Anybody have 3 kids in 3 years? What do you combine?

[Meadowlark]

You can see from my siggy that next year I'll have a 2nd, 1st and K (with 3 others as well, not homeschooling). I'm wondering what you'd combine. Kind of hard to say without knowing the levels of the kids, but they're all on grade level and doing well in public school this year. I would of course combine history, science, religion, literature etc. But what would you do for writing and math? I'm thinking maybe I could combine something but I'm just not sure what would make the most sense.

[quietchapel]

I have three in three seperate years. The first two are 17 months apart. The only things we combine are artist, poetry, composer, 'foundational' reading ( long story), read alouds, art, nature study, and crafts. I guess that is actually a lot! But, combining for anything else, particularly math, grammar, or writing, has never been effective for us.

Edited March 5, 2018 by quietchapel

[barnwife]

I have an almost 8 yo, 6 yo, and almost 5 yo, with a 1 yo who just tries to derail any plans I have.

I require no school work until they turn 6. Then they must do phonics/reading, writing, and math every day. Currently, the almost 8 yo is working through OPGTR.  When he finishes, he will continue to read aloud to me every day. He will also start a spelling program (undecided at this point) and maybe the Wise Owl Polysyllables book/ The 6 yo has taken off in reading, so she just reads something aloud to me every day.

The almost 8 yo is using ELTL level A. The 6 yo has decided she wants to learn cursive so she spends 5ish minutes everyday on it. We use Miquon for math.

I can't imagine combining any of the above, as the skill levels are just different. Letting them tag along and hear the others lessons is a different story of course. Everything else is combined at this point.

[Lori D.]

As you said, science, history, geography, art/music, and read-alouds can all be combined, for sure.

 

And while 1 year/1 grade apart for 3 children *sounds* close, Kinder/1st/2nd is just about the widest spread developmentally that you're going to have for Math and for Language Arts (reading, spelling, writing, handwriting, etc.), so I would be extremely reluctant to combine any of those students, unless the 1st grader is either advanced (and could go at the 2nd grader's level), or the Kinder student is advance (and could go at the 1st grader's level).

 

Also, I think siblings who are close in age actually WANT to have some things that are just theirs and don't have to share, or do "just the same as brothers/sisters". Each having their own *different* Math and LA can help each have a bit of their own personality and reduce a bit of the sibling rivalry.

 

What you CAN do is have "math period" or "copywork/handwriting period", and everyone is at the table at the same time doing their own math or phonics or handwriting or whatever, and you can bounce around the table as needed to help. It would also be helpful to have a supplement that can be done solo by the student to fill in time-wise if everyone has a question of you all at the same time. "Fun pages" of mazes, or puzzles at each student's level, or a page out of one of those "Complete Book of Kindergarten", or "Brain Quest gr. 2", or Kumon workbook that practices scissor cutting, etc.

 

Just me, but I see Language Arts (LA) as covering 7 possible areas:

- Reading (learning to read program or reading with mom, fluency in reading, read-alouds, possible student solo-reading for practice)

- Spelling

- Phonics (usually in support of reading and/or spelling

- Writing (composition)

- Handwriting/Copywork (practicing the physical skill of printing or cursive)

- Grammar (structure of sentences, punctuation, word usage, etc.)

- Vocabulary - optional; expanding word knowledge, root words, etc.

 

Again, JMO, but I don't see the need to do all of those areas in the early elementary grades. Just me, but I think you could run with something like this to keep it streamlined:

 

2nd grader

- reading, solo-reading practice

- handwriting/copywork

- spelling

- optional: phonics -- only is still needed as support for reading and spelling

- optional: writing -- if you do it, keep is super simple: student dictates narrations to you maybe 2x/week, and then you can use those narrations as the copywork/handwriting practice sometimes

- hold off until some time in 3rd-5th grade: grammar, vocabulary

 

1st grader

- learning to read or getting solid with reading, maybe solo-reading practice (if ready)

- handwriting/copywork

- phonics, in support of reading (and possibly also for optional spelling)

- optional: spelling 

- hold off until 2nd-3rd grade: writing

- hold off until 3rd-5th graded: grammar, vocabulary

 

Kinder

- learning to read

- phonics

- handwriting - very basic/beginning

- hold off until 2nd-3rd grade: spelling, writing

- hold off until 3rd-5th graded: grammar, vocabulary

 

Again, JMO, but the only LA and Math things I would combine are supplements (not "spine" or main teaching for each) -- things like:

- Schoolhouse Rock videos

- educational games

- math manipulative and booklet

- early elementary books on math and LA topics as short, extra read-alouds

Edited March 5, 2018 by Lori D.

[Ellie]

You can see from my siggy that next year I'll have a 2nd, 1st and K (with 3 others as well, not homeschooling). I'm wondering what you'd combine. Kind of hard to say without knowing the levels of the kids, but they're all on grade level and doing well in public school this year. I would of course combine history, science, religion, literature etc. But what would you do for writing and math? I'm thinking maybe I could combine something but I'm just not sure what would make the most sense.

 

Their "grade levels" are irrelevant when it comes to actually teaching them. :-) You'll have 7yo, 6yo, and 5yo, yes? Each child would do his own English (phonics/reading, grammar, writing, etc.) and math, although your 6yo and 5yo might be at the same level, or your 7yo and 6yo might be. You'll have to figure that out when you get them all together. :-)

[nixpix5]

I have 18 months between DD and twins. She has a birthday that falls after school start so she started later and the twins started earlier based on their birthday. So they are quite close but she is one grade ahead.

 

I accelerated the twins so they all are about on the same level. We combine history, science, art, music, literature, and geography. The twins are in 2nd grade math and DD is in 3rd grade math so both are working a grade above right now. My goal was to have them all at 2nd this year but DD accelerated herself and flew through math and grammar. She is also further along in writing as she is skilled in this area. We still do alot of writing together and I scaffold based on where they are at.

[Mimm]

I had two 18 months apart. We combined everything we could. But math and writing was never something we could combine. One was stronger in writing, and the other was stronger in math, and they had a lot of frustration toward the subject they were weaker in. They required a ton of hand holding and very individualized teaching so I could never combine them. But history, science, literature, grammar, art, spelling, music, etc. Always taught together. In some subjects, one did better than the other. Oldest was a better artist and faster reader than Middle, but Middle retained things easily and picked up new concepts faster. She was a meticulous slower worker in general than Oldest was, who struggled because she rushed through everything. I think I would have had a harder time combining if their ages had been switched.

 

For things like writing a paragraph in history or something, you can always assign the same topic, then adjust expectations. The strongest writer needs to write seven sentences, but the weakest writer only needs three. For art, the oldest needs to memorize six paintings, but the youngest only needs to memorize three. Things like that. It's not hard to give out the same assignment, but adjust the difficulty to suit different levels.

[Coco_Clark]

As an adoptive family most of my kids are under a year apart. Right now between ages 5-10 my kids are in grades PK,K,2,3,and 4.

 

I teach everyone together in History, Science, and Art with different output expectations. We do literature reads and comprehension together, trying to alternate old favorites for the olders with books that maybe stretch (or bore) the youngers.

 

The upper 4 all do Latin together, with the 2nd grader just participating orally.

 

I have 3 levels of grammar/writing- PK/K, 2/3rd, and 4th.

 

3 levels of spelling- PK/K, 2/3/4th, and another 4th by herself.

 

And everyone on their own level of math except the PK/K pair. But next year even they will have to break up as the younger is wildly outpacing the order. 😢

 

I find most anything but math can be combined. I cannot for my life combine math successfully.

[BlsdMama]

You can see from my siggy that next year I'll have a 2nd, 1st and K (with 3 others as well, not homeschooling). I'm wondering what you'd combine. Kind of hard to say without knowing the levels of the kids, but they're all on grade level and doing well in public school this year. I would of course combine history, science, religion, literature etc. But what would you do for writing and math? I'm thinking maybe I could combine something but I'm just not sure what would make the most sense.

 

 

K, 1, and 2 are easy to combine for read alouds - history, science, literature.  Difficult and/or impossible to combine for phonics and math dependent on the child.  

 

Truth is - I do precious little at this age so I currently have a PreK4, a K and a 1/2 and they are radically different because of their unique giftings.

[NoseInABook]

We will combine Morning Basket time which includes Bible, Latin, Logic, hymn study, and a character study book for 4 kids ranging 6-10 years. I don't make the six year old do Latin or Logic but sometimes he wants to join in. Most of the group work is combined with science, history, and geography with the 6 year old doing a lower level of science. 8/9 year olds do the same handwriting, grammar, reading, writing, spelling, and math as individual work. The other two do their own grade level when they come to individual work. Then they do their own music practice.

[Gil]

My default advice when starting out with young kids is to combine young kids for as much as you and teach actively so that you can keep them together for as long as you can, in as much as you can.

 

I only have 2, but they're close in age and I always taught them together in all skill subjects--reading, mathematics, penmanship and any content I ever covered with them was done together. From PreK-about 2nd grade.

 

Frankly, I didn't have a horribly difficult time combining them for the skill subjects at those ages.  The first subject that I felt that I had to separate them for was composition/writing in about 2nd grade, but using the "Guided Analysis" method from Treasured Conversations helped me to separate them, but keep them in the same "program" so to speak.

 

Its more logistically sound for me to combine them, so they're combined 90% of the time and will remain combined for the core of middle school too.

 

Combining works best for me, and so they get combined. IF you are interested then I can offer particular tips and strategies for combining/conducting combined lessons with close in age kids.

[rebbyribs]

My twins are 2.5 years younger than their big sister and 2.5 years older than their younger brother. I combine them with their big sister for literature, history, geography, science, and art appreciation. They do writing and grammar together. I have at times combined them for phonics, math, and spelling and at times done these subjects separately for them. The twins do not do any subjects together with their younger brother. However I have one more son who is 1.5 years younger (so 4 years younger than the twins). I plan to combine him with the middle brother a lot because they are at similar levels in all but reading.

 

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