A question on how to have a great homeschool schedule for 3 kids

by Sarah
(Georgia, north)

Hi,
I wrote a couple of months ago on how this site was amazing and I still think it is.

However, I am having trouble making a schedule for me and my family of three. I have three kids, four almost five, three, and two. I am frazzled on how to get a homeschool schedule that would be enticing enough for them to want to learn.

I have made some schedules, but the ones I have made don't seem to work, or they're not enticing to them. It's hard enough to get them to listen, and it's like they walk all over me. I want them to stop and learn and respect me as their mom and teacher. I just don't know what to do.

Also the other problem would be that there is no transportation for us to make it exciting enough to learn, can you help?

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starstarstarstarstar 		new idea
by: Anonymous

this is a new idea I came up with when wanting to give a birthday present to a son of a friend of mine who is a new homeschooling mom. I bought a medium sized plastic box and then filled it with lots of age appropriate fun learning material (he is 3). Workbooks, flash cards, coloring books, educational computer cd roms, educational musical cd's, small educational games, playdo, child sizors, construction paper, Inspirtational/motivational stickers, and even a few small books. The idea is once or twice a day for 1/2 an hour -2 hr (child's attention span/age) you have the child bring out his/her "school box" and work on whatever he/she wants. Another idea is to have a daily check list on top of the box (for things the child MUST do from the box) and tell the child if he/she finishes the check list then you'll play anything he/she wants out of the box for 5-15 min. This box should be LOTS of fun with both educational things that mom/dad think are important along with things the child should find interesting. Also you can have the child decorate the box to realy make it his/her's. Lastly make sure to change out some of the things in the box on a regular bases to keep things fresh, new, and exciting.
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starstarstarstarstar 		How to home-school 3 under-fives
by: Haniyyah

I have home-schooled all of my 6 children on and off for the past 21 years and it is only now, having tried soooo many methods, that I really feel qualified to offer advice.

Firstly you need to relax, learning is lifelong and constant and doesn't always have to fit into a schedule. Your children are still very young and obviously far more interested in playing then listening to their poor mother trying to 'educate' them. What you need to remember is that there are learning opportunities with anything that your child chooses to do.

The key is to tune-in into each child and identify what they like to do: maybe it's painting, doing jigsaws, playing with dolls etc. You then subtly introduce a learning opportunity whilst they are enjoying their preferred activity. For example, a child that likes to play with toy cars can be taught: how to count, names of colours, vocabulary of size and weight, how to sort into colours/size,they could make a garage for the cars from an old cardboard box and you could even encourage them to verbally make-up a story about the cars.

With my oldest children I used to pull-out all the text-books and work to a strict timetable, and they would dutifully work through them and then let-out a hugh sigh of relief at the end of the day. But with my youngest I have taken-on a completely different approach and now incorporate learning into their everyday lives. (Supermarkets are fantastic learning environments: produce from all over the world, opportunities to weigh fruit and vegetables, look at prices and for slightly older children, discussions on value for money.) We don't start at a particular time and we never seem to finish, but the most rewarding part is that the children are enjoying learning and are constantly asking questions.

You know your children better than anyone else, so tune into them and begin to facilitate their education on their terms. A mother will always be a teacher, so just relax and show your children that learning is fun!
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Homeschooling Three Under Five
by: Molly

Read, read, read to them! Find books about topics they are interested in. My oldest is almost six and has an attention span for longer "boring" books my three-year-old won't tolerate. So my six-year-old has to earn "staying up late time" by completing bookwork. Then we read educational books while the little ones are in bed and he thinks it's a treat.

I make playdough and give the kids letter cookie cutters and a rolling pin. They have fun together trying to spell words.

They are young, just have fun!

Molly

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