Homeschooling with Toddlers in the Mix
Let’s be honest…
Homeschooling with a toddler in the house is basically a mix of love, chaos, and wondering how anyone gets anything done.
You’re trying to explain long division to your 8-year-old while your toddler is:
Climbing onto the table
Coloring their own arm with a marker
And eating the eraser off a pencil (true story from my house)
Sound familiar? Yeah, me too.
In my case, my “toddler” isn’t technically a toddler anymore — my youngest is 4 — so we also do preschool work together while I’m teaching my older one. That means my days aren’t just juggling two kids at different ages… it’s also about balancing two totally different learning stages.
1. Save Special Toys for School Time
For those moments when I really need my 4-year-old occupied (or when the older kid needs quiet to focus), I keep a “school time” bin just for them.
Ours has:
Legos
Chunky puzzles
Magnetic tiles
Kinetic Sand - Currently ocean themed.
The trick? They only come out during school. This keeps them exciting and fresh.
2. Give Them a Job
Toddlers and preschoolers LOVE to be “helpers.”
Passing out crayons
Turning pages in a book
Handing me flashcards
Even with preschool lessons, I try to build in those little moments where they can “help” with the big kid’s work — it makes them feel important instead of left out. Or He loves his free time most days, it’s his time to play without his sister getting in the way.
3. Preschool Lessons = Mini School
With my 4-year-old, I keep our preschool work short and hands-on. We currently use The Good and the Beautiful Pre-K I’ve linked that here. They have a bunch of free resources as well.
We usually do preschool time first, so he gets my full attention before I shift focus to the older child. Then they can play or do independent activities while I work one-on-one with the big kid.
4. Sensory Play is Still My Best Friend
Whether it’s preschool or toddler age, sensory play buys me focused teaching time.
Some favorites:
Playdough
Color Bins
Kinetic Sand - try using themes, with colored sand and animal characters, makes for even more fun.
Yes, it’s messy. But 15 minutes of cleanup is worth 30 minutes of productive school time.
5. Lower the Bar on “Perfect”
Some days flow beautifully. Others… well, let’s just say we learn a lot about patience.
And that’s okay.
This season of homeschooling with little ones is temporary. You will get back to long, quiet work sessions someday.
For now? Lean into the chaos, laugh when you can, and remember — they’re learning too, even if it’s not always from a workbook.
Mama-to-Mama Encouragement:
If your day feels messy, you’re not failing — you’re just in the little years. And if you’re balancing preschool and older kid lessons? You deserve a medal… or at least some really good coffee and a secret chocolate stash.