Homeschooling with Teeny Tiny Ones

Our boys are currently 1, 2, and 4 (with a new one due in a few weeks). We jumped into homeschooling a little earlier than most - not because we were bored (!) or because we enjoy torturing ourselves. We actually thought adding some structure to the day would benefit the kids and decrease the number of discipline situations. And guess what? It does! Starting the day with some structured time with Mommy actually makes a difference in their attitudes. It also enriches their playtime later. They feel more productive. And, it "forces" me to spend quality time with them. That might sound terrible, but the structure of simple school activites ensures that I get to interact with them one-on-one other than just making them food, wiping them, and disciplining. If you have tiny ones that seem ready for preschool (or pre-preschool) here are some tips that helped me get started:

1. Set your goals. What do you want your child to know and be able to do by the end of this school year? By the end of this month? Goals will keep you on track. Keep them simple. Remember, it's only preschool.
2. Gather your supplies. Keep a variety of things on hand - visuals (posters and charts), manipulatives (blocks, beads, flashcards), books that YOU read to them, and books that THEY "read" to themselves, educational games, etc.
3. Choose a time and place. What time of day are you the least stressed? That's the best time to grab 20 minutes with the kids for school. Mine is when #3 takes his morning nap. Keep your expectations realistic. If life is busy, don't convert an entire bedroom into a school room and plan on teaching five days a week. You will quickly burn out.

Here is a picture of our "school room."

It is a corner of my laundry room. There are a couple desks behind me in this picture. It's colorful, but simple. I chose this particular spot because it's an area the kids don't usually play in, so I knew it would stay fairly protected. I have to keep the door closed throughout the day for the toddler's sake.

4. Finally, plan on sticking to the same few things every day. Keep it simple and review, review, review! This is not only for the sake of your own sanity, but it's actually better for the kids cognitively at this age. Don't stress about coming up with a creative new activity every single day. Little ones benefit from repetion - and they LOVE it! They know what to expect and it gives them a sense of accomplishment. Information sticks much better in the long run when it's not cluttered up with a bunch of fancy projects in between. Do what comes naturally to you and you will be more likely to be consistent.

Our basic schedule looks like this: Song, verse and catechism review, charts review (colors, shapes, numbers), math with blocks or beads, educational game, reading lesson. It takes about 40 minutes and we plan for four days a week.


The hardest part about homescooling little ones is what to do with the OTHER little ones who are too young for the activites. George, the two-year-old, can join William (4) for most of the activities. Then, when it's time for our reading lesson, I usually send him out to play. Sometimes he has a hard time waiting for us to be done. This morning in particular he was desperate enough to try a new strategy.

George: Georgie, time to come have a snack!

George: Mom, did you call me for snack???
Me: Um, no. But good impersonation of Mommy. That was...creepy.

Sometimes I let him stay for the more advanced part and I let him try out the "big kid" supplies.

It does not usually end well. But, if a two-year-old covered in marker gives me 10 minutes to work on reading with the four-year-old, some days I'll take it. There is no end to Georgie's antics. Someimes he even surprises himself. For example, there is nothing more exciting to little boys than finding out all the sounds their bodies can make. Yet another distraction to a typical school day.

George: Mommy! Mommy! There's a GUN in my bottom!

(Sigh.) Keeping the little ones occupied is a constant challenge. Then there's the actual student himself - William. He takes school very seriously. He is so proud of himself when he learns something new. He is always anxious to show his work.

William: Daddy, look at my letters!

Daddy gets the piece of paper. Mommy gets -

William: Mommy, look at my letters!

- the couch cusions. The furniture store should have a section called "Homeschool Furniture." Everything would be the color of Bic ballpoint pens.

There are days that it seems to explode in my face and I have to throw out the whole school day. But I take those days in order to get to the really "good" school days in between - when William reads a word by himself, or George finally counts to 10 without skipping the number 7. At the end of the day, it's worth it. They are benefitting from it and so am I.

Wrapping Up the Year with a Bang!

Our family has been running non-stop with no end in sight. We've been traveling, homeschooling, participating in exciting ministries, and taking turns getting the flu. Everything will come to a crashing halt in March when #4 arrives, but that will bring it's own form of non-stop action. We kicked off the holidays this year with our first family trip on an airplane since #3 was born. William and George wanted to meet everyone on the plane.

William: Hello. My name is William Douglas Wallace, but you can call me Bill.

Flight attendant: And what's your name?
George: Call me Bill.

The flight attendants were so kind to our family of Bill's. They were sensitive to our desire to have as many empty seats by us as possible, but it didn't work out on the first flight. Every seat was taken. Peter was a "lap child," which works okay....if you have a lap. At six months pregnant I was fresh out of lap. Dave and I passed him back and forth across the isle, but he refused to be easily entertained. The older two did much better, but William had concerns of his own.

William: My ears feel funny and I can't hear very well. *sigh* I must be getting old.

Overall it was well worth the trip and we got to see all of our family over the holiday season. We ended it with a bang - a great big stomach flu bang. I was one of the first to get it and Dave was as helpful and comforting as he could be.

Dave: Oh man, throwing up is the worst. Especially if you've just eaten something really gross, like tuna, or sauerkraut, or corned beef, or -

Dave: Oh....sorry.

He really did try. I think we both saw it as a foretaste of how much help I would need when the baby comes...and we were both nervous. He tried to be proactive about the housework.

Me: Wow! You said you were going to do the dishes, but I didn't know you were going to put all the food away, too.
Dave: Yep!

Dave: Well, actually I threw all of it away. But look how clean it is!

Oh well. Part of accepting help is accepting it in whatever form it comes. Even after I got better he tried to keep up his steam.



Dave: Ever since I was a kid I was always told to pick the most unpleasant task first and just get it done.
Me: That's interesting....you don't live your life that way.



Dave: I didn't say I did. I said I heard it a lot.

I've tried to take advantage of his momentum by teaching him a few household tricks. It doesn't always work.

Me: I want to show you the best way to quickly defrost meat in case you are making dinner one night. Do you know how to defrost meat?
Dave: Yes. Put it on the porch for three days.

Dave: Ha! That's the last time you try to teach me something. I'll have these babies ready in no time...or by next Thursday.

Looks like we have a little more baby prep to do before #4 arrives. That's ok. It's a great way to start the new year.

Big Church

A couple of Mommy Reels ago we made our big announcement. Since then we have learned that baby number four is also BOY number four. We can't stop smiling. Four boys?????? Life is such an adventure with the three we already have, we can only imagine what crazy fun awaits us in February.

My mom affectionately refers to our house as "Baby Land." Things can get pretty intense over here, so I'm happy to say that we are slowly graduating past the baby stage in some areas. For example, we now have one child that can put on his own shoes. Believe me, when you live in Baby Land, this is extrememly exciting.

Another part of graduation for our babies is moving into "Big Church." At our church kids have Sunday school after the sermon, allowing them to sit with thier families during the service. Nursery is available up until about 3 years old. William (our oldest) took to the switch very well. He thinks any day he is going to replace the pastor, so he listens intently to keep his theology straight for when the time comes. George....well, we've been nervous about George. (See "Life with a Two-Year-Old" to see why.) But between the choices of over an hour spent with baby toys or learning how to listen to the sermon, we decided it was time.

We learned from training William that less is more when it comes to bringing things for the kids to do. Toys, books, and snacks might keep them distracted, but they don't keep them quite. Lots of "stuff" also defeats the purpose of teaching them how to listen. The idea is not to condition church for the kids, but condition the kids for church. Besides, it's amazing how a two-year-old can keep himself entertained with nothing but some Bibles, hymnals, and bulletins. With a few minor bumps along the way, we've been pleasantly surprised at how George has adapted. For your amusement, here are the bumps.

(Trash)

(Hymnal - thud)

(Bible - thud)

Me (whisper): Go pick those up, Georgie.

Me (intense whisper): No - Mommy's skirt is NOT a fort.

George: Look, Mommy! I drew a rainbow!

George: Look! Another rainbow!
(FYI - Baby wipes can significantly lighten pen marks...if you catch it quickly.)

George: Can I have a snack?
Me: No, sweetie. No snacks in big church.
George: Ok.....how about an apple?
Me: No, I said -

George: ACHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Me: Ok, why don't you sit on my lap for awhile?

(poke, poke)

George: la la la la la la...........

George: LA LA LA LA LA LA!!!!!!!

Gum bridge.

Body bridge.

Me: Ok, George. Time to go. George.....it's over.

George: Hooray!!!!


And after three "talks" with daddy in the bathroom for three separate tantrums, another successful day at church came to an end for our George. Well, until evening service anyway. *sigh*

Life with a Two Year Old

Round two! Our first experience with a two year old was atypical. William was passionate, but very complient and reasonable. George....well, let's just say we're cutting our teeth on the whole two year old experience with George. If I could sum up the life of a two year old in one word it would be "no." Another great word would be "independence." A great quality! ...But one that needs a LOT of guidance. When you are trying to encourage independence and obedience at the same time, it's a fine line for a two year old. Parents don't even know where to draw the line sometimes!

Me: Hold Mommy's hand, George.

George: I will hold THIS hand.

Me: Sit by Mommy, George.

George: I will sit HERE.

Dave and I try to say yes as often as we can so we can save "no" for the important stuff. We want George to thrive on being independent. BUT we are training him to accept help when necessary and also how to ask respectfully if he can do it himself. If he slams the fridge shut because I opened it before him, that needs to be corrected. As soon as your kids can talk, teach them this phrase: "Can I please do it myself?" Kids love to mimic so take advantage of it and teach them how to respond correctly. "Be respectful" doesn't mean much to a two year old. They need specific, practical tools - word for word instruction. George still doesn't usually pull this phrase out at the right time, but I'm starting to hear it more often. Usually this is what I hear:

George: I will put on my shoes!

George: I will wash my hands!

George: I will wipe William!!!

Independence, yes. Wiping his three year old brother, no. There are just some things you can't bend on. Speaking of potty training, two is the age we start thinking about it. George is very verbal for a two year old. Combine that with the delicate task of potty training, and it becomes quite interesting. Right now we are in the denial stage.

William: Mom, George is poopy!
Me: George, did you poop?

George: No. I changed my mind.

Me: George, I know you're poopy.
George: No. The poops are all dead.

*sigh* If only it were that easy, George.

Recently we took a long road trip with the whole fam.

The three year old could not stop asking questions the whole way. If you have a two year old, you know that they don't deal in questions - only facts.

George: There is a rhinosaraus behind that tree.

For every thirty of William's questions, we would get a factual statement like this from George.

He's a man who knows his mind. If you ask George a direct question, you can be sure you will get a direct answer.

Me: Georgie, what should we name the new baby?
George: God.

George: No. Bob. Bob the Builder.

Age, birth order - none of that matters to a two year old. If he's two, he's the boss. A two year old will wield the word "no" like a club, attempting to destroy every obstable in the way. George thinks he has the exclusive rights to this word.

Me: No, George.
George: Don't say no.

These conversations never end well for George. But no matter how often he repeats his mistakes, we seek to be consistent in our responses and standards. We want to do right by our beautiful brown-eyed treasure, and that means pointing him to Who really is the Boss - his and ours. It will be a life long process of encouraging him in the right path.