Working with Multiple Children in At Home Learning
Dear Ambleside Parents,
The greatest challenge for parents of multiple children during At Home Learning is managing all of their individual needs. What follows is an outline of how the work may be coordinated and accomplished with multiple children at once. Remember, more important than book-learning is maintaining an atmosphere of peace and joy in the home.
Enjoy breakfast together. Make sure that your students have food and water before you begin a day of lessons. Make sure the morning table is peaceful, joyful and nutritious.
Set a time for morning chores to begin and end (15-20 minutes). A checklist works for all children and beginning in Kindergarten, children are able to complete simple chores without supervision. It is best with multiple children to have set time for set work, rather than letting them drag out chores all day long.
Set a schedule for the day’s work. The school day is best started with all children at the same time. Now is not the time to let your adolescent choose his/ her own schedule, especially if you have younger children up early. It is best that everyone go to work at the same time. Your students who are older will have to work longer than your younger ones.
Have a resource box of quiet play activities for younger children. It is important to keep the younger ones quiet and easy to supervise while the older ones work. A basket of quiet activities would be helpful to have on hand. During school it is sometimes helpful to make the “activity bag” part of their schoolwork, to eliminate choice or dissatisfaction. It is important to keep the choices very simple and limited during school time or you will become distracted from your other students. Here are some ideas for activity bags: 1) paper, crayons, scissors 2) coloring book and crayons 3) legos or duplos wooden blocks 4) a small bin of beans, rice, and measuring cups (need a clear space to play) 5) playdough, cutters, rolling pin.
Bible time is best for the whole family. This would be best done in the morning or in the evening after dinner. Make this a happy time together. It would be most meaningful if your whole family participated in Bible Readings together.
Read Aloud can be for the whole family. Read Aloud would be done before rest time or in the evening after dinner. This too should be a happy time. All of your children will enjoy the book we have chosen for Read Aloud. If you choose to read them just to your younger children, make sure your older ones are not around bringing distractions and disruptions.
Math and Reading for younger children will need adult support. These disciplinary subjects will require daily and steady discipline. Sustaining progress in these subjects will keep your students on grade level.
Ginnie Wilcox
Head of School
