Teaching with Toddlers

A reader (I am so happy people are finding this site :) asked me how I handle teaching kindergarten and preschool with a baby. . . here is my answer.

My oldest is 5 and she is doing kindergarten curriculum. My second child is 3 and doing preschool curriculum. My baby is 21 months and joining in wherever he pleases!

Before beginning this year, I too worried about how to do it with my two younger children. I read an article entitled "The Baby is the Lesson" and it totally changed my perspective on what it is I am to be doing.

At first, I thought I would schedule "school time" around "nap time". Thus, removing the "distraction" of my youngest. However, after thinking about it and then reading about it, I realized that my children will learn more from me as they watch me include everyone and work patiently with all my children, rather than shoo away the little ones. So this is what I try to do.

The first 5 activities of the day (devotional, calendar, language arts, pre-school time, and specials) are really subjects and activities that ALL three of my little ones enjoy and can participate in. After lunch, my two youngest do take a nap, and that is when I do 30-45 minutes of concentrated reading and math with Abigail.

As much fun as it is having one on one time with Abigail, I have to admit that I feel more learning is taking place (and we are having more fun) when we are all learning together.

So, try to find ways in which all of your children can participate on some level. Here are a few points to remember:

1) Explain to your children that there are times when you have different expectations for each of the children. For example, I told Abigail that because she is in kindergarten, I expect her to listen and participate through all the lessons. I told Breanna that I expect her to listen and participate in devotional, calendar, and pre-school time- the others are optional. And I explained to my girls that Tyler is free to come and go as he pleases. Suprisingly, the girls were totally fine with these varied expectations.

2)Have quiet toys available for little ones. In our classroom, I have a bin of soft blocks, shape sorters, a basket of books, and puzzles. There is also a chalk board that is low to the ground for quiet drawing. These activities are available for Breanna and Tyler during the "optional" times. Sometimes they go outside, or play with the toys in a different room.

3)Look for ways to include everyone! Whether you are teaching your children of various ages in your home, teaching a classroom with multiple grade levels, or even teaching a classroom full of children all the same age, you are going to encounter various ability levels. Meet your children where they are at, let them participate at their level, and love them through any challenges. The following is an example "math lesson" that includes all three children as well as our "word of the day" activity. We do activities like this during "preschool time":

Simple Math
Tyler: his job is to roll the dice. he loves it.
Breanna: her job is to count the numbers on the dice. one-to-one correspondance, counting, etc. all skills appropriate for a three year old.
Abigail: she writes the numbers on the board (i.e. one die landed on 5 and the other on 1). I put a + or - sign between the two, and she solves the equation on the board.

Word of the Day
Each day I put up "blanks" for the number of letters in our "word of the day". I use activities such as: simple addition, patterns, letter sounds, review questions, etc. (anything can be used!) as "questions" for the children to complete in order for me to give them a letter for the word of the day (if your word has 5 letters in it, pick 5 questions).

After a question is answered, I give the letter sound instead of the name. Abigail guesses the letter and Breanna identifies it after I write it down. As more letters appear, Abigail begins to sound out the word until she reads it completely. Then I have her spell it for me as I write it in the corner of our board.

The word of the day activity is very adaptable. All three children love it and are learning together. . . which is the most important thing. Hope this helps!