Entertaining Toddlers While Educating Older Children

Hannah is getting older and I am finding it harder to educate the older children because Hannah realizes that she is not the center of attention. Therefore, I had to think back to when Sierra was younger. I tried to remember some of the activities I did with her and things I had for her to do when I needed a few minutes to get things done. When I started thinking back, I remembered my "Toddler Totes/Bags". The funniest things was that I was already putting these together for Hannah. I thought I would list some things on the blog that have worked and are working for us.


Entertaining Toddlers while Home Educating Older Siblings

Some tips before you begin your day:

· Take care of the needs of the little ones before you begin.
· Alternate between lessons for older ones and time with little ones.
· Keep lessons short. Subjects can be 20 – 30 minutes each.
· Remember that you do not have to teach every subject every day.
· Take breaks often.
· Teach toddlers to entertain themselves for 15 minutes at a time. (**See the note below.)
· Include toddlers when you can.
· Make use of the highchair during school time.
· Think about teaching some subjects during naptime, or in the evenings.
· Think about teaching some subjects outside. You can let the little ones play while the older ones are listening to you read.
· Set realistic goals.
· Choose the right time to educate. There have been times when afternoons worked best because little ones needed attention in the mornings. Sometime the little ones are better in the morning, so this would be a good time to start. When I only had one child and my husband was home during the day, we schooled in the early evening.
· Make bags and boxes of toys for your toddler to use only during school time. (see Toddler Totes/Bags)
· Remember that children are a blessing from the Lord even when your day is consistently being interrupted by demanding toddlers.