Home schooling with littlies

What advice can you offer for getting through the home school day with toddlers? I have 3 sons under 6 years and feel like my whole day can be constantly interrupted by 'life'. I only do a minimal amount of formal book work at the table but it often seems to be chaotic and noisy!
Thanks

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Home schooling with littlies

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Oct 11, 2009
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Keep those hands and feet busy!
by: Judy Dudich

I find that our little ones (we had our last 6 babies in 7 years!) have SO MUCH ENERGY. Learning to keep their hands and feet busy really helped me!

Provide lots of activities that are playing/learning at the same time: home-made play-dough, counting and sorting, scavenger hunts, nature walks, parades, exercises and running races, building blocks (with games worked in for Math lessons...counting blocks, adding blocks, taking some away, etc...)

You can sort matchbox cars, Rescue Heroes, or whatever their favorites are! Take a hike around the house and yard and hang alphabet letters on various objects that start with that sound!
Trying to maintain TOO MUCH focus at this age can backfire...if they sit still through a whole story or coloring activity...then you are doing JUST fine!

I believe that toddlers need MUCH time to play outdoors...and everything that they do there is a learning experience!

Enjoy this special time with your three little blessings!

Judy

Aug 05, 2008
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Do What I Do
by: Zakeera Mahomed

Hi ! It might at first seem impossible, but do what I do, and thats read the work you want to teach them and discuss it with them while they are playing, let them have as much say as possible, while enjoying the freedom to express themselves, and when you sit down for lessons again start up the discussion in a more relaxed tone and hopefully they will remember it from previous and how exciting it was. the point is to make them realise that the lessons are fun even if you sitting down. I have 2 children and even though they are older I finaly understand how to catch their attention.

enjoy.
zakeera

Apr 09, 2008
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The interruptions are the lesson
by: Wendy

Hi

You said: " I have 3 sons under 6 years and feel like my whole day can be constantly interrupted by 'life'" And I think it is very important to remember at this age (under 6) that LIFE IS THE LESSON, and when they get a little older and the oldest ones need more formal work - then the interruptions become the lesson.

These are character lessons of course - learning to be patient with the younger sibling or child.

Blessings
Wendy Young

Mar 29, 2008
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Home schooling with little ones
by: Phillippa

I have 3 children, two daughters 5, 3, and a 1 year old son. I have just started home schooling and it seems to be going OK. I hope this helps.
My routine is my life line. I try to keep it similar every day except for the inevitable outings. The subjects that she can do on her own, she does while I am having a shower and prep breaky (ie maths and handwriting). We do read alouds with the 3 year old (son in playpen), Hist/Geog while the little ones rest, then during Playschool am and pm we do learning to read and anything else that she requires my attention for. The little ones have been trained to sit still during TV (1 year old in high chair) sometimes with a bit of food. Helpful?