Doing school with a busy 13 month old under foot

[NicoleLop]

Who else is or has been in this situation? My kids are 5 and 1. I know many who homeschool and have 2 year olds, but often at 2+ they can do more big kid activities like Play Doh and understand a things little more. My 13 month old DS is VERY busy but still too young to reason with and he is into EVERYTHING. We officially start LHFHG (DD and I) Monday and I still have no real plan for what DS will be doing at that time. He no longer takes a morning nap and I want to do the bulk of our school time in the mornings....so, any ideas on how to entertain him? Specific toys or activities for that age range?

[GinainMD]

Hello! Could you train him to play in the playpen with a few toys that are just for that time? Also, I've found with my children, going outside to play for a bit BEFORE school does wonders for their concentration, for the school age girls, and also helps the littles focus on something else during school time. I sometimes wish we were one of those homeschooling families that get right to work first thing and are finished by lunch time but for now this is what works for my dc. Maybe you could just save the read alouds for nap time. That would cut down the amount of time your 13 month old had to entertain himself. HTH and blessings to your family.

[NicoleLop]

I wish! He's a climber so playpens aren't an option...but I think we'll definitely save the reading portion for nap time if that will cut down on some of the time he has to wait for us. Thanks!

[Bramble]

Hi!
I have a busy little guy, too. He is 12 mos. and I am a bit concerned about what the school year will be like with him. I remember when the child ahead of him was one and it was tough! She ate all the erasers off the pencils. We still laugh about that. For now, my little guy still takes two nice naps so that helps. Mostly, I will probably just enlist the kids to help with him for short periods of time. He will also sit and watch a short video. I know it is not the best but he isn't sitting in front of the tv all day. We like the Praise Baby DVDs and I have a couple others put away for my DD's Sept. bday (Boz and Cedarmount Kids.) Christianbook.com has great prices on DVDs.

If you use a highchair, I have read of people switching out activities on the tray. You can tape down a piece of paper so he can scribble or give him a snack in there (edible playdough?) Maybe he'd play with an ice cube, trying to pick it up can take awhile, or give him some junk mail to crinkle and tear apart. Have special toys that he sees only during school time. Balls seem to keep my little guy entertained, as well as a small riding toy that is reserved for indoor use. Let him tear apart/investigate certain areas like the tupperware cupboard. Train him to stay out of certain areas and to obey "come" and "no." I love baby gates! and doors closed, but all houses are set up differently so that might not work for you. If you can somehow contain him in the room you are in or near and baby-proof that would probably be the most helpful.

I'll be watching this thread for more ideas.

[beverett]

I have several plastic tubs ( to save money you could use old shoe boxes?) with school only toys in them. You could get them out only at school time so that they would be new and interesting/ Some of the things I have done for this age are measuring spoons and measuring cups ( walmart or dollar store ), board books, cars (age aproprate ones ), blocks ( wood blocks), stacking cups or anything else you can think of... Put him in the highchair for a snack, put in a short movie,, my babies all love Boz and Praise Baby dvds... Hope it goes well I also have a specific cabinet in my kitchen that my 13 mo. old ( and other babies) is allowed to play in, there are a couple pots and lids that i dont mind him having and some large plastic stirring spoons a large plastic strainer, empty oatmeal container,plastic bowls, cups etc... anyway they think it is great!

[jenntracy]

Been there. Playpen wasn't an option for us either.
Trying to remember exactly what we did. We did make it thru
We liked to get done in the morning, but i believe we did end up doing alot of the reading like storytime, and history in the afternoon when she slept. My son would get easily distracted when the younger was "busy" (and me too). We also started out half-speed and so we didn't have to do all of LHFHG each day. we gradually went full-speed starting closer to 5.5 yrs old with my son.
and like you said , they can't really play with things like playdoh on their own.
My now 2 1/2 yr old, can do that!, BUT she likes for me to be there with her. So i am thinking this coming year (starting Aug 2nd) we can read some if i am sitting with her while she plays. Maybe brother and and other sister will play while they listen to. My son was good at listen while he had something in his hands.
My kids are 6.yrs 8months ds, 5.5yrs dd, and 2.5yrs dd, and one on the way (March).
You will have such fun!

Jenn D.

[inHistiming]

I have a 16-month old and I understand exactly what you're talking about! Our dd is actually pretty well behaved but obviously they still get into things if they can get out of your sight....well, even within your sight. What we are currently doing is this:

She sleeps a bit late, usually until about 8 or so, and the other kids are usually up by then, fed, and have their chores done or at least started by the time she comes down to eat breakfast. So while she and I eat I am often able to go over math or english with my oldest daughter or do math with my youngest ds and get him started on anything else like handwriting, ETC, or other workbooks. My oldest ds works pretty independently, and his dad has taken over the math with him (7th grade, yikes!) so I don't really have to review anything with him before he can get started. Once we've had our breakfast I can usually let her down to play....our dining room is where we do our book work and the 'playroom' is in our formal living room which is connected to the dining room......we just block off the doorway into the kitchen and family room, close the bathroom door, and she can play happily for about 30 minutes to an hour. I did make sure I moved things I didn't want her getting into.....we had to move the markers, school books, colored pencils, etc. to a higher shelf......and now the lower shelf has coloring books and books she can look at. Once she starts to get fussy I will either give her a snack if it's time for that or have one of my oldest children play with her in her bedroom upstairs or take her outside for 30 minutes. Even my youngest at 7 can entertain her pretty well, but only in the same room as me.( He's still learning what it is okay and not okay to do with her.) Once she's had some playtime with someone and her snack, she will usually play some more in the playroom....coming into the dining room to sit on my lap or 'talk' to us occasionally. soon we are finished with morning work, it's lunch time, then nap time. She sleeps anywhere from 2.5 to 3 hours each afternoon (most of the time) so we save our reading for then. This is when I am planning to do the reading from Beyond....with my youngest ds this fall. We will get the 'right' side done in the mornings then the 'left' side in the afternoon. The biggest unknown is what our newest dd will do....we will have a newborn enter the house sometime in October so there is no telling what kind of changes we'll have to make! I do have some things that I keep put away and only get out sometimes....we have some sorting bears, some tiny dinosaurs(not so tiny she could choke on them), Mr. Potato Head, puzzles, and we've tried crayons and paper...not quite ready to color yet, she'd rather chew on them. I do have her either sit on the floor near me to play with these things or in her high chair. None of them lasts too long, and we have to take a moment to get her started with something new quite often, but it helps keep the tantrums from boredom and inattention at bay. Occasionally I will turn on Sesame Street for her to watch while she has her snack...she likes to sit in her Bumbo and eat, and she absolutely ADORES Elmo. I hope these things help some. It's kind of a 'learn as you go' kind of thing, even when you get suggestions, because each child is different. We have used the playpen some, and it worked if we kept at it, but anytime we get out of the habit/routine of it (like when we go to Nana's for a week and only use the playpen for naps and bedtime bc we only have one playpen) we have to re-train her. We have not used it since our vacation to GA a month ago....b/c I haven't felt like being persistent enough to do it. I do plan to start back up with it next week, expecting some crying, but we start with 10 minutes at a time a couple of times a day, then work more time in as she begins to get used to it. Usually after about a week, she's able to stay in the playpen for 30-45 minutes before asking to get out. I would say it is well worth a try for you....but then, if he climbs maybe not. I now have a second playpen I found at Goodwill (YAY!) and will be able to be consistent now when we travel. I am expecting to use it sometimes when I am nursing the baby in the fall, as well as during some of our school times. Hope this helps, and I'll be checking back myself to see what others say....I can ALWAYS use more suggestions!

[MomtoJGJE]

I would suggest only doing half speed and then including the 13mo as much as possible. Like when you are doing math let both of them have a turn. Get a workbook from the dollar store for the baby to use... obviously he won't be actually doing it, but give him a turn... look at him while you are reading things... let him color when you are doing art.... With mine the more I included them, the less they wanted to get in the way.

[my3sons]

Here were my top sanity savers at that age:
*saucer, educational DVD for 30-40 minutes
*high chair with snacks
*gates (double them if need be) and a safe play area to be near us but not right by us (we child-proofed our entryway)
*Johnny Jump-up in doorway
*swing, we had one that handled a lot of weight and he loved it
*taped paper on high chair with big crayons or finger paints (watch so they don't eat them)
*a kitchen cupboard down very low with stuff he could pull out and play with safely
*sturdy board books in a tub
*blanket of toys (I'd lay out a blanket with toys on each corner, he got off it pretty fast, but still hovered near it off and on interested in the "new" toys I set out as I picked different ones each day - this was good for 15 minutes)

Here are some past posts that may be helpful too:
What to do with toddlers while schooling:
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=198&p=33557
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4987&p=36744#p36744

LHFHG takes about 1 1/2 hours to do. If he could watch a video in a saucer or out in a safe gated room for 30-40 minutes. I would do your Bible Study, phonics, and Reading about History during this time when it is more quiet. Then, I think I'd do something little pumpkin could sort of join in on, as he'll be wanting you and some attention. We did the Corresponding music with him. I held little pumpkin and sang and marched around the house while we did the music; it was a hit with everyone! ). Likewise, after that, you can have little pumpkin on the floor near you and do the Rhymes in Motion with him right there. They love watching that too. Maybe after that, you could try the blanket of toys or open the low cupboards for him, or Johnny Jump-up (or something active like that with him playing out). Then you could do the Rotating Bottom box on the left side of the plans (Science, art, dramatic play, thinking games), as this will be entertaining for him to "watch" too.

Last, you could put pumpkin in the high chair with snacks, and then with taped on paper if need be. During this time, you could do the Math box and the Fine Motor skills box at the table right by him. All that leaves is Storytime, which you could read holding pumpkin on your lap, or save for after you put pumpkin to nap if you want it totally quiet. This would take about 10 minutes to do. These are just ideas, but I know it really helped my little pumpkin to move places and activities often, and for us to have quiet time for a portion, but then have little pumpkin able to watch/join in a bit for the other portions. Here is one last link that may help. I posted the time allotments for each LHFHG box, so you can see about how long they may take:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4244&p=31219#p31219

I think that if you just stick to a routine for little pumpkin, he will eventually ease into it! That worked for us. LHFHG is a blast to teach, even with a 1 yo in the wings. HTH!

In Christ,
Julie

[Mom2Monkeys]

I always enjoy reading these threads! I have a 3yo (4 in sept.) that still can't be left to color, playdough, etc. on his own b/c of the intentional messes he makes with them, or the fact he will eat it or destroy it. LOL He's all boy, plus some. I also have an 8month old that is almost ready to start standing on his own, which I know means he'll be walking before we know it. He's already so independent as far as mobility and "into everything" go. I guess with 3 older siblings, he's bound to be on the move! As we prepare to start up school again (LHTH, LHFHG, & BHFHG), I've just realized I now have two littles to keep busy. I thought he'd be in the swing or play pen or what have you...not this guy! He's much more mellow than my 3yo ever was, but he's still such a mama's boy (love it!) and I'm just not sure how I'm going to handle it. He chews the pages when I hold him and read. Was cute when he was 4-5 months old but I'm growing weary and the pages can only handle so much drool. 3yo will watch a movie at least...sometimes. But my 8month old, like your 13m old is still too babyish for "activities". If I can come up with anything great that works, I'll be sure to share it. For now, all I can think of is the swing or playpen in front of a big window or glass/screen door so baby can see outside, or for that matter, if the weather is nice, take something outside that will keep him contained and do school outside! I've considered getting one of the large octagon or hexagon shaped baby "corral" pens I saw at Babies R Us...I could put a picnic blanket down (really big ones for 10 bucks at Babies R Us) and put the corral on it. He could crawl around there pretty freely and stay contained. It's large enough it doesn't feel like "baby jail" to the little ones.

[NicoleLop]

Great suggestions, this has been a huge help! Thanks guys.

I have hope that the year will only get easier as he grows and matures a bit. We're just in this strange stage where he's still too little for most organized activities, and yet he's a bit beyond his age with motor skills. That means climbing in and out of the exersaucer, playpen, etc. so containing him safely is a bit more challenging. We do have the living room gated off but I can't put DD's table and chair in there because while she's doing her work he's climbing the table, pulling her books away, etc. We will figure something out though, I think some new blocks and Praise Baby DVD's will be a great start.

[MomtoJGJE]

Could you put him in the living room and you guys just outside the living room? That way he can't get to the table, and he's contained in a safe area?

[south5]

I try to do read alouds during breakfast, lunch or snack time; that way their mouths are full and busy. Another thing that was great for us was doing school outside when the weather is nice. Let your little one run around while you read, do science, or help your oldest do phonics. A final suggestion is changing bathtime to the morning. While our dd was in the tub we could sit in the bathroom and do some school.