Homeschooling is a rewarding and challenging endeavor, but when it comes to homeschooling large families, things can get complicated.
With multiple children at different grade levels, diverse learning styles, and varying needs, the task of orchestrating a successful homeschooling experience can seem daunting.
We reached out to our homeschooling community and asked for tips from homeschooling parents with large famlies.
We gathered invaluable tips, strategies, and insights that not only make homeschooling manageable for large families but also enrich the entire educational experience.
Group Lessons
"Implement Group sessions. I homeschool 7 Children. I have a middle school/high school group and a preschool/elementary group. Cluster learning works best for us. I give the highschoolers extra credit for volunteering for reading days or library hours with the younger children." ~ Danielle Massey
Routines With Multiple Ages
"What works best for me as a homeschooling mom to many is to let the little ones sleep in, get the high school kids first thing in the morning for lessons and questions, send the high school kids off to independent work, and then do all of the little kid lessons.
Another way to help is to have breakfast and lunch done independently and allow everyone to eat when they want and when it is convenient. All of my kids over the age of 3 get their own breakfasts and lunches." ~ Diane Robertson
Adaptable Lesson Plans
"Adaptable Lesson Plans! Creating adaptable lesson plans is key to accommodating various age groups and grade levels in larger families. Choose a central theme or topic, and then modify the complexity of the material for each child.
For instance, if the subject is science, my 10-year-old might delve into in-depth experiments, while the 5-year-old engages in hands-on activities, and the 2-year-old enjoys sensory exploration related to the topic." ~ Tiffany Campo
Workbooks
"For workbooks, place a plastic paper protector on top of the paper and have your child use a dry-erase marker to write in the answers. When they're done with the worksheet, just wipe it away so it can be used again. Take a picture if you want one for your records." ~ Alli Murphy
Involving All Kids
"Involve your older kids in teaching the littles. At one point, I assigned the 3 big kids with one subject for the kindergartener. They were responsible for doing that subject with him every day. This helps them to learn patience, but it also spreads out the responsibility." ~ Jodie Xavier Perry
Family Activities
"We do gameschooling, reading, science, and history together as a family. Hands-on activities/projects and daily field trips to a place to get the wiggles out helps too." ~ Shenise Harris
Household Responsibilities
"Build character through household responsibilities (chores, meal prep, homework helping, etc.) so it doesn’t all fall on one person. My late father used to say, 'If everyone does a little, no one has to do a lot.'" ~ Keisha Berry
Chores
"My biggest tip is to assign them chores. They learn a lot from having jobs around the house that are for them to complete; they contribute to the home running as smoothly as possible, and it counts as lifeskills.
From preschool age, my children have had assigned chores. Yes, they grumble about it during some ages, but they do grow out of that. It is the only way we can stay on top of the household tasks in my home." ~ Jaimi Erickson
Want more tips or have a few of your own to add? Click here to read the thread and join The Homeschool Quest group! Together, we can navigate the unique challenges of homeschooling large families and ensure that every child receives a quality education. Join us on Facebook and continue your journey towards successful homeschooling!
