How do you homeschool with a whiny toddler around?
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Anonymous
This exactly! Put the toddler is some sort of childcare and teach your other child. It really is a job, and you need to take it seriously! |
Anonymous
| My neighbor sends her toddlers to part time preschool and then teaches the other kids at home during that time. |
Anonymous
| Ask Michelle Duggar! |
Anonymous
I hear she had her kids coloring by 6 years old! |
Anonymous
| Is that a joke? |
Anonymous
Why? |
Anonymous
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A rotating set of busy bags with toys that only come out during the older's lessons.
Read aloud at mealtimes. Put the toddler in a high chair with a snack and do math at the other end of the dining room table. (Cheerios are great math manipulatives too, heh) Put the stopper in your sink and fill it halfway. Get an assortment of spoons and cups and let the toddler do water play. Yes you'll have to wipe down the floor after but it may keep the toddler occupied for a while. Fill Ziploc bags with shaving cream and food coloring and let him mess with the bags and watch the color blend into the shaving cream. Get a long low tray and fill it with dried beans. Hide some prizes inside. Let him dig through the beans to find surprises. I don't know what age you're schooling but the usual guide is approximately 1 hr of focused work time per grade. Do some while the toddler naps and then incorporate him as much as possible. He can learn to play quietly or sit and look at pictures in a read aloud. My 2 year old desperately wants his own lessons because he is part of the 5 year olds daily lessons and he wants that one on one focused attention too. I disagree about putting the older in school. In school there will be 24 other children needing attention. So this mom has to pause teaching periodically to redirect a toddler. The older child is learning how to work without mom for a few minutes and is still getting more direct instruction than she would in a school setting. Op, the well trained mind forums are great and this topic comes up over there a lot.  come join us!
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Anonymous
| Is your DD in Kindergarten? |
Anonymous
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Look up "sensory activities" on Pinterest, I have a 2 year old and 5 month old and these fine motor activities could engage my 2 year old for long stretches of time which got me through the newborn phase.
Some activities include: -Water play -"sewing" pipe cleaners through a colander -playing with different textures: rice, beans, homemade play-dough, sand, dirt, noodles, etc, they can measure and spoon things into different containers, try cutting with a butter knife, make tracks with toy dinosaurs or toy cars -treasure hunts (just made one today with wet sand, in it was buried dollar store toys, can also make them out of jello, rice, other homemade materials -slice fruit -cut with scissors -put dish soap and water in food processor to make bubbles, when he starts to get bored add drops of food coloring -frozen water colors (water & food coloring) -water beads/tapioca beads |
Anonymous
| Oh the best one: cornstarch and water (start with just cornstarch flour, let him play & drive cars through it, when bored add water, then when bored again add food coloring) |
Anonymous
Because she clearly can't handle the two she already has. |
Anonymous
If she were planning to homeschool long term, having another child might work out really well for her family. As they get older, they can each take a turn watching/playing with/reading to the youngest while Mom works with the oldest. |
Anonymous
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Op here! Great idea thank you to all that actually helped!!
But I think my DC might get distracted with all the fun activities her sibling gets to do!! |
Anonymous
Wow. That sounds like a formula for a serious, high quality education. |
Anonymous
| Those are great ideas! Just watch for dried beans up the nose - a classic ER visit ( though pepper under unblocked nostril will induce sneezing ). OP, maybe tell older child they can do fun activity later too? I applaud your efforts to home school. It's not for everyone and that's ok. But neither is public school for everyone. |