If your kids are close in age - do you re-teach the younger ones?

[SereneHome]

I am doing some things with my oldest right now and my DS2 is hanging out around us and is listening and asking questions, etc.

 

But I wonder if in a year or two will I be repeating all the same books and curriculum with him as well.  I am not talking math or reading.  I am talking science, history, etc.

 

I am curious who it has been handled in other families.

 

Thanks

[Sherry in OH]

Math, language arts, and piano are done on the child’s own level. Other subjects are done as a family.  So, ds1 is studying astronomy and prehistory in 3^rd grade and ds2 in 1^st.   Next year, both will study ancient history.

 

When they are older and more independent they may need or want to study different levels, but for elementary having them study the same materials is more efficient.  Besides, if I separated them, they’d sit in on each other’s lessons because when one is doing lessons the other has no playmate.

[boscopup]

I'm teaching history and science together right now. They will cycle through the topics again at some point.

[sassenach]

I combine my 2 youngest in content areas (history/science). I ask for more output from the older, but the input hasn't required much modification. The younger is pretty sharp, so that helps.

[Clear Creek]

My middle child went through SOTW 1-3 together with my oldest. I read it to the two of them; they narrated/drew pictures and we discussed every single chapter. She now joins us when I read SOTW 1 with my youngest because she is sure she never heard it before, and since it is the most fascinating history ever she does not want to miss out on it. :confused1:

 

Don't be afraid of repeating curriculum in a couple years with a younger child. It just may have fallen completely out of their head.

[MinivanMom]

I teach math and language arts at each child's level. I combine the younger children (1st-4th) for literature, history, and science. I do a two-year rotation rather than the WTM rotation: two years of world history & biology, followed by two years of American history and physical science. All my kids are about two years apart so it's easy to fold the next child in. Dd1 did world history, then American history, and she is now working completely independently from the younger kids. Ds2 did American history with his big sister and is now doing world history with his younger sister. When he starts working independently next year, I will fold my 4th in with my 3rd to start a new American history rotation.

 

This is what works for us. I do wind up reading the same books, but I only read them every 4 years so I don't feel like it's boring or repetitive for me. I love combining my elementary age kids and having all those snuggled up on the couch reading a book moments, and I feel like it works well to combine over a two-year gap. Once they hit 5th grade, though, I have them working independently from their younger siblings. There's just no way I could combine 3 kids; a four-year gap is too much, and I feel like my middle school age kids need more independence and rigor at that point.

[Reefgazer]

EDITED:  It's extremely time-consuming and exhausting for me, but I have to basically teach my kids separately.  They are 12 and 9, but the difference between my 4th grader and my middle schooler is quite great.  The twelve year old is independent and advanced, while the 9 year old is somewhat advanced, but irresponsible, needs supervision, and not at all independent.  My youngest hooks on to the astronomy and history lessons, but he cannot output at the same rate or depth as my middle schooler and I will need to repeat the lessons for him in middle school.

I am doing some things with my oldest right now and my DS2 is hanging out around us and is listening and asking questions, etc.

 

But I wonder if in a year or two will I be repeating all the same books and curriculum with him as well.  I am not talking math or reading.  I am talking science, history, etc.

 

I am curious who it has been handled in other families.

 

Thanks

 

[SereneHome]

OK, thanks.  That's kind of what I thought, just wanted to check myself LOL

 

I am still a newbie, so not certain in many areas.

[Erin]

I usually rolled things into units when I taught country school.  

K-8 would be working on the same unit, but different levels within it, if that makes sense.  

[Ad astra]

Yes, I absolutely teach the younger ones. Even my kids just fifteen months apart are at very different stages of understanding, and each has their own materials and curriculum. I'd love to combine subjects or let them listen in but that hasn't worked out as well given their skill differences, so I refuse to shortchange the instruction of one for the convenience of time, which is what I'd be doing if I didn't specifically teach each student what they need.

 

Same here. My kids are little and only 18 months apart but they are already so different in every way that I can't imagine of using the same materials for the younger one or teaching them together. I'm going through lots of trial and error with DS and expecting to do the same with DD. We're doing the field trips for both kids and that's it.

[texasmama]

Content areas for my boys have always been combined.  Skill areas are separate, though younger ds has closed the gap on math.

[Coco_Clark]

My oldest two are 18 months apart and I combine then for everything possible.  

 

Right now they have separate phonics, writing, and math instruction but share everything else.  I can't combine math, even though my younger is going to catch up (or even overpass) big brother this year, because they are on separate programs due to their sheer difference in thinking.  And since one is reading and the other isn't I can't combine phonics/writing either.  But I'm putting off introducing grammar to DS6 this year in the hopes that I can do it together next year when they are 1st/2nd.  

 

I honestly just do not have the time to teach them every subject separately.  They do about 3 hours each, 2 together and 1 separate- which makes a total 4 hours for me (plus research, self education, and prep time).  If they were totally separate I would either have to cut subjects or do a total of 6 hours of school a day, plus clean double the prep work.  No thanks.  

I don't see a huge hindrance, personally, in combining content subjects. Their output level is slightly different of course and their interest varies, but I don't plan their school subjects around their (constantly fluctuating) interests anyways.  They find what we are studying very interesting or only slightly interesting...it doesn't much matter to me.  MAKING it interesting is part of my job.  Paying attention either way is part of theirs.  Sometimes the younger has to stretch a bit for a read aloud and occasionally older gets something for a second time, I just try to switch every-other in who I'm gearing something to.  

 

When the current 2yo gets into K and the big boys are grades 4/5 I wont be able to fold him in as much, because of sheer maturity.  That's a descent gap, after all.  But I know lots of families that combine to some extent K-12 and I am taking notes, lol.  And the olders may also be independent enough that I can let them study certain things alone and simply keep them on the same over-arching subject (we are all doing botony but with different programs)

 

[SkateLeft]

I did. I could never combine my kids in anything. My girls are 22 months apart, and I tried, but combining never worked. It caused more problems for us than it fixed.

 

Let me tell you... Story of the World has lost its magic by the fourth time through. ;)

[SereneHome]

DS1 and DS2 are 20 months apart and DS2 and DS3 are 16 months apart.

 

DS3 is really not doing much, so for now I only have 2 kids that are doing "school" work.  And I spend 1-on-1 time with each of them.  Once DS3 joins us in a year or so, I can't imagine having that many hours in a day, so it's good to know that other people have combined certain subjects.

 

My guess is that if it ever gets to the point of combining math/LA, it will be years down the road.  Right now they are in very different places.

 

Kind of OT, but the way their bdays fall, my oldest two would be 2 years apart if they went to PS.  My oldest would have started 1st grade this year, but DS2 wouldn't have started K until next year.  Kinda makes me chuckle when I think about it. 

 

 

[My3girls]

My younger two are 15 months apart.  DD9 is ahead in math, but they do everything else together.  They will read most of the same things dd12 is doing now when they get there.  Three years apart is just too big a difference.  They do cover the same topics but use different resources for the most part.  If your younger is "getting it" then I wouldn't reread the same things, but find something different when you cycle back through.  If he's not participating 100%, then I would reread the same books.  It will really be up to what you think he needs.

[FO4UR]

My older 3 dc are almost the exact same spacing. (24mo apart and 14mo apart)

 

I have always combined everything possible, right down to math and grammar, where I can. Even if it means a child isn't in the *exact* individually perfect spot, combining means more *time* spent on the topic. Ex. Memorizing the x facts is a family affair. I can't imagine doing it 3x right in a row...I would die an exponentially slow death. :svengo: 

 

My middle child is advanced in academics and so she has always combined up. As they get older, I'm spinning the youngest off onto his own schedule. They are all 3 reading well at this point!!!  (Get them reading well before even THINKING about separating out subjects!) He doesn't remember the stuff we did several years ago, and he needs to go back. I am redoing many things. It's working out well.

 

With 3 students who NEED you, you have to prioritize how you spend your time. Analyze their strengths and weaknesses. Plan to spend more time on their weaknesses on an individual basis. Encourage independent learning where it's developmentally appropriate. My middle child loved to play school when she was 5-7yo. She taught the 3rd child a great deal before he was made to do school. :thumbup1: Plenty of learning happens simply reading and telling mom what they read.

[Goldilocks]

I enjoy reteaching.  I know the material and where the curriculum is going. Sometimes the children even know some of the material from listening in.  It goes much faster the second, third, and fouth time.

[sewingmama]

Um..yes and no lol. My oldest 2 are 15 months apart and it just so happens that DS is academically advanced and is working at the same grade level as his sister in everythjng. In fact.. he is starting to overtake her as well. So right now I am lucky that I only have to teach one lesson to both kids ...big time saver.

 

DS2 is 22 months younger then DS1 but is not ready to start much of anything yet. I will be reteaching him everything... but I don't mind. With my first two combined and DS2 being my last I will have only had to run through each curriculum twice. I didn't even have to teach DS1 to read...he taught himself....so three kids and I will only have had to go through Phonics Pathways twice ... I am not complaining. In fact I 'm kind of sad I have no more kids to teach...most of my curriculum is not even dog eared yet lol.

[cintinative]

This is very interesting to me because mine are much different learners, but we do combine subjects. They are 21 months apart, and we combine grammar, history, geography, science, Latin, and Bible.  My expectation for my older is slightly more, both because he is better at being attentive and listening and also because he is older.  I combine mostly for convenience reasons. Although my younger might benefit from his own private time with me for history and science, I am in the same spot as Coco_Clark. It is not practical for me to separate them at this point. I did consider separating for Grammar but thus far FLL3 has not been too much for my 2nd grader.  Otherwise, if I did separate, I could easily be doing school until 5 pm each day without really getting laundry done or making dinner.  I expect as they get older and more independent I will need to separate more, but right now I have no idea how I would do that.  My youngest is not "independent" really at all. He wants me by his side even when he is reading a book quietly. During math I must be right next to him, etc. I am in wonder of you all being able to separate! Amazing!!

 

 

 

[Mommy22alyns]

The girls are almost exactly two years apart.  For skill subjects, they're on their own levels, but for everything else I just teach them together.  It works very well,  I ask a little more of my ODD, but YDD learns just as well.