Homeschooling with Multiple Children

So how do these moms with multiple children schedule their days? I have asked myself that all year! What I ran into this past year was that all my kids need me for almost all their lessons, at least for the teaching portion. I can only work with 1 kid at a time. Many families with multiple children try to combine subjects like science and history with multiple children, but that simply doesn't work for us. 

I created our schedule for next year, but keep in mind that we never actually stick to an exact schedule. However, I find having a schedule at least keeps me on track so I can visually see what I need to do next with whom, even if it isn't at the exact specified time in our schedule. It also helps the kids know when they "get" me and what they need to work on next. You will notice only one asterik in each time slot. That designates the kid that I will be working with one on one. I had to be careful in my planning to ensure I could make this work. We have no school planned on Thursday because it's our full co-op day from 9-3.

We are also not early birds. Starting before 9 is basically torture for us all. On our fullest days we only do school from 9-3, with a lunch break thrown in. 

H is 7th grade, T 4th, and E K/1st (technically K, but did a K program last year, so working on 1st this year). 

Monday:

 We have a gymnastics co-op class at 2 on Monday's, so I had to make sure we were finished with our school day by 1:30.

 Tuesday:

 Tuesday's I am teaching a co-op class at 12:45 and so Tuesday's are just the basics.

Wednesday:

Wednesday's are a normal, full day.

Friday:

I have planned for us to be done by 1 on Friday's, which leaves 1-3 open for catching up on any work we missed during the week and going over math with the older girls (since they will be working on math mostly on their own). If we happen to be completely caught up for the week then we can just do whatever we want! This past year I found that leaving some open time to "catch up" was really helpful so that it wasn't completely detrimental if someone didn't finish something throughout the week (or we took an impromptu trip to the library or play date or something of that nature).

So what is Little K doing during all this? Well, she just is there in the mix with us all. She will sit on the couch and listen to the girls read. She will play with her magnetic letters while the girls do their spelling lessons. She will color a picture when we are working at the table. She will play with puzzles and toys. She will watch some Daniel Tiger. She will make a mess. She will just be 3. I have preschool workbooks available for her if she so desires, but I don't plan them in and I don't make her do them. Her job is to learn through playing. She also learns just from listening to her sisters. It's amazing how much she picks up just from being in the mix.

My biggest tip for homeschooling multiple children is to simply be flexible. Don't let a self-imposed schedule control your life. Have some fun and enjoy the journey.