Homeschooling With A Toddler

Hello! I'm Melissa, and I have three amazing children: two daughters, aged 7 and 5, and a son, aged 3.

We began our homeschooling journey in the fall of 2020, initially only homeschooling my middle daughter, who was just 4 years old at the time. Preschool was relatively easy, and having a younger brother around didn't complicate our lessons much. However, now that both of my daughters are at home, I find it a bit more challenging to keep everyone focused.

Here are some things I've learned about homeschooling with a toddler.

1. My toddler is NOT a distraction.

   My boy is busy and loud, and he loves to play with his sisters. On top of all this, he is a huge mama's boy and is currently potty training. Despite all of these things he is NOT a distraction. He needs my love and attention too.

   
   

2. Pause/Take Breaks

   We chose homeschooling for numerous reasons, one of which was the freedom it offers. We can stop and take a break whenever we want. I can pause whatever we are doing and quickly take my son to the bathroom. While I help one child with their math lesson, the other can take a break and play. We can run outside and check the weather, have a dance break, or even play "mom's hobbit music" while coloring pictures. Whenever my boy comes to me and says, "Mom? Uh sit wi-me," I can wrap up what we are doing and go sit with my boy because, again, he needs my love and attention too.

   
   

3. My toddler is learning too

   My middle child is in kindergarten, but we are still finishing up her preschool workbook (language arts) before we move on to her kindergarten workbook. These workbooks include songs on YouTube that assist with learning letters and their sounds, and every time my son hears these songs, he comes running. At 2 years old, he knew most of his letters and all of his numbers (1-10). I may say "he's just along for the ride," but he is learning too. Moreover, I strongly believe that play is the foundation of learning.

   
   

4. Not every day will be a good day

   I'll be completely honest—there are days when I fail. Days when I get frustrated and miss it. Some days, the girls aren't interested in doing their lessons, and my toddler easily captures their full attention. On other days, I have to take him to the bathroom every 10 minutes because he's either working on a #2 or seems to have the bladder of a baby and just can't hold it. There are also times when he's simply exhausted and just wants to snuggle up on the couch and watch TV. In these moments, I try to remind myself of points 1, 2, and 3. Does that always help? No, but that's okay. I'll try again tomorrow.

Homeschooling with a toddler isn't always easy, but I would still choose this life even on the hard days. I might have to adjust our plans for the day sometimes, but it all balances out. Despite the chaos, I still find peace and beauty in it all, and I hope you do too.