“Can I Do This?”

August 11, 2008 by KellyH.

Can I do this with little ones?

Yes, you CAN do this! Many of us do! But… BUT!… it takes some commitment and some sacrifices on your part.

I’m used to popping in a BJU video to ‘do school’ while I tend to the little ones, housework, etc.

Instead of letting your TV, or some textbook, or even some worktext, “teach” your children, YOU will have to do it! You will have to set aside your housework, just like you would if you were going out to work each day. You will have to find a way to include your younger children, or work around them, just like you would if you were teaching Sunday school class with a few unruly children in attendance.

What many women have found helpful is to have “chore time” in the morning–usually the time right after breakfast. Spend about half an hour getting some sort of house cleaning done, or whatever needs doing (laundry, crock pot cooking, etc). Immediately following this is school. You’ll be distracted by the little ones frequently, but it’s important to get right back to school as soon as possible. Show your children how important their education is to you!

Another trick that is often used, is working one-on-one with the children. While you are working with one, the others tend to the little ones. Then you trade off and work with another child while the first one tends to the little ones. The beauty of homeschooling is that it teaches priorities. The needs of the younger siblings are important, but teaching them to wait, or to be quiet, or to entertain themselves, is part of their schooling. The older students learn these same qualities, as well as discipline to not run off whenever Mom turns her back. (A couple of mine are still working on this trait!)

The ladies who make up the U-Weaver email list are here to support you as you homeschool your children. But, the work must be done by YOU. We’re just words on your computer screen–we can’t teach your children for you–but we CAN pray for you, and we will!

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