Keeping the Home by Lori Seaborg - Teaching the Older Ones With Toddlers Underfoot

Keeping the Home by Lori Seaborg

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Teaching the Older Ones With Toddlers Underfoot

On an email list that I am on, a mother asked for suggestions on keeping a toddler busy while schooling the older ones. Here is my reply:

I’m right there with you, girl! Things have gotten much easier since I was introduced to the assumption that 95% of what we teach is remembered. With that in mind, I make it a point each day to have our 9yo and 7yo teach our 4yo and 2yo so I can have time with the opposite one. The Teacher of the Preschooler pulls out a drawer full of all sorts of preschool “teaching” objects like an abacus, flashcards (picture, number, and alphabet), blocks, and much more. I often purchase items for this drawer, to keep it interesting. There is also lots of writing utensils (markers, crayons, watercolor paints) and papers and child-safe scissors and glue available. The older children concentrate on “teaching school” to only the 4yo since our 2yo is at the copycat stage and will just do what they do (or she’ll hang out with me).

We’ve done this for a full year now, and it’s amazing how much the older children have taught our little guy. They’ve pretty much given him a full K4 education! The older ones have benefited not only in their own learning but also in good habits such as patience, perseverance and helping others.

When they do not need my help, the older children do their schoolwork independently (such as reading and copywork). This frees me up to do housework with my toddler following after. Our K4 child is well old enough to know how to respect the work of others, so I expect him to be quiet and read or write or else he needs to go play in his room while they work.

by Lori Seaborg 2006