How to Make Homeschooling With a Toddler Happen

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Homeschooling with a baby is one thing but homeschooling with a toddler adds a whole new layer of challenge to your school day.

The cute little things are full of energy (can’t sit still), are always exploring (destructive), and are usually pretty vocal (sooooo loud).

They don’t have any respect for the fact that their older siblings might need to do some school work.

Of course, we can’t change those things about toddlers and we wouldn’t want to. It is an important and precious time in a child’s life.

However, it goes without saying that it can make homeschooling harder for sure.

So, as a homeschooling mom to three kids aged 5, 3, and 1, I’m sharing the things that I’ve done to try and balance the needs of everyone in our home when it comes to school time.

5 Tips to Make Homeschooling With a Toddler Less Challenging

The tips below aren’t life-altering…I mean, I’m sure there are loads of moms out there who are already doing this, but there may just be something that you’ve not thought of that will really help your situation.

#1 Use the Sleep Times!

When the toddler sleeps…we schoool.

I mean, we can do some school work while she is awake, but the one-on-one, high concentration stuff always happens when she is preoccupied.

Both of my older two have taken at least one nap per day up until around 3-3.5 years old.

If you have a toddler in that age range then they almost certainly need the sleep and it will be a good way to homeschool without having to manage an energetic toddler at the same time.

If they won’t sleep, make use of quiet time.

Give them some toys in their room, turn on some quiet music and have them play in there for at least an hour.

If your child is not used to doing this then it may be something you have to work up to but trust me, it can be done and is so beneficial to the whole family.

#2 Make Use of Sensory Bins

Sensory bins work great in our home for two reasons.

First of all, there’s the novelty factor. I don’t take them out except for school times. Therefore, they keep my toddler’s attention really well.

Secondly, they’re just really fun. She loves to move things from one container to another and having some sensory play items for her to do that works great to keep her occupied.

I have a whole list of sensory play ideas in this post that you can check out.

If you’d like other toddler activity ideas that also contain an educational element, check out this post.

Regarding the sensory bins, be sure to only have them contain things that don’t require a lot of your supervision.

You don’t want to have to be concerned about the potential of choking or even just having a massive mess all over the place.

#3 Use Meal Times

Hands down, this has been one of the best ways to get some school work into the day while my toddler is still awake.

We do our morning basket over breakfast and it has proved to be immensely successful.

If you want to do read alouds, do them during mealtime.

Morning basket can be done over breakfast and I often do some read alouds over lunch.

The toddler is happy and it is also a great way to increase her capacity for sitting and listening to books.

We’ve read through about 4 or 5 chapter books in the past 9 months doing this.

Trust me, it works.

#3 Always Have Playdoh

Playdoh is one of my all-time favorite activities for my toddler.

We almost always have it on hand and it works very well to keep her happy and entertained.

You can buy playdoh or make your own, but I encourage you to keep it handy.

Set it up close to where you’re schooling your older children so that your toddler can feel included and yet will be occupied with their own activity.

#4 Pair Them Up

This is another tactic that has been very successful with us.

If you have an older sibling that can be paired up with your toddler then I highly recommend doing so.

What I typically do is some preschool with my 3-year old and my toddler joins in with that.

After that, I have my two girls (3 & 1) go to their room where they have some toys. I turn on music and a timer for an hour and have them play together in there for that time.

It gives me some solid (mostly) uninterrupted time to work directly with my son which makes lessons so much easier to get through.

Some days my toddler naps in the morning and we’ll do school then, but on the days that she doesn’t, this method works super well.

#5 Learn to Be Flexible

Flexibility has never been my strong suit. I hate last-minute change of plans.

However, homeschooling is one of those things that helps you to grow and change just as much as your kids.

I have learnt to be a lot more flexible, especially during this season of having little ones.

Some days my toddler takes two naps, other days it is just one but I’ve learnt to have a toolbox of ways to still get school done while working around her routine.

I encourage you to be flexible and understand that school doesn’t have to look the same every day.

There doesn’t have to be a set schedule and you can fit it in wherever it fits.

As someone who thrives on routine and checklists, this hasn’t always been the easiest thing to do, but once I embraced it, so much of the stress went away.

#6 Have the Right Mindset

It can be easy to become frustrated with your toddler and all the challenges that come with that stage of childhood.

Having the right mindset is a huge part of helping your homeschool be more joy-filled and peaceful.

Your toddler is not a “problem”. They are a member of your family that has their own feelings and needs.

Of course, homeschooling is more challenging when you’re trying to balance their needs with the needs of your older children but it is only for a time.

Toddlerhood is just a season and one day soon I’m going to really miss the chubby hands grabbing markers and trying desperately to do what the big kids are doing.

When I see the positives in the situation, it makes a huge difference to my attitude and level of patience overall.