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Tips For Homeschooling With Babies and Toddlers

“How do you homeschool with a baby and a toddler? I could NEVER do that!”

Perhaps you feel overwhelmed at just the mere thought of little ones vying for attention while trying to school another child. Or perhaps you’re thinking it’s impossible or would create a dynamic for educational disaster.

I want to encourage you that while you may hold those views and fears, it IS possible to do, and you CAN do it.

When I began homeschooling it was a bit easier; I had four little ones all under the age of 5 when we began formal preschool at home. Because my oldest was so young we just made school a family affair. That all changed a few years later when I gave birth to our 5th and then 6th child.

Our world was rocked.

What we had down to a science was suddenly turned upside down and I had to build extra tactics to “tame the toddlers” during school time. And while tactics and tips can be important, ultimately I knew my biggest struggle was my own heart and attitude.

Perhaps one of the most important things to remember is that our attitude and a rightly focused heart are pivotal. All it takes is a poor heart focus on our part to start our day on the wrong foot.

One thing that helps me stay intentional and focused is acknowledging my purpose, which is to lead and disciple our children. I find that when I focus on that truth it switches my heart and attitude toward honoring Christ. And while we may put our hearts in the right place, it doesn’t exempt us from the difficult moments, but it will lead us to the One who redeems them.

With hearts and minds in check, here are some practical ways to help while homeschooling with babies and toddlers:

Provide Structure and Flexibility

Structure and flexibility?! What does that even mean or look like?

ROUTINE!

Providing a daily routine sets expectations and provides stability for your little ones. A routine, rather than a strict schedule will give the opportunity for flexibility but will also give the structure necessary to have a successful homeschool day.

Expect that things won’t always go as planned, this helps to accommodate and adjust when that flexibility is needed.

Reduce External Distractions

Distractions will happen, it’s a part of life. It’s truly all in how we respond and react that can make or break the situation.

Sometimes those distractions are caused by us, whether it be through our phones or feeling inconvenienced.

Tips for Homeschooling with Babies & Toddlers

Encourage Participation

One of my favorite parts of homeschooling has become the family dynamic. It has also become one of my greatest defenses when interruptions or tense moments may arise.

Little ones naturally look up to their siblings and want to be a part of what is going on; use this to your advantage! Making your little one a copy of the same activity, having special coloring books on hand, including them in the science lessons, playing with math manipulative during math lessons, or even magnetic letters during reading are all way to get them involved.

I typically have my little ones either sit beside me or even on my lap as we go through our family subjects. (And even though I include them, at any given moment you may see a toddler perched on our school table!)

Even taking a moment to read a story one-on-one with them can set them back on track and make them feel included. Short attention spans can lead to tense moments and this is where redirection comes into play.

Redirection and Special Activities

It’s inevitable that there will be tense moments. I have found it extremely helpful to have “busy activities” on hand to distract and redirect.

This video I created shows simple independent activities for toddlers. These are items or activities that are specifically reserved for school time only so they don’t lose their luster.

Items that can be particularly helpful include:

Utilize Nap Time

And last, if all else fails, utilize nap time! We have had many days that resulted in nap time school sessions. And if you have babies that nap twice a day still, I would encourage you to use at least one of their nap times for school.

(Mary has written about why mamas need quiet time, too!)

Ultimately, the beauty of homeschooling is not recreating a school environment at home, but rather the home becoming the school environment. This means everyone in the home is a part of that dynamic.

When we choose to embrace homeschooling as a family endeavor, the payoff is great and the task becomes doable. Is it hard? Yes, but it is so worth it.

Are you homeschooling with babies and toddlers?

Leave me a comment and share your best tips to keep them busy and involved!

This post is from Homegrown Learners’ contributor, Megan.

Megan is a homeschool mom of 6, wife to Jon, former public school teacher, and follower of Christ. Homeschooling and homemaking are areas that the Lord has drawn her to be passionate about and it is her desire to be as intentional as she can in both.

She enjoys cooking, reading, gardening, history, and hiking in the beautiful mountains of East Tennessee. In her spare time, she is also a content creator for her YouTube channels Pennies and Salt , as well as her website, Pennies and Salt.

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5 Tips for Homeschooling Multiple Ages

It is a well-known fact that homeschooling our children is NO easy feat - add more than one child to the mix and it can get tricky!

I began my homeschool journey a little over six years ago, with four children in tow. Over the years we added two more to the mix, for a total of SIX, currently ages ten and under.

Being an experienced homeschool mom, I can honestly say I DON’T have all of the answers, but I have learned several tips and tricks which help our homeschool run much smoother.

Here are five of my top tips for homeschooling multiple ages:

5 Tips for Homeschooling Multiple Ages - Advice from a Large Family Mom

Implement a Rhythm and Routine over a Set Schedule

In the beginning, I planned each and every subject very strictly - and while this can work in your favor, I found that when little blips happened in our day, it threw the whole schedule off and it became punitive rather than helpful.

Using a daily flow or rhythm worked much better.

Having a basic routine and order to the day made a huge difference and allowed more flexibility - which is key to homeschooling multiple children.

And beyond just the routine, block scheduling can be a huge help as well.

5 Tips for Large Family Homeschooling from a Mom of Many Children

Block Scheduling in the Large Family Homeschool

The idea of block scheduling was absolutely life changing for our homeschool!

It’s especially helpful when you have very young children that still nap or when you would like to build in times for errands, appointments, etc…

While this concept seems very simplistic, it is extremely effective!

I have three blocks to my day: morning, afternoon, and evening.

For example; I typically designate our mornings for school (from 9-12). Our afternoons are designated for chores, lunch, nap, outside play, etc… And, during the evening we have dinner, baths, and family time.

If we have a day where we need to run errands, I can swap some activities in the afternoon for school or modify our day accordingly.

Time blocking helps to naturally organize your day.

Utilize Family Subjects

Family subjects are a HUGE benefit!

A few years ago I tried to do two levels of My Father’s World curriculum at the same time as trying to manage teaching three children to read, an early preschooler, and a newborn baby.

I literally felt like I was losing my mind!

That’s when I decided to simplify our homeschool and suddenly - what felt like chaos - subsided to a much calmer level.

Simplifying meant adapting Bible, science, and history into family subjects (think “one-room schoolhouse”). There are several curriculum choices that accommodate teaching multiple grade levels and many that are easy to adapt up or down depending on the levels of children you are teaching.

Sometimes just having your little ones tag along for science and history is enough, especially if you add in engaging read alouds that correlate with your studies.

I have also found that subjects like nature study, art, and music lend themselves to family learning.

5 Tips for Large Family Homeschooling from a Mom of Multiple Children

Encourage Independent Learning

Large family or not, teaching your child to work and learn independently is an important skill to develop.

This skill development begins early in the toddler and preschool years by doing something as simple as learning to play or complete a task on their own. Laying the groundwork may require a little extra pointed teaching and habit forming, but it truly pays off in the long-run.

Along with teaching habits, there are also growing resources or computer-based math and other subjects or choosing a curriculum that is geared for independent learning.

Instilling independence leads to developing many wonderful traits such as perseverance, responsibility, and self-motivation.

Busy Activities for Young Children

Homeschooling with toddlers can get quite interesting, especially when they are very mischievous. Providing engaging “busy activities” can help to entertain your little ones so you can give more attention to your
school-age children.

I keep a box with several prepared activities for my toddler/preschoolers to play with. These are toys, puzzles, special books, or sensory activities that only come out during school so they remain fun and exciting.

During family subjects and reading times, I incorporate all of my children as much as possible. Providing them with coloring sheets or their own copies of their older siblings’ worksheets can help the little ones feel like they are a part of the learning as well.


Homeschooling multiple ages can be quite an adventure.

While some days may leave us frazzled and frustrated, others leave us joyful. As moms of several children, it’s important to give ourselves grace and remember that our seasons of life are constantly changing.

These years go by so quickly.


I hope these tips and tricks are helpful to you in your journey.

Share in the comments some ways you “survive” homeschooling multiple ages!

I want to encourage you to make memories, build bonds, adjust and make changes when needed, and overall, just have FUN!

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Megan is a homeschool mom of 6, wife to Jon, former public school teacher, and follower of Christ. Homeschooling and homemaking are areas that the Lord has drawn her to be passionate about and it is her desire to be as intentional as she can in both.

She enjoys cooking, reading, gardening, history, and hiking in the beautiful mountains of East Tennessee. In her spare time, she is also a content creator for her YouTube channels Pennies and Salt , as well as her website, Pennies and Salt.