(Photos in this post courtesy of our trip to a local corn maze last weekend.)
We are two months into our first year homeschooling four kids at the same time. Even though one of them is only in kindergarten, and her schoolwork doesn't take very long, it's still been a bit of a challenge for me to figure out how to balance everyone's needs. However, overall, I think it is going really well!
Homeschooling four kids at once used to sound quite overwhelming, but as with everything in motherhood, I found this is another area where you just grow into it. I have learned a few things in homeschooling my older kids that have made even this year, when I have more homeschool students than ever before, a manageable adjustment.
Bottom line: it's doable, and we're making it!
I thought I'd share a few things that I have learned in homeschooling multiple kids. There is nothing revolutionary here, but every homeschool mom is different, and we all learn different things at different times that work for us. Maybe some of this will sound familiar, but maybe some of it will give you new ideas as well!
1. Morning Time is the best thing we do in our homeschool.
As my kids have gotten older, I've prioritized morning time more and more, and I think it's one of the most valuable parts of our homeschool day. I don't homeschool my kids just because I want to teach them to read or do arithmetic - I want them to learn Bible verses, to have time to do Bible study together each day, to memorize a catechism, to sing hymns, and to watch all these things sink into their little hearts. I want time to enjoy a good book with them, to introduce them to good music and poetry. All that happens during Morning Time, and our homeschool wouldn't be as fulfilling without it.
(This is where I finally give you my October and November "Minimalist Morning Time" pages! Download them by clicking below. To be honest, we are still working through our September memory work, but I still had fun putting these pages together since I want us to memorize all of these Scripture passages, hymns, and poems eventually. I'm sorry the October pages are so late, but I think it worked out well to group October and November together. The Westminster Shorter Catechism questions for October were rather heavy, since they were presenting the problem of sin. The November questions tell us the solution, our Savior, Jesus Christ who died in our place! It's nice to post them both at the same time so we get the bad news and the good news at the same time.)
2. Combining subjects is critical for saving time.
As much as I can combine subjects, I do. We usually do things like history, science, and Bible together - any content-based subjects are easy to do as a group. I usually pick something that is geared toward my older kids, and then let the little kids listen in and pick up things wherever they can. But occasionally I'll do a book that is more directed toward my younger girls, and sometimes my big kids enjoy joining in on that too! We've even got to the point where some of big kids can do other subjects together, like writing lessons. Gwen and Wyatt have been doing the same writing program this year, and having a buddy has seemed to be motivating for both of them!
3. Overlapping subjects is an option.
For the subjects that I can't combine for my kids, like math, I've learned that I can sometimes overlap those subjects so I'm working with two kids at the same time. For instance, I might explain a math concept to one of my older kids and get them working on a worksheet, and then while they are doing that, I'll start explaining a math lesson to a second kid. Sometimes I have to come back to the first kid for answering a question or re-explaining something, but I'm still getting through two sets of math lessons at once this way, and it's quicker than doing a lesson with each kid start-to-finish consecutively.
4. They become independent quicker than you think.
When my oldest kids were just starting school, I thought it would be forever before I'd be able to get them to do any work independently, but it actually happened quicker than I thought. The age this happens is going to vary by kid, but I've noticed this year that all my efforts to gradually move them toward independent learning have started to pay off. One of the big kids is actually done with schoolwork before I even make breakfast in the morning, and while the other requires a little more supervision, I can usually hand over a stack of books and expect that they'll get things done by themselves. I look over their work later, and will sometimes call them back to talk through the lesson or concepts, but it's surprised me how much they can do by themselves this year.
5. I've come to accept that this is my full-time job.
As a second generation homeschool mom, I had some expectations of how our homeschool would go based on my own homeschool experience. I remember as a kid finishing up my work by lunch or early afternoon and having lots of time to read and play, and I loved being homeschooled because of that. That was a major plus to me as well when I decided to homeschool my kids - I wanted them to have that time to explore and be kids.
What I didn't realize is that just because I finished school quickly as a kid, didn't necessarily mean my mom was finished. As a homeschool mom now, and especially a homeschool mom of five kids from 4-10 years old, I've started to realize that even though my individual kids will have plenty of time for playing or reading during the day, I myself will probably be working through lessons with various kids from right after breakfast until mid-afternoon (or sometimes later). I think this will change a bit as more of my kids become independent with their school work, but for right now I've accepted that this is a major way I'll be spending my time during the week for the next couple years at least. And I've learned to be okay with that.
This homeschooling-lots-of-kids thing is a full time job - and, though it does take a lot of work as a mom if you want to do it well, it is a fulfilling and enriching job. I've come to accept that and treat it with the same seriousness that I would treat a job outside the home. And you know what? We all are enjoying it more as a result of this attitude shift of mine.
6. It's okay to just call it quits for the day, even if we might not have gotten to everything.
In this stage where I am homeschooling four kids at once, and trying to figure out how to balance that, I've learned it's a virtue to know when to quit. Sometimes we can't fit in every subject every day, and it's rare that we attain my "ideal homeschool day". When things are taking longer than usual, or we have some frustration happening (from the kids or me), or we are all just exhausted from a particularly busy weekend, it's okay to put the books aside and start fresh the next day. I've become better at balancing the need to stay "on schedule" in our curricula with reading my kids' moods and putting their individual needs first. It's freeing to know that even if we close the books early some days, it will all even out by the end of the year.
I know I'll have to remind myself of everything that I've written here when I add my fifth child into the homeschool mix in a couple years! But I'm sure I'll discover more along that way that will make that new season manageable as well.
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