Hello all! How do you handle having a toddler and HSing your older children? I care for a 2 year old for a Navy family and he is with us between 5 and 7 days a week with 2 to 3 days being sleepovers. This is my 1st year HSing all 3 of my children and I am not sure what to do with the toddler while the kids are working. Last year only our oldest was HSed and did just about everything on her own. They are pretty self sufficient when it comes to school but they do need help and some things we do as a group. We don't have video games, TV or internet to entertain him. Is he too young to do a little work as well? He barely talks (because he has nothing to say), he understands everything you tell him or ask and he can follow simple directions. If he is able to do a little work, what would you recommend? Thank you in advance for any advice. I am looking forward to getting some ideas and am excited to try somethings. ~Becca
At two he should be talking some. I would encourage him to converse for starters And then you can give him large blocks to stack or the like while you are working. Simple toys like trucks etc will also amuse. Even paper and crayons Have him sit in the room where you are working with the other kids so you can watch him and he can listen in.
I am not really sure why he is not talking more. He can say dada and mamma but that is really about it that is constant. His hearing is perfect and there is not a medical reason why. We have all just figured that he will talk more when he really has something to say. I thought about the crayons and paper. I know that I could find some coloring pages that might help him to talk...like a letter of the week type of thing....but I am wondering if that would even work when he is not speaking. I guess my biggest worry is that I am going to end up ignore one of the 4 children and I do not want to do that!
He's got three older siblings. That could very well be the reason he's not talking. He doesn't have to; they do all the talking for him. He makes a sound, they immediately interpret what he wants and gives it to him. You've already said his hearing is fine; that would have been my first question (since my background was working with the Deaf). First of all, I did a good bit of reading out loud. The littlest one was in the room while I read, though I might give him some blocks or something to color. If I was reading history, I might have a history color page that he'd scribble on. Include him as much as is appropriate, but don't "force" him. If he finds what the kids are doing is interesting, let him watch. I would often keep extra worksheet pages around, and anytime my youngest came to the table and wanted to "do school", I would pull one out, the same one my older child was doing. It'd be scribbled on a bit, and he'd run off. Best story involved my older two. Rachael was four, Faythe two. The neighbor girl was coming over on Wednesdays to learn her letters. We would watch the Letter People, do a craft project, and a phonics worksheet. Faythe wanted to be part of the Big Girls, so I let her. She'd start by scribbling all over her worksheet. But then one day I discovered that she had figured out that the girls didn't color ALL their pictures, just some. Some were "right" and some were "wrong". So she'd wait and see which ones the girls colored, and then would only scribble those pictures! TinaTx once posted on here a lot of "bag activities". These were toddler-friendly stuff in zip-lock bags that were only allowed to come out during school time. That kept them "special".
I never thought of that! One of the local HS groups I belong to does a Preschool bag every September. I might have to join in with that this year! I want to include him as much as I can because he is always here. I have talked with his mom on many different occasions and I am pretty sure that in the next year they will be having another baby and then she will be done working. She is also considering HSing her children at that point. They are right now trying to decide if he is going to be staying in the Navy or getting out. He is staying in for now and they are trying to get custody of his oldest child who is 6 and she would love to HS her as well when she comes to live with them (that is a very long and sad story). Thank you for the advice! I really appreciate it and feel blessed to have found this board where I can ask other families who have been here! ~Becca
Find the cutting practice pages that are free in the web, Basically a line or printed on a paper. ( you can do that too) then give him some safety sissors and teach/ tell him to cut on the lines. My 2 yo will cut the paper until it is confetti all over the floor! Depending on what type of schooling you do, if you are reading out loud he will be part of that too. I do printed worksheets for my kids to color while I am reading ( or they fold the laundry ) then everybody is quiet and paying attention. My little one also some times is just rotten, and gets into things. : ) I think that is part of life hs with a toddler.
Also, cereal boxes are great for cutting. You can open them up and draw lines on the inside with thick marker, or they can just sit there and snip. Aggie, Monday is laundry day at my house. And the kids all fold while I read to them....
When my youngest was that age I did a couple of things. I alternated school with the older kids. I'd work with one on a subject and let the other play with the little one for a bit. Then switch. It took longer to get through subjects, but I was able to concentrate on things much better. We also did the hard stuff during naps. Does he nap? You might have to shift your school hours more to the afternoon and get some work done during that time.
Home Schooling with a small child in tow I do grandma school every week with my grandchildren 19 mo, 3 and 5. You are right it can be a handful to have a very little child with you. We have tried quite a few things that work. Often Mary sits in her high chair and scribbles with a pen or pencil. No crayons because she chews them. Often she is having a yummy snack and just watching what is going on. If my daughter is available to help then one of us does a project with the two older ones and the other adult just helps Mary do the project. with help she can do just about anything the other two can do. I have found that it doesn't matter to her how much she does. When it is done it is all hers as far as she is concerned. Sometimes we just let her wander around us touching things and making small messes because it keeps her happy, doesn't really bother the adults and the older children are fine with her being there. Mostly we just fit her in the best we can and stay calm. If it just gets beyond what any of us can handle we put her in a sling on our backs. : ) Good luck. : )
I am not sure if he is ready for scissors yet. I am going to talk to his mom when they get back from visiting his grandma about getting a little education bag together for him to do while he is here and they are working. In reality we are usually done by about noon so I think he will be okay. Thanks for all the advice! ~Becca
I know Jackie!!! There are so many things that I do because of your advice on here. Like mom time EVERY day. Thank you. I didn't think about the cereal boxes. But I know he likes to cut different kinds of paper, like newspaper, construction, cardstock eek etc.
You know what my new thing is for "mom time" this year? A friend turned me on the Leslie Samsone. In case you don't know (I didn't, but I've discovered...once again...that I'm behind the times), she does exercise videos. I got one from the library. I can actually DO this!!! And it's onlly 15 minutes!!! Wait 'til you see the "new, improved (thinner) Jackie!!!"
Today I put a pile of toys on the floor next to me and it worked out very well. I was able to keep her busy while I did math with DD1.
