Ideas for my 3yo + how to coordinate guides

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gardenmama28
Posts: 54
Joined: Sat Jul 27, 2013 9:27 am

Ideas for my 3yo + how to coordinate guides

Post by gardenmama28 » Mon Jul 28, 2014 2:23 pm

Hi there! I am looking for ideas on how to schedule my mornings this fall. I have a 7 year old who will be in Beyond, and a 5 year old who I am doing Little Hands to heaven with (adding some phonics and printing for her). I also have a 3 year old. I was wondering how other moms make it work - especially how to keep my 3 year old occupied without resorting to the TV as I did last year. She is a young three, and I am considering letting her join in to the Little Hands to heaven when interested.... but that will probably not keep her that whole time. Also, for Beyond, what order worked well for you for the order you did the different subjects? I really want to focus on reading as she is not yet ready for the Emerging Readers. I was planning to do reading first and then math to make sure those get done...... but not sure where to go from there...any suggestions will be appreciated!

StephanieU
Posts: 1652
Joined: Tue May 21, 2013 7:10 pm

Re: Ideas for my 3yo + how to coordinate guides

Post by StephanieU » Mon Jul 28, 2014 2:47 pm

My kids are almost the same age (youngest is almost 3). This is the schedule we are using:
Start with LHTH. Everyone will listen to the Bible story and devotion if there is one. The questions will be asked to the younger two only though. The oldest will be "quiet" during this.
Then, while the younger two are doing any seat work (craft, count on me, etc) from LHTH, the oldest will start math at the table too. She will do math, grammar (we are adding Rod and Staff 2), and spelling. You could exchange the grammar for reading in this block.
Then, after a short break, we will do the left side of the guide - history, rotating box, poetry, and Bible.
Then we will break for lunch.
After lunch, I have copy work, storytime, and reading scheduled. She will start copywork while I clean up the kitchen.

Since my younger two only have to distract themselves for about 30 minutes at a time, it seems to work. They can play happily for 30-45 minutes normally, but after that they want my attention. It also gives the oldest time to play, which is desires. I can also use her "play time" to do more school with the almost 5yo. He has three workbooks he is working on currently (Rod and Staff A, handwriting, and math), and I want to add in phonics soon. My plan is to do two of those a day, one during each of my oldest's breaks.
Mom to
DD15 US1 (completed LHFHG-WH)
DS13 MtMM (completed LHFHG-Rev2Rev plus some of LHTH)
DD12 Rev2Rev (completed LHTH-RtR)
DS7 Beyond (completed LHTH-LHFHG)

Mumkins
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Location: Ontario
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Re: Ideas for my 3yo + how to coordinate guides

Post by Mumkins » Mon Jul 28, 2014 3:06 pm

I start with Phonics/Reading so they are fresh. Then we reading about history as all things tie into it. Then bible, poetry and the rotating box. Take a break and then math. Then storytime so she can relax a bit. Then the rest.

I plan on doing LHTH with my 3yo. I'll also have some basic activities I pulled from Pinterest. Some stuff he likes, like the puzzles where you just fit the wooden piece in. I plan on having him trace his name when DD does hand writing. Matching small items to number cards during math. Play dough at the table. Stuff that'll keep him busy, but quiet and in the room.
7 awesome kids!

2 graduated
2 at highschool
3 coming home to homeschool in the fall💕
DD5 LHFHG
DS9 Preparing
DS12 RTR

We’ve enjoyed LHTH, LHFHG, Beyond, Preparing, CTC, WG

MelInKansas
Posts: 1700
Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2010 7:32 pm

Re: Ideas for my 3yo + how to coordinate guides

Post by MelInKansas » Tue Jul 29, 2014 9:10 pm

When I was in those guides (oh the days :wink: ) I would save read-alouds (in Beyond) and reading practice for when the youngest was taking a nap. Because those are the things that if you get interrupted during them it is really hard to get back on track, and it is hard for the child listening to focus and get what they are supposed to get when there are interruptions. (Now of course I have things planned out differently and generally there is an older sibling to play with the 2YO while I do school work with someone, we do still have a table time and sometimes he participates in some way at the table, sometimes he runs around).

Poetry, Rhyme in Motion, and Scripture Memory we usually did all together. Beyond's copywork was one of the first things in our day because she needed to be fresh for it (and complained about it even so), then we typically did a song or two, poetry, Bible story or memory verse (from Beyond, LHTH and Beyond respectively), and Rhyme in Motion (LHTH) all together. Then I would do everything except the reading History, storytime, and Phonics with the Beyond child (youngers would often join in on science experiments, crafts, or other activities). Then finished out LHTH activities as well. Snack time was whenever there was a hands-on math activity including food, or if none, then somewhere in the middle there would be a snack as well. I did have a detailed schedule I am just trying to explain this from memory.

My 2nd born did LHTH with her older sister when she was only 2 1/2. But since then I have discovered that not every child would sit through that, she just particularly liked being with us no matter what we were doing, and loves to be read to. My son who is 2 gets mad at the long, uninteresting readings and brings me picture books he wants read and yells. Oh well.

I used to do a better job of planning my little one's day to make school easier. There are a lot of ideas on this board. I did separate out a bunch of toys that are just "school time" toys and let my 5YO and 2YO pick one out, play with it, and clean it up. There are the sensory tubs, and simple toys like butter tubs with holes cut in to put puff-balls through and stuff like that. Kleenex boxes with scraps of fabric inside (probably for younger than your 3YO). 3YO might like to do puzzles that are specially set aside or listen to audio books. I have loved checking audio books out of the library that have the book with them, and yes, I let my littles (not the 2YO but the 5YO) operate one of the CD players so they can do that on their own. My 3rd born would have about 20 minutes in her room during school each day (when she was a toddler) but again I have not had to be as consistent on that with the 2YO. I do put him in there and pull out toys and close the door if he is being particularly troublesome. I hope these ideas can get the wheels turning for you.
Melissa
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases
His mercies never come to an end"

DD12 - Rev to Rev + DITHOR 6/7/8
DD10 - CTC + DITHOR 2/3
DD7 - Bigger + ERs
DS5 - LHFHG
DD2 - ABC123
2 babies in heaven

my3sons
Posts: 10698
Joined: Sun Aug 26, 2007 7:08 pm
Location: South Dakota

Re: Ideas for my 3yo + how to coordinate guides

Post by my3sons » Sat Aug 02, 2014 9:55 am

These are awesome ideas already, from ladies who have either been there or are doing it now! :D :D :D I'll just share a few great links with you here...
What to do with toddlers while schooling:
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=198&p=33557
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4987&p=36744#p36744
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=9569&p=69865#p69865

Here's a portion of a post I did awhile back that may be helpful...
Usually it's the littlest one that can really cause some chaos - at least it has always been that way at our house when we've had a 2 yo! :D Making a schedule of routine things for the toddler to do was of GREAT benefit to all of us. I tried to change the things the toddler was doing every 30 minutes or so. Here are some great threads on this topic, which lets you know you are not alone in the need to plan for this age...
What to do with toddlers while schooling:
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=198&p=33557
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4987&p=36744#p36744

Another help was to train each of the dc to have a playtime with the toddler. When my 5 turning 6 yo played with my 2 turning 3 yo, I had snack and juice time be part of the playtime. :D Having a safe area for them to be helped immensely. I actually gated off the entryway (we have a pretty big one, as far as entryways go :wink: ) and lined the wall with a shelf full of just toddler's toys. They were within reach of me, but not so close I could hear their every noise. :D


Here is a copy of a wonderful post Carrie wrote...

:D I agree that schooling with a 2 year old (or any toddler) can be very interesting! :D It will be even more important to figure out a routine for that particular child than it is to schedule your older two. This is because a 2 year old can make the best laid schedule come apart at the seams very quickly. :D

So, with that in mind, I would begin the schedule thinking of how to keep the 2-3 year old moving from thing to thing every 20-30 min. I would take time to truly train that child with his/her schedule, as this will make your school day go so much better! This can be done in stages, so don't get overwhelmed with my post below as it just full of ideas that you can gradually consider doing whichever ones might work for you! Just think that anything you do for your 2-3 year old will really pay off! :D I'll combine some of my previous posts below of things we've done with our schedule for our little ones at that age, and you can see what might work for you. :D

A few things that we've done that may be of help to you as you ponder your 2-3 year old's day are as follows:
We usually let our little ones sleep later in the morning and get up when they wake up. This means we do two shifts for breakfast as the older boys do get up and get started on time. The little ones eat when they come down. We make oatmeal and leave it on warm on the stove, as it can be eaten easily anytime. Our other breakfast is eggs in the microwave that the boys make on their own. Just crack one-two eggs in a microwave safe cereal bowl, stir, microwave and add a touch of salt or shredded cheese when they're done. We add yogurt and peanut butter toast and breakfast is a quick affair. :D This allows us to eat in shifts as needed. Our meals where we typically sit down together to eat as more as family are lunch and dinner. :D

Another thing that helps is for us to start the 2 or 3 year old early on his/her lunch. The little ones are usually hungry earlier than the older ones, so having them begin eating early is helpful. It buys me about 20 min. more work time with my other children. We usually work right at the table where the little one is eating, so that child feels a part of what we're doing, but is happily engaged. :D Once the little one finishes eating, he/she is happier as we read aloud with the others at lunch and is more willing to either go play or play with cupboard toys while the rest of the kiddos are eating. :D

I often read aloud at lunch to my kiddos when they are all eating, as full mouths are quiet mouths (and their minds are listening)! :D

Another wonderful thing that is well worth doing is to clear out a lower cabinet in your kitchen and stock it with just your 2-3 year old's toys. I only allowed my 2-3 year old to have one toy at a time out of the cupboard. We placed child protectors on the cabinet doors to enforce this. Then, I filled the cabinet with all sorts of quiet items that the 2-5 year old could get out (one at a time) and play with quietly at the table or on the floor by the cabinet. Often my boys spent much time just getting one thing out and putting away, so they could get the next thing out of the cabinet. The rule was only one item out at a time, and it must be put away prior to getting out the next item. :D This easily took 25-30 min. and can be used anytime you need it. Many days my son just spent a lot of time taking out one toy, scattering it on the floor, picking it up, putting it away, and getting out another one (which is great for fine motor muscle building and for practicing the skill of picking up)! We did put child protectors on the cupboard doors, which my son could open, but it slowed him down and kept him from just unloading the cabinet. We tried to put the toys in the cabinet that had many pieces in storage boxes WITH LIDS. This kept my son busy every morning, again in the afternoon, and in the evening. It is still the first thing he heads for when he comes downstairs, as he knows it is his. We also have a playroom with his toys, but for years he often only ever wanted what was in the cabinet. :D

Some examples of inexpensive things to place in the cabinet for a 2 year old that you may already have on hand would be a bucket of cars, a lidded container with macaroni noodles and a measuring cup, play food that he can cut or put together, a can of tennis balls with a lid, a container with a tweezers and small objects to pick up with the tweezers (like small pieces of yarn), a Cheerio book if you have one (where kiddos put the Cheerios on the openings in each page, if no Cheerio book make your own using coloring book pages and drawing circles where your kiddo should place the Cheerios (and then eat them), a container with trains and a track in it, a magnadoodle, anything he can pound like a ball pounder, an empty egg carton with a big button or other object in each slot (make sure they're not a choking hazard though), colored cups with a small container of legos chosen to be the same color as the cups (sort the colored legos into the matching cup), a lidded tub filled with stuffed toys, a container of megablocks, possibly some tractors or other vehicles, etc. :D

Toys for a 3 or 4 year old could have smaller parts and more involved steps like simple puzzles, possibly playdough or moon dough, large gears, objects for sorting, alphabet letters, foam blocks, large tangram shapes, a dry erase marker board and low odor marker (only when supervised :wink:, stacking cups, nesting boxes or other things that nest, large lacing beads, snap cubes, patterning cards,etc. :D

Another help for a two year old is highchair time. This usually buys about 15 min. We tried to have a highchair time each day for our kiddos when they were that age. We also attempted a playpen time and a play at the table time each day. Here's just a few ideas we used in the past for our highchair time for our busy, busy boys at that age: :D

1. Save the plastic eggs that snap together from Easter and place a Cheerio or other edible object inside each one. Then, have the child open and eat them, or if possible have the child put the object in and then take it out.

2. Do paint with water books in the high chair. Tear one page out of the book and tape it to the high chair tray. Give the child a small plastic container of water (flatter is better than taller, so it doesn't tip) and a paintbrush to paint on the water, and watch the colors appear on the paint with water page. Often the paper ended up so saturated, you couldn't see the picture but the time it gave me was worth it!

3. Cheerio books you can get at almost any book store. These have an indented spot to place a Cheerio in on each page creating a scene. We bought them for our first son (who is now a freshman) and have had them for each child ever since. These work great in the high chair as well. Simply give the child a small cup of Cheerios to place on each page, reusing the Cheerios as they go. Then at the end they can eat them (or eat as they go sometimes too.)

4. Tape a white piece of paper to the highchair tray and sprinkle a bit of kool-aid or Crystal light powder on the page. Then give the child a paintbrush and some water and let them paint the powder.

5. Give the child a singing book to look at while in the highchair. Ours have the buttons you can push down the side and sing different songs or make noises.

6. Try having the child look at a pile of lift-the-flap books with very large flaps while in the high chair. Some of my boys liked this better than others!

7. Use dot paint markers. These markers have paint inside them and make paint dots on paper when pressed down. Just tape a paper to the high chair and let them dot away! Make sure the paint is washable though, as they often dot the tray and themselves!

8. Magnetic train cars to push around on the highchair tray work well if you happen to have any of those. Each of our boys have loved these.

9. Sometimes a combination works too. Start with one highchair item and when the child is finished do another one. We tried for 15-20 min. in the highchair at a time mid-morning.

Playpen/Crib/or Room Time is another great help. When the toddler is doing this is typically when I do the left side of LHFHG or Beyond all in one sitting (as it takes about 30 min. to do the left side). :D One idea from Managers of Their Homes that I really liked and used was the Mommy Tape or CD. I recorded myself reading short Bible stories, nursery rhymes, counting, saying the names of family members, singing short little songs like "Jesus Loves Me" etc. to last 1/2 hour. I said my little one's name over and over all throughout the tape, like I was talking to him. I played it every day while my little one had time in his room with his toys (we do that time in his crib for safety reasons). :D When the tape ends, the child knows the time is up. We also used this during playpen time when he was younger. Playpen time amounted to a singing tape/CD with toys in the playpen. My boys were required to stay in the playpen for 20-30 min. at that age. When they outgrew the playpen, we moved it to time in the child's crib. Then, later we began assigning an older child to play with the younger one during that time instead. Once the child was not such a danger to himself, we switched this time to being playtime alone in his room. This happens around age 4 at our house. :D

Another thing to consider is having an older child play with the younger child. We required the kiddos to play in one room for that time. I rotated the room by day, once the older child was responsible enough to be out of my sight with the younger one. For time with another child at this age, we had the older child have an assigned card with an order in which to do things with the younger child. The card for each day usually included some of the following: :D
1. Read two board books to the child.
2. Do 1 or more fingerplays with the child. ( I had a list and taught the older child how to do them.)
3. Walk around with the child in the house and point to and name 10 objects, having the younger child repeat back the name of each object.
4. Count from 1 on up to... (whatever is most appropriate) with the child, having the child repeat each number after the older one says it.
5. Sit on the floor and roll a soft air-filled ball back and forth. Then, stand and bounce it back and forth. Last, gently throw the ball back and forth.
6. Stand back and toss beanbags or rolled up socks into a laundry basket.
7. Follow along in a book with an audio book while having the younger child sit next to the older child or on his/her lap.
8. Play with an assigned toy. (I assigned a different toy to each day, so the older child knew what to play and where to play it.)
I also have assigned an older child to sit and do educational computer time with my kiddos aged 3 or 4 and help and guide them, so this is an option as your toddler gets older. :D

For our younger boys, we also have had table time, which is similar to the cabinet idea but gives another thing for a 2 year old to do each day. This is where we have used 5 different tubs (that slid under my bed for storage when not in use). We numbered the tubs Day 1, Day 2, Day , Day 4, and Day 5. Each day we took out a different tub and the boys had to play with the items in the tub. I just placed things in each tub that we already had on hand. By placing them in the tub to only come out once each week, the items seemed new and exciting. Then, if anyone ever gave us something new, I placed it in a tub. Tub items included puzzles, books, toys, short books on tape/CD, etc. We set the timer and required the boys to play with the items in the tub for 20 min. at this age. :D

Once the younger child is 3 or 4, I have scheduled an older one to do computer with the younger one, sitting by to aid and talk through the preschool type educational computer CD's (like Jump Start or Reader Rabbit toddler or preschool). :D

Last, I've found that if I schedule some time to be one-on-one for 10-15 min. with my little one, early on or mid-way through the morning, then he is more willing to go play on his own. Even reading a book or singing a couple of songs with him will give him that one on one time. :D

You can see that as much planning goes into the 2-3 year old's day as goes into any part of HOD! There is also much training there too! But it pays off big dividends in your year all year! :D

Blessings,
Carrie


HTH!
In Christ,
Julie
Enjoyed LHTH to USII
Currently using USI
Wife to Rich for 28 years
Mother to 3 sons, ages 23, 20, and 16
Sister to Carrie

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