Tips To Homeschool Students In Multiple Grades

Remember the one room schoolhouse you used to see on "Little House on the Prairie?" That same concept is going on in households where more than one child is being homeschooled at a time. Keep reading to discover some tips you can employ if there is more than one little one at your table at multiple grade levels.
Kids learn at different rates. Even within the same household, there might be a diverse number of learning styles going on. As a parent, just the notion of teaching on more than one level might have you shaking in your boots. It doesn't have to. With a bit of organization and training right from the start, mastering this hurdle can be done.
The one main thing to remember is that kids learn the same information but at ever increasing levels of difficulty. For instance, your second grader might be learning addition and subtraction. The middle school child is learning to add and subtract but along with other operations like division, multiplication and fractions. The basics have to be understood before they can go higher.
Tips to Homeschool Students in Multiple Grades

1. Get organized - The best way to stay on top of it all is to get your kids to follow certain rules from the outset. Create a station for each child. It could be a crate, a drawer or another type of box that has their name on it and houses only their work materials. Each day, place their current work in a folder. In the morning, everyone goes to their box and gets what they need for the day. Assigned seating can also make things less hectic when getting started.


2. Schedule - Younger kids will need more attention so make sure that older kids can work independently. Spend at least 20 or 30 minutes with each child each day to answer questions or find out what they might be having trouble with. If older children have free time in their work day, ask them to assist with questions from younger ones.


3. Reuse curriculum materials - Try to choose materials that have permanent textbooks and reproducibles. That way, you can pass these books on to younger students later without having to buy more stuff. Reproducibles can be easily copied again and again.


4. Try unit studies - The advantage of unit studies is that they have a common theme that is taught over again every four years but with increased difficulty each time. Every child is learning the same information but with more in-depth study at higher grade levels.


5. Appropriate activities - If you are studying science and learning about animals, younger children can look at picture books and identify the creatures while older kids can write reports or create 3D models as their project for the lesson.

More than one child can be a part of your homeschool classroom when you do a little planning ahead.

Carolann Henderson, homeschooling mom, website editor, researcher, student of graphic design, and musician in our family bluegrass gospel band, The Hendersons. You'll find some more homeschooling curriculum reviews, general homeschooling information, free resources, tips and encouragement on my website. I also have a free gift for you that you will find instrumental in getting and staying organized in homeschooling and all areas of your life along with a free ebook to help you homeschool holidays. You can claim your free gifts by visiting my website http://www.homeschooling-road-map.com and signing up for our free newsletter. We look forward to serving you.