Homeschooling is tough. Homeschooling with a toddler underfoot is even tougher!
From teething to temper tantrums, potty training to very loud exploration, toddlers are a bundle of whirling energy! It’s kind of like having your own personal whirlwind right in your house. A really cute whirlwind. They pick up objects here, there, and everywhere and deposit them in odd locations so you’re always finding unexpected treasures. Right?
Toddlers are noisy, sticky, often stinky, demanding, and…oh, did I say noisy? Now, try to teach big kids in the middle of all that and expect them to concentrate. Sigh. Yep, homeschooling with a toddler in tow is a special challenge for sure.
Hang in there, mama, and laugh your way through it!
They won’t be in this phase for long! Seriously! Some days you can either scream or laugh – so laugh instead. Learning how to relax and let go is the first step to homeschooling with a toddler. (Preaching to self…)
The Upside of Homeschooling with a Toddler
Truly, toddlers are absolutely delightful, too. Hey, they bring a lot of joy to a household!
Homeschooling with a toddler around keeps things light and provides some funny much-needed comical relief. Yes, it can be challenging to focus, but your toddler will also make everyone smile!
Honestly, toddlers are the best reminders of what it looks like to learn organically and passionately! We only wish our older kids would be so excited about learning! Toddlers learn with gusto at an astonishing rate. They repeat new words over and over and even do tasks repetitively. Everything they do all day long – even the things that drive you crazy – are hard-wired to help them learn.
So, is there anything you can do to make homeschooling with a toddler easier? Absolutely! All you need are some sanity saving tips to make your day run more smoothly – and keep that laughter handy.
10 Tips for Homeschooling with a Toddler
Homeschooling with a Toddler Tip #1: Spend Time with your Toddler 1st
Dedicate 10 minutes to your toddler first thing in the morning, before you begin teaching the other children. Read a few books together or play. Snuggle. Soak up their sweetness. Often after receiving that one-on-one attention, your little one is happy to play alone…for a few minutes, anyway!
Homeschooling with a Toddler Tip #2: Foster Sibling Love
If you have several older children, try assigning each child a 15 or 20 minute “Toddler Time” slot during the day. Older siblings can do puzzles with their little sibling, read books, push little one on the swing, sort toys by color, or just about anything!
Sometimes, just 20 minutes of silence when you know as Mom that your little one is safely occupied allows you precious teaching time to help an older child with their most difficult work.
Even kids as young as kindergarten can help out! When my son was in kindergarten we used to trap little sister in an Exersaucer or Pack-n-play for 10 minutes and he would picture-read books to her. It became a super special time of day for them both.
Grab your FREE flip-chart download: Who is God? Your Little One Wants to Know.
Homeschooling with a Toddler Tip #3: Have Special School Toys
Set aside special toys for your little one to play with that they only get to see during school hours. If you have a designated classroom, set up a few tubs of toys or a toddler shelf where those special toys “live”. Rotate what’s in there to keep them fresh and interested! Try some quiet toddler toys, too!
Want to know what’s on my school toddler toy shelf? The best toddler toys we’ve found are ones that keep little fingers and minds busy. It also helps to understand that a toddler’s attention span is short and will probably only be 3-5 minutes before needing to move on to something new.
Sometimes it might be helpful to have a few “large” toddler toys that hold their attention. For example, we put a play kitchen into the area where we do school. Another family I know placed an indoor slide and climbing cube in a corner of their home.
Homeschooling with a Toddler Tip #4: Snacks!
Toddlers fuss when they’re hungry. So keep ‘em fed and hydrated! This one seems so easy, but I have found it to be a really foundational concept! More often then not if my toddler is fussy, a box of raisins or a bowl of cereal cheers her right up! Plus, it is 10-15 minutes hassle free that your little one is locked into a high chair! That’s a win for homeschooling with a toddler!
READ: 11 Surprising Chores for Toddlers
Homeschooling with a Toddler Tip #5: Hello, Nap-time!
I like to use nap-time as Mommy’s time-out break. I often hear homeschool moms that recommend using toddlers’ nap time to work with older children on their most challenging school assignments. That’s a fabulous use of nap time, too! But I find that by the time the afternoon rolls around, I’m as worn out as my toddler, so when she heads off to La-la-land, I snag some much needed R&R to maintain my sanity!
Even if your toddler has given up on naps (oh, dear!), you can train him to have 45 minutes or an hour of quiet time sitting on his bed reading books or playing with quiet toys. Teach the other kids to do quiet time, too, when the littlest one is napping so you can have a break while the house is still. Either way, use this precious time to advantage!
Homeschooling with a Toddler Tip #6: Use Videos
We have very strict screen time rules in our home and I’m not a fan of little ones watching TV all day. However, there are some wonderful educational videos for toddlers and a high quality video at just the right time can be a life-saver. My little ones especially enjoy videos with Bible songs and action preschool songs. Most toddlers love music!
Some of our favorite toddler videos have been the Cedarmont Kids, Little Baby Bum, and Super Simple Songs. Sometimes just 20 minutes of active, wiggly, age-appropriate songs are all she needs to put a smile on her face!
Homeschooling with a Toddler Tip #7: Toddler-proof
Toddlers love to get into everything! It can make your life a lot simpler if you school in an area of the home that is toddler proof. Set procedures in place with your older children to keep textbooks and school supplies out of reach. Toddlers have a knack for finding items like pencils, scissors, and glue, so make sure you keep those put up and away!
In contrast, it can also help sometimes, to move around the home a bit. For some reason, if we do school in the living room cuddled up on the couch, my toddler is happy to just roll around on the floor or climb off and on the couch over and over for a while. It works! On pretty days, try schooling outside and let your toddler run, jump, and climb.
Homeschooling with a Toddler Tip #8: Let them “Do School”, too
Little ones really enjoy when they can do school, too! Some toddlers love scribbling with just a paper and crayon. Have an empty diaper box? Let your toddler sit inside it and scribble with crayons. Wooden puzzles, sorting bears, pattern blocks, and magnetic tiles have been big hits with my toddlers.
If I’m working with an older sibling at the kitchen table, for example, I’ll position our toddler at the table with us to “do school”. Just grab a stack of 5 or 6 of these things and simply rotate them to your little one over 30 minutes while you’re working with your older child.
READ: 19 Quiet Toddler Toys That Will Keep Them Happy & Busy
Homeschooling with a Toddler Tip #9: Let them Explore, Dump, and Gather. Try a bag.
In the end, remember that your little one is an excellent explorer! So find non-toy activities that will pique his interest!
- Get an old sock and a bowl full of tiny things like large buttons and cotton balls. Let your toddler poke the objects into the sock, drag them all out again, and then shove them all in.
- Hand your toddler a purse or tote bag. Let them explore around the house and fill it with whatever they find.
- Fill a laundry basket with books and shove it across the floor.
- Play with all mom’s plastic-ware, wooden spoons, and pots and pans
- Stick pipe-cleaners into an upside-down colander from the kitchen. String buttons or cut-up drinking straws onto the pipe cleaners.
- Lay down pieces on colored construction paper on the floor. Fill a laundry basket with toys. Let your toddler sort the toys by laying them on the colored paper.
- Lay long pieces of masking tape onto your coffee table or school table, or even the underside of a taller table. Your toddler will love working to peel it off.
READ: Overwhelmed Mom: 5 Tips for Less Stress
Homeschooling with a Toddler Tip #10: Embrace the Sweetness
For all the craziness of the toddler years, there is a simple joy that comes from having a toddler in the home. Their smiles melt our anxieties. Their giggles go straight to our hearts. These years slip away quickly, so lean into them, mama! Let yourself soak up the toddler chaos. Laugh. Breathe. Sing. Dance. Don’t rush. Just blink and she’ll be ready for kindergarten.
Yes, your house will be littered with toys from here to there. No, your house won’t be quiet. Yes, sometimes (ok, often) lessons will be interrupted. No, some days you won’t get it all done. That’s ok. It truly is. You’re doing great. Remember, you’re not only teaching school age children, you’re teaching a curious little toddler, too…and he’s learning a whole lot!
Your home is filled with the happy sounds of children thriving and learning lessons you can’t possibly learn from a book!
On those days when you feel crazy and math is interrupted five times, just remember that learning how to take care of little ones is a major life-lesson for your big ones. Modeling love, patience, tender care, gentleness, and fostering sibling love are greater lessons than mastering multiplication. Homeschooling with a toddler teaches everyone in the family invaluable lessons. You’re not stopping their academic instruction – you’re enhancing it!
You’ve got this!
