Homeschooling TWO Children Close In Age

When we first started to homeschool my two youngest we were faced with a choice to either homeschool them at their individual grade levels, or homeschool them at the same grade level. You see my two youngest are only 16 months apart, and honestly it seemed as though I could homeschool them the same grade as the older of the two – which was Kindergarten – rather than taking time to teach individual lessons to them both.

Deciding to go with homeschooling my youngest a grade level higher really seemed like the best option for us simply because we also had our oldest daughter to teach lessons to. It just seemed like the best way to save time, and I figured if it did work out then it would be a lot of fun for them to do school together.

Since my youngest was really only at the preschool level (4 years old) I figured there really wouldn’t be any harm in trying since our state doesn’t even require the kiddos to attend school until the 1st grade. We decided to make Kindergarten our trial period, and now we are ending our 1st grade year and next year my 6 year old daughter, and 7 year old son will be entering 2nd grade. For us teaching my two youngest at the same grade level has worked out very well, and I would love to pass along some things that have helped us in the process of teaching my youngest a grade level higher.

Some things I’ve learned:
Be willing to adapt the lessons: We like to work around a curriculum, and then adapt it to our way of homeschooling. It’s nice to have the structure in place, and yet when you allow yourself to adapt the lessons to what works best for your family it gives you confidence and the freedom to homeschool the way you feel is best.

One example of how we adapt the curriculum to homeschooling my youngest at the same grade level as my son is that a lot of the handwriting and worksheet activities that are included with the curriculum, we instead do them together as a group on the white board. This is mainly because my youngest has had some fine motor issues from the beginning. When we teach this way I am still able to teach the lesson, she still gains the knowledge of the lesson being taught, and it is at her level and she is able to progress quite nicely right along side her brother.

Be patient: When we first began Kindergarten I was a little bit apprehensive as to whether or not it was a good idea to bring my 4 year old in to learn with her brother. When we first began with reading it got a little discouraging because it seemed as if she was not grasping anything I was teaching her. However I quickly learned that even though it may seem as if she did not grasp what I was teaching that day, the next day she would remember and would improve more and more as time went on.

In any classroom there will always be children who will progress at a different pace, and every one of them will have their own weaknesses and strengths. As our family moved along in our school year we quickly learned what my son and daughter’s individual strengths were and went from there. We also begin every year learning what their new strengths are because they do change. One of the greatest joys of homeschooling comes from the long term of watching them grow and also learning more about your children and how they learn, especially when you can watch your two kiddos grow and learn
together.

There is no harm in trying: If you have small children at home and you are entering into the Kindergarten, truly there is no harm in getting your kiddos who are younger to get involved and participate. Just letting the younger ones sit in on the lessons, and allowing them to participate will benefit them in so many ways. Preschool is truly a great time to start if you have an older child going into Kindergarten simply because you are starting with a fresh slate.

If your children are older and you would like to start teaching two of your kiddos who are close in age the same grade, it really could take a couple of months of one on one time to get the younger child caught up with the older sibling, but it can be done in a summers time. Or, if your oldest is still struggling with the lessons learned this past year, teaching them at a grade lower with their younger sibling might not be a bad idea either.

A lot of subjects can be taught to children of many different ages and at different age groups. Math is probably one of the hardest to teach to a group of kiddo ranging in age, but it is still possible. You never know the younger child might be a math genius!

It really doesn’t hurt to try and teach your children who are close in age the same grade level. You may need to spend a little extra time with the younger of the two, but it’s not any more time than what would typically be required from a homeschooling mama.
It has truly been a joy teaching my two little ones at the same grade level. I’m amazed everyday at how far they have progressed along, and I’m glad I made the choice to at least give it a try because it has truly been a blessing.

About Heather: Heather Bixler is a Christian Stay at Home homeschooling mom of three awesome kiddos ages 13 yrs. old, 7 yrs. old, and 6 yrs. old. Heather is the founder of Christian Stay at Home Moms and recently launched The Printable Homeschool Planner. She is married a Firefighter, and also a work at home mom. Every bit of time is truly precious to Heather and she has learned over the past 5 years of homeschooling that being organized is truly the best way to manage her time. That is why she recently launched The Printable Homeschool Planner in hopes that it will also help other busy homeschooling mamas manage their precious time as well. You can follow Heather on twitter at @hbixler03 or @homeschoolplann, and you can find her on Facebook too!