Best Tips for Homeschooling with Toddlers in the House
Toddlers are into EVERYTHING! They pull things out, dump, and scatter. They are little monkeys and can be quite a distraction when you are trying to help your school-age kids focus on their work. Is it possible for a mom to homeschool and care for toddlers at the same time? Yes!!
As a mom to 10 kids, I know how challenging it is to homeschool while pregnant or with a new baby, however, in my opinion, homeschooling with a toddler takes the cake! Let me share with you some practical ways to homeschool when you have young kids in the toddler stage.
Video: Best Tips for Homeschooling with Toddlers in the House
#1 Include Them
Give them their own “work” to do to make them feel a part of your school time. Some homeschool moms like to create busy boxes. In their bin give them “school” work… maybe a coloring book, play dough, wooden blocks, board books, crayons, new toys, etc. Let them sit at the kitchen table and “do their school work” along with the rest of the crew.
You don’t need to ALWAYS include them. It’s important to give your big kids your undivided attention during the morning as well, but giving them your toddler one-on-one attention at the beginning of your homeschool day will give them a good start.
#2 Establish a Routine for your Toddler
If you don’t have one already, this is the perfect time to establish a routine for your little people. While a timed schedule can be restrictive for a toddler, a routine can help her to know what to expect next. It establishes predictable boundaries.
Sample Routine:
Wake up, get dressed, brush teeth, make bed
Breakfast
Clean up/Chores
Outside/Inside Play (depending on weather)
Lunch
Read aloud to them
Nap
Snack and play time
#3 Take Your Toddlers Outside!
The great thing about taking toddlers outside is that it wears them out!
A fenced-in yard can make it so convenient for everyone to go outside. You can be available to older siblings who might be working at a table and also keep an eye on your toddler playing in the yard. If you don’t have a fenced yard, let them play on the deck or patio with a play kitchen, water table, or a dishpan with soapy water and cups.
When the weather is too cold to be outside for too long, it is still helpful to take them out, even for just a little bit of time. Yes, dressing them for the weather takes a bit more work, but being outside can be a great mood changer for everyone.
#4 Put Things Out of Sight and Limit the Toys That Are Out
It took me having about 3 or 4 toddlers to figure this out, but wow, was it a lifesaver! One day when I was in the thick of homeschooling a few of our older kids, I went down into the basement to find that the toddler at that time had gone down and pulled everything off of our shelves and dumped it.
It was such a mess. It took me over an hour to clean it up. This was not the first time this had happened, but this particular morning, I decided it would be the last.
I went online and purchased a few small wardrobes with doors. I put (almost) all our toys, especially the ones with small parts: puzzles, Lincoln logs, blocks, etc into these wardrobes.
Having the toys out of sight helped us to be able to get out activities as needed, but also not have them accessible to destructive hands. (Having doors on the wardrobes was enough for that toddler, but if needed, I would have put locks on them.)
#5 Give Your Toddler Snacks in Their Booster Seat
Giving snacks to a toddler in their booster seat or high chair is a great way to buy some one-on-one time with an an older sister or brother. If you do this regularly, for example, a mid-morning snack, they will gradually be more content to sit there and play for extended periods.
#6 Make a List of Entertaining Activities
I learned this in a moment of desperation. Once when I had the (all too familiar) scenario of trying to help one of my older children with book work at the school table while my toddler was monkeying around the house pulling out one thing after another, I desperately pulled out a sheet of paper and wrote down all the activities that could hold her attention.
I took this list and put it on my refrigerator so that when I was in that overwhelming moment, I didn’t have to think. I could just refer to the list and pick an activity for her to do.
FREE Printable Busy Ideas for Toddlers
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#7 Wear a Toddler
Often moms wear a baby while they are working around the house to help them to get things done. But don’t forget that you can wear a toddler too!
I often wear my babies in the first several months, but then when they start walking I wear them less and less since they want to be down exploring. BUT when they hit that 18ish months stage and tend to get needy and whiny, I sometimes forget how helpful it can be to use my baby carrier.
#8 Get Things Done During Nap or Quiet Time
Toddlers need a nap time, but I think moms need toddler nap time even more! As a busy homeschool mom, you should use nap time to do the things you aren’t able to do when your toddler is up.
Read aloud to an older student, work individually with whoever needs help, catch up on household chores, or if needed, take a nap!
What if your toddler is slowly not needing a nap anymore? Then make it a priority to have a quiet time. If she has difficulty learning to stay in her room or bed (or wherever she has quiet time), it is worth stopping everything and taking the time to teach her to stay quiet for quiet time.
If you have a young toddler who is moving from two naps to only an afternoon nap, try giving her a 1/2 hour or so of morning quiet time in her crib every couple of days.
Here is a rule of thumb I try to remember. Whenever a toddler is inconsolable, fussy, or generally cannot be appeased, she is probably tired and needs a nap! This can be easy to forget in the moment.
Moms With All Young Children
Finally, the main thing to know if you are a mom with all younger kids, is that this season of homeschooling will get easier! When your oldest child is in Kindergarten or 1st grade and you have younger children at home as well, it can be such a juggle to manage everything because your kids are ALL dependent on you. They can do so little for themselves.
Additionally, you are probably just trying to find your way with a homeschool curriculum, schedule, and a community of homeschooling friends. Maybe you’re even questioning if you can do homeschooling.
As your kids get older, they become more and more independent. Also, with experience, you find your rhythm in homeschooling and it becomes familiar territory. So, if you are a mom with all little kids, hang in there! It gets easier AND the benefits of homeschooling are worth the temporary challenges of homeschooling with a toddler!
Similar Blog Posts You May Enjoy Reading:
HOW TO HOMESCHOOL WHILE PREGNANT
HOW TO HOMESCHOOL WITH A BABY.
