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amyable
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| Posted: Feb 12 2008 at 9:20am | IP Logged
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I need step by step help in how you help your littles stay happy and occupied during the day. I have a very soon to be 5yo, 2.5yo and 4mo (well, he's occupied nursing, etc, lol, so I don't mean him...yet).
I need to hear what you do and how you do it. Like, "first I sit down with the littles and read a story, then take them to their blocks and tell them this is what they are going to play, then I can go teach for 10 minutes" or whatever.
My littles each get a bit of TV time and computer time, but beyond that there are sooooo many hours of the day where they are just wandering around, argumentative, getting in trouble, lying there doing nothing, bored bored bored. So they do things like scream during read alouds and count out loud in big sisters ear while she is trying to do math. 
I thought kids were supposed to WANT to play. Mine just want to futz around the house getting into trouble. 
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Amy
mom of 5, ages 6-16, and happy wife of 
The Highly Sensitive Homeschooler
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KC in TX
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| Posted: Feb 12 2008 at 10:39am | IP Logged
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Usually when we are doing school, they're all in the room with me. I have a 9, 6, 4 and 2 year old. The 9 year old gets distracted quite easily (autism) so if they girls act up I send them off to play upstairs while we finish up certain subjects. I call my oldest girl back downstairs for things after I settle LB down into an assignment. I will also give puzzles or a new type of activity to my youngest to play with, but I'm lucky in that my youngest two will go off and play well together while we school. I just tell them to go upstairs and play and they will (at least at this point in our lives). Ask me again next year when I have another kindergartener and it may change.
I do start with the youngest to oldest though. I will give my 2 year old an activity, then my 4 year old and THEN I give school work to my older two. Also, I can usually say, do your math and they'll do the next two pages. If we need to do a lesson, then they wait (we use MUS).
I don't know if any of this makes sense. Their personalities make a difference too because I know that my sister's children would not go and play by themselves for her.
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KC,
wife to Ben (10/94),
Mama to LB ('98)
Michaela ('01)
Emma ('03)
Jordan ('05)
And, my 2 angels, Rose ('08) and Mark ('09)
The Cabbage Patch
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MarilynW
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| Posted: Feb 12 2008 at 9:15pm | IP Logged
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Amy - I could write tons on this - but am so tired right now. In a nutshell - plan the day for them - even the play times. I have a schedule for my 4 year old - and it goes so well. I would be happy to email you if you pm me your email. I do not do everything on it - but it gives me the bare bones. eg when I go to get the baby down for his morning nap I tell Matt which puzzles to do, what books to look at etc. I find that he is awesome when kept busy - but gets up to all sorts when he does not know what to do. I know you have a harder job as I have only one preschooler - but I have really seen the benefits of spending time with him early in the day and then having a plan. There is the added benefit in that he is learning so much.Can any of your older girls spend some time with the littles?
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Marilyn
Blessed with 6 gifts from God
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helene
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| Posted: Feb 13 2008 at 8:52pm | IP Logged
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Seems you are getting to that point where you need to assign an older child to be the "teacher" or babysitter for the 5 y.o. and the 2.5 y.o. for about 30 or 40 minutes a day. During this time you do school with another older child (while nursing, of course). When the time is up, the older children switch places and you now do school with the child who was just the acting babysitter/"teacher"/helper. You could get a good 80 minutes or more a day on this system, depending on how many olders you have. They do not have to be teenagers to help. They just have to be old enough to ring-lead some activities....some puzzles, some drawing, some "school", some read-aloud picture books, whatever. Even my current 7 y.o. can do this with all my littles. The helper just needs to be mature (or bossy) enough to generally keep watch and inform you if they see fire or blood (hee, hee). If you have trouble motivating the older child to ring-lead, offer her some extra computer time as an earned reward. I read about this system online years ago and it has gotten me through many a tight and stressful spot.
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Happy Mom to five girls (20,17,13,11and 4) and five boys (19, 15, 10, 8 and 6)
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4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: Occupying the littles
