaos when it’s time to begin schoolwork and you have multiple children simultaneously vying for your attention? Picture this: Your nine-year-old has a lot to get through, so you begin the day by reading the spelling curriculum to him. That’s when your three-year-old starts wailing that she’s hungry (even though she just had breakfast), and your six-year-old starts complaining that he doesn’t understand any of his math work—your cortisol levels may have risen just thinking about it. Based on her experience, Karis gives advice on how to promote a more peaceful morning: Don’t try to start teaching spelling yet.

If you have multiple children, take time to play or work with the youngest first! It may seem counterintuitive because the older grades have the most work and “importance.” Those little ones though, whether babies or toddlers or lower elementary, have shorter attention spans and patience, so they may be clamoring for attention—literally asking, causing trouble, or acting more needy than usual—sooner rather than later, while you are trying to get started with the older grade(s). It can be frustrating to both you and the older student(s). But I have found that if you simply give the youngest some one-on-one time and your full attention, they are satisfied and more independent when you move on to the older grade(s). It doesn’t have to be long if your day needs to move along. 10–15 minutes is usually sufficient, depending on the child and their needs. — Karis E.

As you iron out your kids’ academic schedule and pick your curriculum, keep in mind that it doesn’t have to look like your friend’s kid’s academic plan—and it probably shouldn’t. In fact, it doesn’t even have to look like your schedule and curriculum choices from last year, and no two of your kids have to do the same curriculum at the same pace. Don’t put that pressure on yourself and your kids if it’s unnecessary. As Brigette notes, each child is different, so flexibility is key. You, as a homeschool mom, have a unique opportunity to cater to each of your children’s God-given, individual learning styles and interests.

Always remember that education looks different for every child. Each child is unique, and a “one size fits all” approach when it comes to academics tends to leave children either bored or frustrated. As a mom, you know each of your children better than any teacher will ever be able to know your child! You are fully aware of everything from what their interests are and how they learn best, to what time of day they are able to focus best. Use that knowledge as you pick out curriculum/extracurricular activities and work on lesson plans and schedules for them. A “typical school day” at my house looks very different for each of my four children—and in my opinion, that is one of the huge strengths of homeschooling! — Brigette S.

Flexibility is one of the benefits of Answers Bible Curriculum for homeschoolers.

Flexibility is one of the benefits of Answers Bible Curriculum for homeschoolers. Your kids (K–5) can complete lessons at the pace that works for your family, and activity worksheets and videos drive home the main points. My younger sister loves ABC and has often told me how Avery and Bryan made her laugh or taught her a fun fact in the video lessons. So as you sit down and read the lesson with your child or set up the video on your laptop before playing with your toddler, you can be confident that your student is not only being engaged but also being equipped to defend the truth of God’s Word. Definitely check it out if you haven’t already.

These ladies gave amazing tips, but you don’t have to stop here. Grab coffee or go on a walk with another homeschool mom or two who know you and your children on a personal level. Share your experiences, both the successes and failures. Speak truth into each other’s lives and pray together. You may find yourself driving home encouraged and with new ideas to try—and hopefully, they will too.