The idea of homeschooling multiple kids is one that strikes dread in the hearts of many new homeschool parents. For those outside the homeschool community, it seems homeschooling multiple kids at different ages borders on the magical. We are often conditioned by our public backgrounds to believe kids can only learn when they are grouped with other kids of the same age.
I’m here to tell you that while it can sometimes feel like a juggling act, a few tweaks here and there can have your homeschool of multiple kids at different ages running like a well-oiled machine.
A Clear Routine
I’ve previously laid out the importance of providing the structure of a daily schedule and how to maximize your homeschool day in my post, “Carpe Diem: Seize the Homeschool Day With A Solid Routine”. A defined schedule is also helpful in regards to identifying times where you can teach multiple ages together, when individual kids will need to work independently, and what potential times you have available to provide individualized, grade-specific instruction.
A clear schedule and routine is also important to conditioning your kids to the idea of daily homeschool time. This is especially necessary for kids who have been in the public school system. Typically, the first few weeks of a school year, public school teachers are getting their kids familiar with the routines and procedures of their classrooms. This conditioning establishes discipline and makes it easier to teach and flow seamlessly from one activity to another without constant disruptions.
While your homeschool may not be as structured as a public school classroom, I still think its important to have a routine so that your kids can know what to expect, what your expectations are for homeschool, and to help them to become disciplined in learning and behavior.
Independent Work
The key to homeschooling multiple ages in my household is to provide engaging activities that my littles can do independently that doesn’t require my immediate oversight while I instruct my older kids. The key is that each of these constructive activities provide enrichment and creative value. Here are some of the activities that I use:
Curriculum That Allows For Multiple Ages
Science, history, Bible, and foreign language are the subjects that I often teach to my children in pairs based on their proximity in age. For my family, that means that my 9 year old and 7 year old learn these subjects together, and my two teenagers learn together. Grouping your children together in learning pods for certain subjects streamlines your time and also provides them with an opportunity to work together to problem-solve, brainstorm, and evaluate ideas.
Younger Kids First, Then Older Kids
I will start with lessons, or hands-on activities with my littles first so that they can burn off energy. By the time, we finish a lesson or activity, they are so glad to be free, they’ll cooperate while I teach or help my older kids. Since they’re younger, their lessons are usually no longer than 30-45 minutes. I can give them a break after their individual lessons, help my older kids, and then rotate back around to another short lesson/activity with them.
Outsourcing
For middle and high schoolers, identify which courses you feel can be outsourced to either an online class or a pre-recorded class that you can act as a tutor or facilitator for, but doesn’t require you to be the primary teacher. As my kids have gotten older, this has been a stress-reliever! For example, I love writing, but I don’t like teaching writing and grammar. It’s nice to have someone else take on the heavy lifting of teaching this. I still have to help my children in going through the writing process for written assignments and proof their work, but the bulk of the teaching burden is off my shoulders.
More Autonomy Older Homeschoolers
Using online tools that help middle and high school students to be independent learners and provide some separation between the time they do the assignment and the time you grade it. Below, I share three online tools that have helped to give my older homeschooled kids more autonomy and helped them to take greater ownership in their education.
There’s an old proverb that says, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man how to fish; and you feed him for a lifetime.”
When my older two girls were younger, their learning was very teacher-dependent. I had to provide instruction and oversee nearly every aspect of their daily educational activity. However, as they’ve gotten older I’ve trained them on how to take notes, how to read and evaluate material, and how to think critically. I’ve tried to train them on how to teach themselves. Now they’ve arrived at a place where I can give them some autonomy and they can learn on their own. In many cases, I’m more of a facilitator or a consultant, rather than their teacher. My older kids and I are able to have deeper, more mature discussions as they formulate their own ideas about what they learn.
I can now focus on getting my younger kids to the point my older kids are at.
The ultimate goal for my children is for them to become independent learners who are self-motivated, disciplined, resourceful, and able to manage their time. These traits will carry them through their college years and into adulthood.
