Help! Schooling with a young toddler

[KJsMom]

I have agreed to babysit for a very good friend next year. She is a teacher at the school 1 1/2 miles from my house and I will only watch him Monday-Thursday. I need advice. How do you all do it?

[fairfarmhand]

How old is the child?

[KJsMom]

He will be 15 months when I start watching him.

[redheadeddaughter]

You are a very, very good friend. I hope she appreciates you!

 

I think this is easier to do with your own children, unless you have the same parenting style. I just turned down a good friend who wanted me to do this 2 days per week, but I am :bigear: and would love to hear what others say!

[KJsMom]

She is a good friend who pays well! Keeping her son will allow my husband to give up his second (very demanding) job.

This is her first child so I'm not sure yet what her parenting style will be. He will turn 1 very soon.

[athena1277]

Here's what I do, perhaps it will help. I have dd do independent work in her room in the morning (spelling workbook, handwriting, phonics). Then when ds takes his afternoon nap, I work with her on other subjects. If the toddler will be content to play quietly near you, you can sometimes squeeze in a quick lesson too.

[cara]

Here's what I do, perhaps it will help. I have dd do independent work in her room in the morning (spelling workbook, handwriting, phonics). Then when ds takes his afternoon nap, I work with her on other subjects. If the toddler will be content to play quietly near you, you can sometimes squeeze in a quick lesson too.

 

This is what we do too. I've also started setting up some tot school stuff for DD (19 months) for her to play with while DS works. That helps some

 

Check here for tot school ideas - http://1plus1plus1equals1.blogspot.com/2010/05/tot-school_23.html

[2squared]

I do any schoolwork involving a book during naptime and have since my youngest was that age.

[bagel270]

I set up a little pop-up tent with toys in it, and a desk for my little one. That way he could do school with us. But he would look at books for 30 minutes at a time too, so that helped. It can be done.

[KJsMom]

Thank you all for your ideas. I like the pop up tent with toys, my kids still like doing that kind of thing. Cara, thank you for the link. I guess I have the summer to work things out. I think I'm most nervous about keeping a boy. Never had one of those :001_huh:.

[Lawana]

I have agreed to babysit for a very good friend next year. She is a teacher at the school 1 1/2 miles from my house and I will only watch him Monday-Thursday. I need advice. How do you all do it?

I babysit my (step)granddaughter 4 days a week. I hate to say this, but early toddlerhood proved easier to deal with than late toddlerhood. A one year old can be held, distracted with novel toys. A late 2yo demands to be played with by those who are supposed to be doing school.

[Mom-ninja.]

I babysit my (step)granddaughter 4 days a week. I hate to say this, but early toddlerhood proved easier to deal with than late toddlerhood. A one year old can be held, distracted with novel toys. A late 2yo demands to be played with by those who are supposed to be doing school.

 

Why would you say this and crush my hopes of the near future?

 

Days around here are a whirl. I'm not sure how I get things done. My 9 yr old is pretty good at playing with the toddler while I work with my 6 yr old but it doesn't work well when the 6yr old is supposed to play with the toddler.

[Lawana]

Why would you say this and crush my hopes of the near future?

 

Days around here are a whirl. I'm not sure how I get things done. My 9 yr old is pretty good at playing with the toddler while I work with my 6 yr old but it doesn't work well when the 6yr old is supposed to play with the toddler.

It may be a function of personality. I can see this playing out very differently if the toddler involved were not so danged verbal! She can say anything she wants. My own dc were not nearly so verbal, and it would have been quite different with them. They would have been coming into their own in ability to play independantly (maybe? I didn't need to put this to the test.)