One question everyone asks next when they learn that we homeschool is “Do you homeschool ALL of them? How can you teach everyone at the same time?” And the answer is yes, we homeschool all of them. In fact, I homeschool all of them, while my husband is off for work. Majority of families who homeschool, homeschool all of their kids. And yes, there are families that have even 10 or 12 or 14 kids! It’s just that everyone evolves their own methodologies, tips and tricks, whatever works for them. You finally end up developing your own system. Of course definitely with God’s grace!
We have been homeschooling all our kids from the start. They have never been to ‘regular school’. I am so grateful I could homeschool all of them so far. Of course it is not easy. There are definitely days when I needed to take a break, and even wondered why I embarked on this journey. There are also days that turn out to be utterly chaotic, and unexpected things come up. But it is just a beautiful experience and feeling to have them all together, and I never regret taking this opportunity that God provided.
I currently have 2 middle/high schoolers, 2 elementary, 1 Kindergartener, 2 preschoolers and an infant, plus a houseful of other responsibilities. There have been thousands of instances where the babies needed attention, or I needed to step out to take care of something else. But again, with God’s grace, everything is possible!
Our homeschool time is roughly, 8 am to 3 pm. The only official break we have is lunchtime, about 30 minutes, although kids take random breaks throughout the school day as and when they need. The older kids start earlier most days, and almost all of them finish school way earlier than 3pm. Although kids head back to their school soon after lunch, I take a slightly extended lunch break, to get baby to nap, some quiet time, getting the kitchen back under control after the ‘lunch hurricane’, and prepping anything for dinner if required. I generally reserve the school time for school, and try not to multi-task too much during this time, as sometimes I can get distracted and get behind with correcting, or printing or other school related work. Even if I am to multitask, I just use my computer right up in the school room itself, or do some reading or planning. I do not do other chores around the house that takes away my presence from the school room.
The following are the tips I employ to ‘teach everyone’.
(1)First of all, in our homeschool, I consider myself to be more of a facilitator than a teacher. I do set the curriculum for them and make their lesson plans, and definitely teach some subjects. But I encourage independent learning very early on. Once they start to read, they do most of their subjects themselves, except very few select subjects that I teach. For the other subjects, I do make sure they are comprehending properly and offer help where needed. I also correct their schoolwork and go over the corrections with them. I also make sure they have all the materials accessible to them, including worksheets or anything else they might need. This self-teaching is a very important lifeskill to have, as that is what makes a lifelong learner.
(2) We do routines, not strict schedules. I provide a daily checklist for them, so they know what all are to be done daily. The kids choose which subject to do next, and proceed at pace. As part of our routine, there will be blocks of time when we will be having our Morning prayer, Lunch and Group Learning Time. Other times, they follow their checklist and work their way through. With routine, they know what to expect of the day, and learn to work out their checklist on their own.
(3) For the older kids, for subjects I do need to teach or go over corrections with , I block out certain times. I am then generally available to the smaller kids for the rest of the time, as they will be the ones I need to spend more time with. I also structure the checklist in a way that the subjects I need to teach are rotated through, so I don’t need to teach everyone every day. This has been a huge relief!
(4) I try to overlap levels or topics where possible. I choose certain curriculum or design their annual curriculum in a way that most kids learn the same time period of history or learn the same science topic. Example, one year they all did anatomy and physiology, at different levels, and we visited the Health Museum that year. When the kids learn the same topic (even if it may be at different levels), it’s good when it comes to field trips, or projects. Also, even if I take a general class, they all will be able to comprehend at their own level. My older 2 though 1 year apart, have been doing math neck to neck, and so have been able to advance multiple grade levels because they like to compete against each other.
(5) For attending to the younger kids and toddlers, these are my tactics:
One big secret, in a homeschool family with multiple kids is that almost all the time, the younger kids love to do school, as they are constantly exposed to older kids doing school. So actually, sometimes it’s a challenge for me to find something to engage the youngest ones school wise.
a)I first spend time with them, and teach them something small every day, for a few minutes. Once they get their daily dose of attention, they are happy for the rest of the day with exploring all the special educational toys that are reserved only for school time. They also like doing crafts or worksheets, so I just print out a bunch ahead of time and hand over when they ask.
b)I let them listen in during any interesting teaching going on, and during our Group Learning Time. Group Learning Time is a bunch of memory work and other random things we all do together.
c)I utilise my ‘lower elementary kid of the year’, to help with crafts or activities for the younger ones.
(6) I have all kids involved in household responsibilites and attending to younger ones as needed, which are important life skills. Homeschooling is much more than just academics. It is a lifestyle.
So yes, homeschooling multiple kids does not mean standing in front of a whiteboard the whole day and lecturing to different kids one after the other. It is more a lifestyle where kids learn to be independent and teach themselves, and it entails working out strategies for ‘getting the work done’, whatever works for your family.
I would love to hear what other tips anyone has!