5 Days Of The Benefits & Challenges of Teaching Mixed Ages Together – Day 2: Benefits Of Homeschooling Together

Today, I am excited to share about the benefits of teaching your children together. I think just about everybody starts off getting full grade levels of curriculum for each child.

Moreover, I think we have curriculum comfort padding and it just makes us feel good knowing that we have it around.

Then a few weeks if not months into our school year, we get subject and curriculum overload.

However, there are many benefits to teaching children together besides streamlining your curriculum which obviously is good on the budget too.

It is a sanity preserver because you are only preparing/reviewing one lesson plan for several children.	Streamlines the teacher’s time.
Whole family can be involved together which is more natural than segregating a teen or a tot.	Easier to do one hands-on project or one lapbook and have all your children contribute something. I can’t imagine doing 7 lapbooks or growing 7 beans in a jar at one time.
Younger children benefit from the modeling of an older children.	Older children learn to mentor their younger siblings which is a valuable life skill for leadership.
If an older child is struggling with some of the basics, he benefits from your explanation to the youngest children.	Family ties and sibling bonds are strengthened which is what we all want.

Teaching kids today is very similar to the one room school house where they had younger children sit in the front and older children sit in the back.

Of course, on our field trip we tried to follow that model, but you can see how small the room was and its obvious how the different ages were going to learn from each other.

So that is another key to teaching kids together: scoop up the younger ones and have them sit closer to you so you can give them the attention first.

Of course no unique method is without its challenges. On Day 3, I will share some of the challenges that we face in homeschooling multiple children.

Are you up for the challenging of teaching multiple children together?

Read the other posts in this series:

• One Room Schools – A Thing of the Past? Day 1
• Benefits Of Homeschooling Together Day 2
• Challenges of Teaching Kids Together Day 3
• Embrace Homeschooling Multiple Grades Day 4
• Tips For Homeschooling Multiple Grades Day 5