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homeschoolmultiplechildren

How to Choose the Perfect Homeschool Planner for Multiple Students

June 19, 2022 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

How to choose the perfect homeschool planner for multiple students can be easy when you have the right tools. And a homeschool planner should have unique sections to use for multiple children.

Besides keeping you organized, a homeschool planner for multiple children should include distinct lesson plan templates.

Too, I will show you exactly how to choose the almost perfect homeschool planner for multiple children without breaking the bank.

Besides, using a teacher planner which is used for 30 students is not the same as creating a unique homeschool planner for multiple kids.

Don’t adjust your unique lifestyle to a premade planner that is not created for our homeschool lifestyle. Teacher planners are created for classroom use and not family use.

How to Choose the Perfect Homeschool Planner for Multiple Students

Homeschool Planner for Multiple Students

First, learn what you need exactly in your homeschool planner for multiple kids.

Look at 5 questions you want to consider before you purchase or put a planner together.

5 Questions to Ask Before You Buy Or Put Together a Homeschool Planner for Multiple Students

  1. Will you homeschool year-round or use the same calendar months used by public school?
  2. Do you want assignment sheets to be filled out by you or will your students be filling out assignment sheets?
  3. What are the advantages of putting together my own versus buying one premade?
  4. Do I live in a state which requires more stringent record keeping and thus need more recording keeping pages?
  5. How important is room to write which is directly related to the size of the planner you want?

So, after you have your clear goals in mind, whittle down your choices.

For example, when you’re teaching multiple students, you need a choice of lesson planning templates.

How to Choose the Perfect Homeschool Planner for Multiple Students

I used lesson planning templates when my kids were younger and when they are older, I did a mix and match of forms.

Using an editable lesson planning page allows me to pick and choose the subjects I want to fill in each year for each child.

I’ve created unique lesson plan templates which can be used for at least 4 if not more children when you use the two-page spread.

Because almost every line is editable you can fill in with your student’s name or a subject. You need lots of flexibility when you have multiple children because you have multiple ages.

Having multiple ages creates problems for most planners. They will either have something too young-ish or templates not flexible for young children as well.

Homeschool Planner to Use for Multiple Ages

I’ve found making my own has been the key to getting that perfect homeschool planner

Also, I use a combination of either a DIY Student Planner OR a weekly checklist. You may need both in your planner.

How to Choose the Perfect Homeschool Planner for Multiple Students

In addition, if you’re trying to save ink (me not so much because I love color) I have an editable form for a 180 lesson plan template.

You can find black and white lesson plan templates here at Step 4. Choose Lesson Planning Pages of my 7 Step DIY Homeschool Planner.

How to Choose the Perfect Homeschool Planner for Multiple Students

Moreover, a lesson plan template created for homeschool use should have spaces for you to pen in lesson plans for you to teach your children together.

This lesson planning template I create for 3 or 4 kids.

It also has room at the bottom to pen it topics or subjects your kids learned together.

You don’t really need that much room to write skill subjects in when kids are real young. Jotting down main ideas is what I noted at younger ages.

By the way, if you have 4 kids and one or two of your children are in PreK or K grades, you can divide this template where you list your children’s names with a light pencil.

All my forms have so much flexibility so take your time choosing.

How to Choose the Perfect Homeschool Planner for Multiple Students

Unique Forms for a Multiple Children Planner

Although lesson planning pages and weekly checklist are the heart of keeping your organized, there are other forms you may want for multiple ages.

  • If you live in a state where you have to keep records or you have a high school teen, you need to track attendance. This Colorful and Editable Homeschooled Student Attendance Record has 3 color choices.
  • Whether you want to keep grades or not is another section to add to your planner for multiple students. The editable grade keepers are here on Step 5b. Choose MORE Unique Forms JUST for You!
  • In addition, field trips are a huge part of homeschooling whether you have multiple children or not; you can find field trip tracking forms also at Step 5b. Choose MORE Unique Forms JUST for You!
  • Lastly, goals are a huge part of planning for multiple ages. You’ll love the goals forms I have here at Step 3. Choose Goals/Objectives.

Organized the pages for a unique homeschool planner to use with different ages does not have to be complicated, but it should be unique.

Again, don’t try to adjust your unique needs to a planner which may have a bunch of useless forms.

Print exactly what you need HERE at my 7 STEP DIY HOMESCHOOL PLANNER

What else would you add to a planner for multiple children? Look at these other planners and tips

  • Also check out the Ultimate Homeschool Planner and you can read about it here on my post Ultimate Homeschool Planner.
  • Add in calendars and grab these beautiful ones here at Step. 2. Choose Calendars/Appointment Keepers
  • Pre-Homeschool Year Planning Checklist – 7 Step Homeschool Planner

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Curriculum Planner, Homeschool Planner Tagged With: curriculum planner, curriculum planner. homeschool., homeschool, homeschool curriculum planner, homeschool planner, homeschool planner front cover, homeschool planning, homeschoolmultiplechildren, homeschoolmultiplechildren planning forms, homeschoolplanner, homeschoolplanning, lesson planner, lessonplanning, planner, planning

Helpful Homeschool Unit Study Spines to Plan in a Few Hours

November 11, 2020 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Homeschool unit study spines can make or break your unit study.

While you can use any living book for a great unit study, some resources are more helpful than others to help you plan quickly.

Homeschool Unit Study Spines

Too, I’ve used many resources through my years of planning unit studies; choosing a spine is key to a successful unit study.

Before I jump into listing some helpful unit study spines, look below at the definition of a spine.

What is a Homeschool Unit Study Spine

A homeschool unit study spine can be a living book, magazine, mentor, reference book or chart, art or art object, play, musical piece, brochure, movie, encyclopedia, or any other type of book, object, or person which is the main reference or authority for your unit study topic.

In addition, a unit study spine is used to launch your lesson plans, topics, and sub-topics.

To easily plan, a superior spine will support additional ideas, projects, objectives, and concepts about the main topic.

It guides you down a trail to dive deep into the topic.

Look at my video How to Choose a Useful and NOT Useless Homeschool Unit Study Spine on my channel How to Homeschool EZ to understand what they are and how to choose them.

All research revolves around your spine; it is the backbone of your study and it is the main resource for your chosen theme.

Helpful Homeschool Unit Study Spines to Plan in a Few Hours

Additionally, depending on the type of unit study, some resources will be more helpful than others.

For example, if you’re doing a literature unit study, a beautiful dictionary is a must.

Also, as I moved away from all-in-one language arts, I used bar charts and quick study guides to zero in on skill subjects. To learn the difference between a skill and content subject read What Homeschool Subjects to Teach and When to Teach Them? Part 1 of 3.

Now look below at a few handy charts which promptly get to the nitty-gritty of language arts skills.

Further, while comparing and choosing books, here are features I look for when choosing a superior resource:

  • Background information about the topic in the text.
  • Ideas for hands-on projects.
  • Anecdotes.
  • Words for vocabulary.
  • Diagrams or charts.
  • Questions in the text or at the end.

With that being said, look at the breakdown for the different types of unit study spines which help you to plan in a few hours.

The very first reference books I started with were DK Eyewitness books.

They’ve improved through the years; they’re timeless. A wonderful collection is an inexpensive way to prep for a unit study beginner.

Science Homeschool Unit Study Spines

One of my favorite and timeless publishers is Nomad Press. They have many books which make for great themes. Look at some of them below.

More Science Unit Study Spines

Another set of books are the DK Smithsonian Encyclopedia which are keepers for science unit study spines.

Look at some of the timeless ones we have used below along with some new ones.

Moreover, there are no shortages of books and references for nature; I prefer field guides which are concise nuggets while teaching a nature unit study.

Of course taking the guides to our outside classroom is the best reason.

Nature Homeschool Unit Study Spines

Further, many times I’ve used two unit study spines as companions.

For example, the resources I’ve listed above are reference books. I find reference books are extremely easy in helping me to plan a unit study because they put topics in a nutshell.

Living Books For Homeschool Unit Study Spines

However, along with a reference book, some unit studies are better taught alongside a living book. I find when I add a living book, language arts becomes a natural fit and not a forced fit.

Living books contain two main important things.

  1. The book is written by an authority on the topic; and
  2. They are written in a narrative form meaning a book would explain events and give vivid details in a story form which engages the mind of readers.

In addition, a living book should stir a reader’s emotion and imagination even doing so in a picture book.

However, one of the best features of a living book is that a reader doesn’t realize that he is learning facts in a natural way. Living books are opposite of textbooks.

Lastly, I look for classic books, but they aren’t always living books. Foremost I look for a well-written book which has a high literary quality.

Adding a living book alongside a reference book has been the key to my family covering almost all the subjects in a unit study.

Below, I’ve listed just a few books we’ve used through years; I want you to have examples of living books for the various ages.

I’ve divided the living books into three sections or lower, middle, and upper reading levels.

Living Books for Beginning Reading Levels

Living Books for Middle Reading Levels

Living Books for Upper Reading Levels

Moreover, a series of books like the Shakespeare Can Be Fun introduces sophisticated literature to younger kids in a fun way.

Let a young learner’s introduction to Shakespeare be one he understands. There is plenty of time in middle and high school to learn about literary terms.

Helpful Homeschool Unit Study Spines to Plan in a Few Hours

Next, I want to share a few more reference books which I’ve used plentifully. The books below are by Chicago Review Press.

Even though these resources are some of my favorite, they are by no means an exhaustive list. My focus in this roundup is to give you visual examples of unit study spines which ease lesson planning by giving you a plethora of examples.

How Unit Study Spines Are Cost Effective

In conclusion, but certainly not less important is knowing the value of unit study spines. Homeschool unit study spines are cost effective for several reasons:

  • spines cover many ages and that means I divide the price by how many years I’m using it or by how many kids are using it for one year,
  • there is less waste of resources because we choose exactly what we want to study,
  • because unit studies are a mastery approach, less money is spent on covering one topic for several years, and
  • spending less time on curriculum which may not cover our specific educational goals and focusing exactly on my kids’ needs is not only a huge savings, but an outstanding education.

What do you think? Are you ready to give unit studies a try?

You’ll love these other unit study helps:

  • A to Z List: 100 Fun Summer Homeschool Unit Study Ideas
  • What You Must Know to Teach High School Unit Studies
  • 5 Simple Ways to Enhance a Homeschool Unit Study
  • How to Grade a Homeschool Unit Study for an Older Child (& high school assessment)

Hugs and love ya,

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Do Unit Studies, Homeschool Simply, Homeschooling Tagged With: book lists, historyspine, homeschool curriculum, homeschool planning, homeschool subjects, homeschoolanguagearts, homeschoolapproach, homeschoolcurriculum, homeschoolhistory, homeschoolmultiplechildren, homeschoolplanning, homeschoolscience, teachingmultiplechildren, unit studies

65 Best Teaching Tips for Embracing Homeschooling Multiple Ages and Ideas You Wished You Knew Earlier

August 12, 2020 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

When I first started my blog, I did a series on homeschooling multiple ages. It was a sweet series chock full of tips, but wouldn’t you like to know how successful that method was for me?

Fast forward to the present with three kids graduated, you will love these tried and true tips for juggling multiple ages and ideas you wished you knew earlier.

1.

HOMESCHOOLING MULTIPLE AGES

So, I’m breaking down the tips into big chunks so that you can easily find the help you need as I share details. I’ve had a lot of time to refine the process over the last 20+ years.

First, let’s discuss ten benefits of teaching mixed ages together and eight challenges.

65 Best Teaching Tips for Embracing Homeschooling Multiple Ages and Ideas You Wished You Knew Earlier. After 20+ years of homeschooling multiple children together through to high school, you'll love the HUGE LIST of tips to know from how to choose curriculum to understanding the definition.

Ten Benefits of Teaching Mixed Ages Together

  1. The public school approach has complicated the simple. More subjects do not equal more; it just equals more busywork. Teaching subjects together combines several bodies of knowledge which are related.
  2. Shorter more productive days stick. The time after instruction is filled with how each child connects what is learned today with yesterday. A child needs time to linger on what is newly learned.
  3. We homeschool because we want to nurture family togetherness and teaching siblings together does that.
  4. Focusing on one science, history, geography, music, book, or art topic multiplied my time as a teacher. From topics came lesson plans suited to each age and ability. Bottom line is my time planning yielded huge results.
  5. Covering a topic with multiple ages enriches the depth of each child’s knowledge as they share their research with the family.
  6. Teaching multiple ages together is easy on your budget. Buying one science or history book for all your ages screams homeschool savings. (Yes, it’s fantastic. I’ll share in a minute how to do it.)
  7. It fosters a love of independent learning. I didn’t realize this until later. Coming together to study encouraged my kids to research their ideas and to present them to the rest of the family.
  8. Older children model for younger children.
  9. Younger children learn from older siblings.
  10. All of your children learn from each other as the older children review facts mouthed by the younger siblings. That equals natural review instead of forced worksheets.

Eight Challenges of Teaching Mixed Ages

Also, look at my YouTube video 3 Lesser Known Problems Homeschooling Multiple Children the Fixes

Identifying the challenges I’ll be addressing will help you to see which part of this process gives you a bump in the road.

More important, I’m also giving you tips for smooth sailing on teaching your mixed ages.

Next, let’s dive into listing the challenges.

  1. Does teaching together really mean at the same time? Should I teach a few kids separately?
  2. How do you give each child one-to-one and when?
  3. It could create an unhealthy spirit of competition. For example, an older learner may outshine a younger learner. Also, in some instances an advanced younger learner can outshine an older sibling.
  4. Also, if you have several small children creating a lot of interruptions this can make for an atmosphere of chaos instead of calm.
  5. Another challenge is how to create lesson plans which fits all ages.
  6. What activities are good for all ages?
  7. Teacher time planning is increased.
  8. Determining if this approach is good for all of your children can be stressful.

If you’re new to homeschooling, you’ll love my online self-paced Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers.

New Homeschooler Online Self-Paced Boot Camp By Tina Robertson

2.

DEFINING HOMESCHOOLING MULTIPLE AGES

Now that some challenges and benefits have been identified, I’m moving on to explaining what is homeschooling multiple ages.

Understanding a definition brings clarity which is sanity saving.

Look at six ways to understand what it means to juggle mixed ages.

Six Ways to Define Homeschooling Mixed Ages

  1. It means you can teach your children together, but each one can be working independently on an assignment. The kids are not all huddled together in front of you every minute. Of course, unless you want that. Just saying.
  2. Creating multiple assignments on one topic for each child’s needs is the very foundation of homeschooling multiple children.
  3. You can create individual hands-on projects based on ages.
  4. Creating ONE BIG project by all the kids teaches siblings how to collaborate. You decide which projects and how many projects your kids do jointly or individually. Maintaining flexibility of how many hands-on ideas or projects you want to assign to your older or younger set of kids or assign individually is key to savoring the process. Flexibility is king for projects.
  5. Understanding that you do NOT have to do all the teaching when the kids are together is another important element to know.
  6. Older siblings reading to younger siblings or reviewing math facts is part of how you juggle mixed ages.

Did you know this method of teaching is time tested? It reminds me of the one-room schoolhouses of the past.

If you were to ask a seasoned homeschooling mom if a one-room schoolhouse is a thing of the past, they would probably say no.

The building may be long gone, but the idea of teaching mixed ages together is alive and strong in the homeschool world.

3.

NUTS AND BOLTS OF HOMESCHOOLING MULTIPLE AGED CHILDREN

One of the most common mistakes or misunderstandings about teaching multiple grades is that all your kids sit down together in front of you and you teach them at the same time. 

That is not true.

While it’s easier to do this when they are young, it gets harder to do as they get older.

In short, one huge tip to teaching multiple grades is to remember that you are teaching multiple lesson plans on one topic. A big difference. 

So this means you have to know when to teach together at the same time and know when to teach separately.

Key to teaching ONE lesson plan for multiple ages is knowing that some subjects are more essential while other subjects can be taught in a variety of ways.

Six GENERAL Tips for Homeschooling Multiple PRESCHOOL and ELEMENTARY Children

Look at the nitty-gritty tips of teaching when ALL your kids are 8 years old and younger.

  1. When teaching young children who have shorter attention spans more breaks are needed between topics. Knowing this you want to prep for several 15 to 30 minute teaching slots throughout your day.
  2. Do reading aloud first for the school day. This way you have set the tone for the teaching day.
  3. Reading aloud can be any book which covers a subject you need to teach for the day. History, science, math, literature and even books which teach grammar in a humorous way are your guides for reading. One budget saving tip is to use a book, yes even a textbook which you already have. A textbook is not my first choice because it’s tweaked to fit one age. A book which covers multiple ages is your aim.
  4. However, if you don’t have a book which covers multiple ages to teach the subject and only have textbooks aim for the book that targets the middle age of your children or your oldest children. For example, by a rule of thumb your 8 year old would be considered third grade. You want to use a second or third grade textbook.
  5. When choosing resources for your children know it’s ALWAYS easier to adjust lesson plans DOWN from a resource for younger children than up for an older child.
  6. Another sanity saving tip when working with young children is that you give one-to-one time starting with your YOUNGEST and work your way up to your OLDEST.

Now that you have some general tips for homeschooling younger children, it’s important to know that subjects fall into two types of category.

For instance, language arts and math are skill subjects.

While it’s not completely impossible to do so, it’s harder to teach those skills to multiple children using one level.

Incidentally, this is a concept that even public school teachers understand which is that even children in the same grade are all over the place skill wise.

On the other hand, content subjects like history, science, art, and many others can be taught together.

Although you want to keep the information at your children’s level, it’s not critical for them to master one concept in content subjects before moving on to another one. However, it is for skill subjects. Children need to know the four basic operations of math before moving on to Algebra.

Another example of the important point I’m making is if a child does not learn to read and write well by the older grades, he could be at a deficit for learning. He may be set up for struggling if enough time was not spent mastering skill subjects as his individual pace.

However, if a child did not learn the capitals of every state by fourth grade, he will not necessarily be ill-equipped in adulthood. He would need to know how to read to look up the capitals of states.

Learning styles and learning modalities can be complex. However, tapping into the way a child prefers to learn is essential to success.

Five Specific Tips for Homeschooling Multiple PRESCHOOL and ELEMENTARY Children

Now that you understand the differences in the types of subjects, look at these specific tips for homeschooling multiple young children.

  1. After reading aloud, begin one-to-one with your preschoolers and toddlers on the lesson for the day.
  2. Start with the skill subjects first since they’re most vital at this age. If you did a literature read aloud, then work with letter recognition or sound with your group of littles.
  3. Fine motor skills can be done at this time too. Set up your learning area for painting, beading, or playdough.
  4. Bottom line is to teach all of your youngest children together. As the youngest learners they’re your true schedulers.
  5. Before you move on to the group of older kids or your next group, being READY INSTANTLY with activities is key to teaching the littles. If you have a large family, you may need a division of three groups depending on the ages.

Next, let’s move on to tips for older learners. It’s one thing for your kids to be real little and have years to teach, but it can be quite scary as your kids approach middle and high school.

For the most part, skill subjects are just as important in the older grades as they are in the younger grades.

The huge difference is in the upper grades content subjects need equal attention. That can be the rub, but I have some tips and tricks for you in a just a bit.

By the time a child is in the older grades he is reading to learn instead of learning to read. When a child is past that point of the basics of learning how to read he is ready to focus on more content subjects.

As I mentioned earlier, the general rule of thumb when working in a group is that you work with the youngest group of children first and work your way up.

In short, your older kids will get your one-to-one later or even last. This calls for an absolute clear direction for them to start their day on the topic.

Six Practical Tips for Homeschooling Multiple OLDER Children

Look at these tips for homeschooling multiple older children.

  1. After you come together to start your day with the lesson topic, then let your older kids decide what lesson to do OR even a different subject. For example, if you’re teaching a science lesson, he may want to do math instead. Allowing your older kids to make decisions like that gives them control over their learning journey. Having an order for lessons is key because you will always need to work with the youngest first. Your older kids can’t be held up for the day waiting on you.
  2. This brings me to my next tip. Let your older kids do lessons or subjects that require minimal help from you.
  3. On the other hand, if they struggle with a subject like math, I suggest they do that first when they’re freshest in the day. The key here is to use a program which teaches step by step or even visually.
  4. Let them do some of the reading or teaching to their younger siblings. It’s great training.
  5. Also, get them to help do the research on an upcoming lesson plan or topic. It’s a win-win. They learn research skills, you get help, and your older kids are diving deeper into learning. Valuable research skills and outlining are learned. They feel a useful part of your teaching team while increasing their knowledge.
  6. Finally, one more tip that I call the broccoli cheese sauce method is to combine one skill subjects which your older child may not like, maybe essays, with a content subject he does. For instance, assign writing topics based on a science passion, geography, nature, history or a Bible topic.

To summarize this section, it’s important to put all of these tips I mentioned above into a working day.

How does the day or schedule look?

Flexible Homeschool Schedule for Juggling Mixed Ages

1st
Block of Time
(could be morning)

Begin the start of your day together. Usually the morning time is the beginning of the homeschool day. Whatever time is the first to your homeschool day, the key is to start with all kids together.
Then let older kids work independently.

2nd
Block of Time
(could be afternoon)

If you have all young kids like 8 years old and younger, you need time to come back together to teach the lesson in more depth or through a hands-on idea.

Do one hands-on idea/project for all your kids.

If you have a set of older and younger kids, then only come together with the youngest set. This allows the older learners independent time.

3rd
Block of Time
(could be after school)

This time period is a flexible time. I could use this time before supper to help one of my kids who was struggling. Also, we did music and art during this time. As my kids grew older, they used it for fitness time and research time. Too, silent reading time was during this period.

As you see from the above flexible schedule, adjustments will have to be made along the way.

From PreK to high school I’ve used the method above with variations for each year.

In a nutshell, teaching multiple ages always included some part of the day being together no matter the age.

While it’s true that as each son entered high school, the time together was shorter. It wasn’t because my older children needed more time alone; it was because they learned to be independent using this method of teaching multiple ages. On the threshold of adulthood, they were already using their time wisely.

4.

ACTIVITIES FOR MIXED AGES

Next, having a list of activities ready to choose from and which will work with a variety of ages was indispensable.

Look at some activities below which will simplify your day.

21 Ideal Activities for Juggling Mixed Ages

  • Watching Dvds.
  • Coloring. Museum quality coloring books and coloring books are not just for young kids anymore. These high quality pages are great learning aids for any age, but especially young adults.
  • A mixed age homeschool co-op.
  • Drawing and labeling. Whether your kids draw and label an animal or plant cell, it’s an activity that adjusts to each age.
  • Poetry recital. When one kid remembers one poem and recites IT, all your kids benefit.
  • Listening to an audio book can be enjoyed by all ages.
  • Growing a garden or tending plants is a wonderful family activity.
  • Discussing current events.
  • Virtual field trips.
  • Physical field trips.
  • Combining math and art.
  • Drama and plays.
  • Watching a musical.
  • Viewing a documentary.
  • Studying maps and atlases.
  • Reading together, of course.
  • Have your children prepare ONE huge lapbook together or have your kids prepare individual ones.
  • Make vocabulary cards for a game.
  • Educational board games.
  • Make character cards from a movie, documentary, or book.
  • Any life skill like sewing, baking, or cooking.

To summarize, make a list of ideas for you to have quickly available to you. Ideas will vary according to whatever topic you’re teaching.

Green Kid Crafts Make it a Green Summer

The point is make a huge list from the resources you have on hand and of course stalk my Pinterest for ideas.

5.
HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM FOR MULTIPLE CHILDREN

Finally, resources for homeschooling multiple children are EVERYTHING; resources can literally make or break teaching multiple ages.

Not having the perfect resources when I started, I still used what I had already purchased because I didn’t have to go out of my budget.

Further, I promised earlier that I would explain how to choose resources and how to choose one book for all ages.

Before I go on, I do want to touch on one important point which made teaching multiple ages successful through to high school for each kid.

I switched to a unit study homeschool.

It may seem harder to lesson plan, but using a unit study approach gave me ample information to feed each of my children’s learning appetite at any age.

Now, look at how to choose resources and unit study curriculum ideas.

  1. Although textbooks are not my first choice, it’s what I had when I started. I encourage you to use what you have; I didn’t know the difference between living books and just books. Tip: Use the textbook from your oldest child to teach your subject. As I’ve stated before, it’s EASIER to plan down than up for your oldest learner. You can adjust lessons for younger learners when you have more than enough information to choose from for lesson plans.
  2. In addition, book series work great for multiple ages. I aim for a middle school or higher series. As an example, a few book series are The Boxcar Children, The Little House, J.R.R. Tolkien Set, and The Puffin in Bloom Collection.
  3. Also, some curriculum is easier to use with multiple ages of children than others. Here are the ones I like and have worked timelessly for me through the years: Beautiful Feet, Ellen Mchenry Games and Learning Resources, Home School in The Woods, Literary Adventures For Kids, Case of Adventure, Art History Kids, Backyard Science, Music in Our Homeschool, Tapestry of Grace, NaturExplorers from Shining Dawn Books, Five in A Row series, Learning Language Arts Through Literature series, KONOS, and All About Spelling.

In summary, it wasn’t easy to let go of the thinking that children need to be segregated by age. 

By nature we fight it because are so very aware of the fact that the educational future of our children is in our direct hands.

Now that I have three young successful adults, I can say without a doubt that this time-tested method works.

It is natural for our kids to compare themselves to each other, but it is our job to be sure we nurture them in their own unique talents.

65 Best Teaching Tips for Embracing Homeschooling Multiple Ages and Ideas You Wished You Knew Earlier. After 20+ years of homeschooling multiple children together through to high school, you'll love the HUGE LIST of tips to know from how to choose curriculum to understanding the definition.

This means separate time for the little ones so they can shine and not be overshadowed.

The one room school house is still alive and well in homeschooling today. Though it has its challenges, the rewards are well worth it.

Did you find a part here that can help you? What part do you struggle with in teaching multiple ages?

Enjoy my seasoned homeschool mom tips? You’ll love these too!

  • 15 Old-Fashioned Useful Skills Homeschoolers Love To Teach
  • How to Know What A Homeschooled Child Should Learn Yearly?
  • 10 Fun Amazon Prime Movies for the Youngest Homeschoolers
  • Screen-Free Educational Activities for Kids Who Love Video Games
  • How to Grade Hands-on Homeschool Activities and Projects (Free Rubric for Grading)
  • 3 Ways to Homeschool the BIGS (a.k.a. Older Kids)
  • 3 Ways to Choose the BEST Writing Curriculum (for a Growing Homeschool Family)

Hugs and love ya,

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Be an Exceptional Homeschool Teacher, Homeschool Multiple Ages of Children, Homeschool Simply, How To - - - Tagged With: homeschool, homeschool challenges, homeschool joy, homeschool schedules, homeschoolmultiplechildren, homeschoolplanning

How to Know What A Homeschooled Child Should Learn Yearly?

May 28, 2019 | 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

You’d think having a year by year list of requirements which a homeschooled child should learn would be helpful. It may or may not be depending on your circumstances.

If your child is on a faster track than most kids his age, then such a list could set your child up to be a resistant learner. Nobody wants to go over previously mastered material.

On the other hand, if a child needs to stay on a concept longer, then the beauty of homeschooling is allowing him to linger longer.

I won’t leave you hanging though because I know paramount to maintaining sanity is having a guideline or idea of what to teach.

How to Know What A Homeschooled Child Should Learn Yearly?

After 25+ years of teaching, I have found easy ways to guide my kids to graduation.

Look at these 3 quick planning tips you need now and I rounded up some resources for you.

3 Quick Planning Tips You Need Now

ONE/ ALL subjects can be categorized into a SKILL or CONTENT subject.

Skill subjects are the backbone of ALL years from Prek to High School; the
skill subjects are math and language arts.

Language arts is a general term to including many different subjects depending on your child’s age.

Because language arts includes all facets of English, you want to be familiar with the subjects that fall under the broad term of language arts. Two of the three Rs — reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic are part of language arts.

Giving your attention first to language arts and math is vital. While choosing content subjects is important, your child could struggle terribly if skill subjects are not introduced in a sequence.

One example of how important laying foundational steps is learning to read. You want your child exposed to a wide variety of sounds and have a rich print environment to boost his reading skills.

Look at these subjects that are language arts.

Subjects for Younger Grades

Reading
Phonics
Penmanship
Grammar
Spelling
Poetry

Subjects for Older Grades

Literature
Word Study
Vocabulary
Grammar
Spelling
Composition
Poetry

Oral speaking is also part of language arts.

Some things about language arts like conversations are not specifically taught, but learned through interaction with your kids each day.

TWO/ Instead of focusing on a scope and sequence, glance at the table of contents.

A scope and sequence is how topics are covered in a curriculum.

Scope is the depth or amount of knowledge or information to be covered in each grade level and sequence refers to the order or steps based on grade level. The idea for sequence is that it builds on knowledge based in previous grades.

In summary, a scope and sequence is an agenda or schedule of what to learn and when to learn it. That’s it. Kids have the ability to learn facts from two or more grade levels.

Knowing the scope and sequence is helpful, but I find that glancing at the table of contents of any curriculum is an easier tip.

Each curriculum has a different scope and sequence. So unless you stick with one curriculum, I find that taking a closer look at the table of contents has always met with a better fit for my kids.

Focus on the grade level your kids will be on, but more importantly study the skills on the curriculum that are up one grade level and down one grade level from that same curriculum to ensure a good fit.

Ask yourself these questions while looking at the table of contents:

  • how much of it is review,
  • how many new concepts will be introduced,
  • how many days are lessons assigned, and
  • how much help does it give the teacher.
THREE/ Your state standards can be used as rule of thumb.

This is my least favorite way of understanding what a child needs to learn unless of course you have required subjects required by state homeschool law.

It’s my least favorite because most of us start with our local state standards, but find that we want to cast a wider net of knowledge.

Many years I’ve let go of grade levels and concentrated specifically on skills or concepts.

This is a helpful tip whether you have a gifted learner, a child who seems to be right on target, or a child that needs more time for concepts to stick.

Also, be sure you’re getting tips from my YouTube Channel How to Homeschool EZ.

Year by Year Home Learning Resources

Focusing first on skill subjects, glancing at a table of contents, or scanning a scope and sequence will cut your planning stress in half. It’s a simple starting point.

However, you’ll eventually become an expert at choosing levels when you also grab a few of these empowering resources.

Home Learning Year by Year is a great resource that has been around for a while. It’s a very useful guide if you want to glance at what kids are capable of learning each year.

Too, for many years, I used this guide and highlighted concepts we we’re covering. I love using it when I prepare my unit studies too.

Another series of books that have been extremely helpful to me through the years is What your __ Grader Needs to Know.

You’ll love having a detailed explanation for both content and skill subjects in each grade level.

Also, grab these free downloads which will help you to gauge grade levels to get a better fit for your kids.

  • Core Knowledge has a free preschool sequence. Notice this is not a scope (meaning how long long or what age). A sequence is much more helpful because it gives you an overview of skills in an order.
  • Core Knowledge also has a K to 8th grade sequence. Again, notice this is a sequence only which I find very helpful. I get to decide if we want to cover 6th grades in 4th grade or vice versa.
  • Also, I have various scopes and sequences on my free 7 Step Homeschool Planner page.

Keep in mind that if you make a mistake, it’s all still OKAY.

If a grade level proves too easy, save it for another child or keep the level as a review. You can resell your used curriculum too.

How to Know What A Homeschooled Child Should Learn Yearly?

Too, if you chose a grade level that has proven more challenging than you planned, then take the pace slower. Divide the lesson plan into two days until your child’s maturity rate catches up.

6 EZ Homeschool Planning Steps

  • Focus FIRST on Math and Language Arts.
  • Determine if you need to meet state law requirements.
  • If not, glance over one of the above resources.
  • Study the current grade level, the next higher grade level and the lower grade level table of contents. Choose the best fit based on your child’s quest for knowledge and not age.
  • Remember your child can move ahead or go slower. Making a mistake is okay.
  • Enjoy watching your child’s knowledge grow layer by layer because there is a lot of overlapping between grade levels.

You got this!

Look at these other practical and useful tips you’ll love:

  • Essential Life Skills – A Homeschooler’s Other Curriculum
  • How Early Should I Begin Homeschooling My First Child? (and checklist)
  • Homeschool High School Readiness?
  • A to Z List: Middle and High School Homeschool Electives
  • Big Ol’ List of All-In-One Homeschool Curriculum (a.k.a Boxed)
  • 3 Risks of Not Tracking Your Homeschool Lessons (Even If They’re Laid-Out)
  • How to Teach Homeschool Preschool From the Inside Out (And Preschool Skills)
  • Homeschool High School The Must Cover Subjects Part 1
  • Homeschool High School The Must Cover Subjects Part 2
Paramount to maintaining sanity is having a guideline or idea of what to teach in each homeschool grade. You’ll love the tips shared by a veteran homeschool mom with 20+ years. CLICK HERE to read these sanity savings tip and grab the resources!
Paramount to maintaining sanity is having a guideline or idea of what to teach in each homeschool grade. You’ll love the tips shared by a veteran homeschool mom with 20+ years. CLICK HERE to read these sanity savings tip and grab the resources!

1 CommentFiled Under: Choose Curriculum, Homeschool Multiple Ages of Children, Homeschool Simply, Homeschooling, Kick Off Your Homeschool Year, Schedule/Balance Home & School, Teach/Which Subjects to Teach/Cover EVERYTHING Tagged With: homeschool, homeschool challenges, homeschoolmultiplechildren, homeschoolplanning, planning, scope and sequence

Homeschooling Book for New Homeschoolers – When You Don’t Know Where to Begin

April 19, 2019 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I’m over the top excited about my book for new homeschoolers. Homeschooling 31 Day Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers: When You Don’t Know Where to Begin is a book I wrote especially to help new homeschoolers get started with homeschooling.

New Homeschooler Homeschooling How-Tos

Look at the 4 ways this book is unique from other homeschool books:

  • I don’t claim to have a very unique homeschool journey from other seasoned veterans of 20+ years of homeschooling, but I do claim it’s my attention to the unique needs of new homeschoolers that sets my book apart.
  • My book is also set apart because not only do you get the benefit of my many years of experience, but I conducted workshops with ONLY new homeschoolers for 10 years.
  • Prior to writing my book, I organized about 5 homeschool groups in various larger cities in Texas where my leaders who were trained by me conducted monthly workshops for new bees. You get the benefit in my book of my many years of helping new homeschoolers.
  • Although I know the popular questions new homeschoolers are asking when they begin, I also know that many things they don’t know. I address those unknown things in my new book
    Homeschooling 31 Day Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers: When You Don’t Know Where to Begin
Must Read Book for New Homeschoolers Homeschooling 31 Day Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers @ Tina's Dynamic

You’ll love these 3 special features in my new book:

  • Knowing the needs of the new homeschoolers, I carefully chose the order of the chapters or topics. What you want to know and what is essential to know your first year are organized with your immediate needs and long-term goals in mind.
  • It’s written with the first year homeschooler in mind. That may seem an obvious fact, but it has been my experience that seasoned veterans give advice based on what they now know. It may not be helpful, but cause more stress when seasoned veterans makes absolute statements as to what works and what does not work. One example is the encouragement by some seasoned veterans to not use a boxed curriculum. In reality, a seasoned veteran needs to know more about a new homeschooler’s circumstances to know if purchasing a boxed curriculum will bring stress or alleviate it. I give details in my book to explain how that works.
  • Because new homeschoolers can be quite overwhelmed, I have a HIGHLIGHT Section every seventh chapter so that important foundational points are understood and not overlooked. This section helps the new bee homeschooler to glean quickly what she needs to do to get started homeschooling.

How to Homeschool Book

Homeschooling 31 Day Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers. A UNIQUE book written for new homeschoolers @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

If you’re looking to begin homeschooling, my online self-paced boot camp may be for you.

Want more? You’ll love my DETAILED self-paced Boot Camp

It will benefit the 1st and 2nd year homeschooler the most. And of course I always welcome your questions. Click here to read about the self-paced online homeschool boot camp.

Look at these other helps for new homeschoolers:

  • Homeschool Critics: How Do You Know You’re on Track?
  • How to Use Summertime to Put a Foot in Homeschooling
  • Deschooling: Step One for the New Homeschooler (the Definitions, the Dangers, and the Delight)
  • 5 Top Mistakes of New or Struggling Homeschoolers
  • 8 Colossal Pitfalls of Homeschooling in the WHAT IF World
  • Socialization – A Homeschool Hallucination?
  • 10 Biggest Homeschool Burnout Triggers (and how to cope)
New to Homeschooling? There's a plethora of knowledge out there, and not all of it is good or helpful, and a lot of it is scary and confusing. But not in Tina's book. Grab it now and be in the know!

Do you have a friend that needs this new book? Can you help me to make it number 1?

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Homeschooling Tagged With: homeschool challenges, homeschoolmultiplechildren, new homeschooler, newbeehomeschooler

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