How I Make Homeschooling Different Ages Work

If you could see the expression on a person’s face when those three little words roll off my tongue after being asked, “No school today?” My response, “They are homeschooled.” The blank expression that follows with eyes wide, like a deer caught in the headlights, can be a bit comical! Almost every time they respond with, “How do you do it with three? I would kill my one!” Well, great news! The truth of the matter is that you probably would not! I get it, homeschooling different ages can sound like and impossible challenge. Once you get the hang of it, homeschooling becomes easy and fun for you too!

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A Tip When Everyone Is Stressed

Of course there are those days when you will get an attitude and days where you just don’t want to deal with it. These are the days where I find great relief in going out into nature and doing nature studies. There’s something about being in nature that can help calm our minds and our emotions, it truly grounds us. What are nature studies? The boys will go out with a notebook, pencil, magnifying glass, measuring tape, etc., and observe any object they’d like that’s found in nature. They make their documentation in their notebooks and are able to compare it to future observations (The book we use is here). They seem to really enjoy this! I like to think it’s the way the “Great Thinkers” would go about life.

Do I Teach All Subjects Separately?

Of course, we do have regular work to do such as: Math, Language, Spelling, History, Art, Music Study, Piano, French, but since it’s not a class of 20 to 30 students, we can move fairly quickly, and therefore teach for a fraction of the day rather than most of the day. Another advantage is that depending on the ages of your children, you can teach several of these subjects to them simultaneously, which is a great relief! For example, my 5th and 7th grader both study language and spelling together. They started this from the time I started homeschooling them and it have worked out very well as the 5th grader has kept up, sometimes knowing more than the 7th grader! My 1st grader joins in on the fun when they are studying History (through living books), art, music study, and science. But I won’t bore you with those details in this post, as we both know there are plenty of subjects that need to be covered. For now, we’ll just focus on the fact that my wonder woman cape stays nicely folded in my drawer and yours will too. Well, maybe once you get the hang of it!

Organization Is Key When Homeschooling Different Ages

I can honestly say, staying organized is key to having a sound mind and a successful homeschool! We both know how impatient children can be. Mine will not sit patiently at our classroom table as I fumble through papers and books trying to figure out what’s to be taught next. Playing out this scenario in my head is already causing me shortness of breath! Imagine it: Children in the background yelling, tackling each other, throwing things (Remember, I have boys!), you fumbling through any text you can find that will suggest what is next. The next thing you know you are hollering at the top of your lungs trying to calm down now out of control children! Your name has officially changed from “Mommy” to “She-Devil”! What a frightening thought! If this was what my classroom looked like then the question of “how do you do it?” would be completely warranted and I’d throw in the towel! Instead, I go by a calendar that states exactly what is on the agenda for that day. My children also can read it so they will know exactly what is next to do after they’ve finished up a subject. You will find that by doing this, neither you nor your children will need to reference this for too long as it becomes repetitive, and you’ll just be switching out lessons as you finish them up. However, I do still recommend keeping a log because your state might require them. This eliminates a large amount of stress for me and my towel (for now) can stay firmly tucked into my apron. 

Homeschooling Different Ages, The Charlotte Mason Way

This wonderful way of learning is part of the Charlotte Mason method (found here), which is the teaching style we adhere to. If you are looking to develop your own curriculum using a similar method then I highly recommend The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home by Susan Wise Bauer (found here). This book is an excellent reference! Bauer gives you a great idea of how much time should be spent on a subject as well as a list of suggested books for that particular subject. If planning a curriculum seems a bit daunting (And it really can be!), then I highly suggest Simplycharlottemason.com where the work is done for you.  You would just need to purchase the proper curriculum for your child’s grade level and it will walk you through it. They also have a very informative YouTube channel that really helped me when I was just starting out. It convinced me to do this!

I am so very grateful that I have the opportunity to do this! I know that my children are safe and in good hands and I appreciate all the time I get to spend with them and watch them grow! God knows, it goes so fast.

Do you homeschool or are you looking to homeschool your children? Do you have a particular curriculum you would like to try? I’d love to hear about it!

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