My fourth baby recently turned one, and these days, he is crawling from one end of the house to other in record time. Homeschooling was easier when he slept a ton and was either on his tummy for tummy time, the baby wrap, or his bouncer. He just stayed where I put him. Amazing! But things are not quite the same anymore. I like every stage my kids go through, but I will admit that homeschooling with a crawling baby is a bit harder now that he can grab and dump just about anything in sight. How does homeschooling with a crawling baby work?
Homeschooling During Nap Time
If you ask anyone for advice on how to homeschool with a crawling baby, chances are they will say something like, “Homeschool when the baby naps.” By the way, you should also do laundry, clean the house, cook dinner, meal plan, rest and read, and plan school while the baby naps. So basically, my baby needs to nap all day long.
Personally, I like to homeschool my kids when my baby naps. I could do other things when he naps, but the reason why I choose to do school during that time is because homeschooling is my priority. The less distractions my boys have, the better. I have learned to do other chores with a baby at my side. I can cook dinner and be interrupted a bunch of times, but it doesn’t really impact everyone in any way, except that dinner might be late.
Lessons that was interrupted are less effective. I use All About Spelling for phonics instruction. It’s well-known for using letter tiles on a white board. I could use an ipad with the letter tiles, but I prefer the kinesthetic experience for my kids. My baby also really likes the board and crawls as fast as he can to that board when it’s out (we hide it behind a couch) and messes up all the tiles in the blink of an eye. It’s bothersome all right. My point is that some things are easier with a mobile baby, like reading aloud during a snack or doing math outside while the baby craws around on the grass, while other things are harder like phonics. I have learned to do the things that are harder while he naps.
Doing School Outside
Of course, babies don’t always nap when they are suppose to. Nor do they always nap for as long as they need. Often times, my baby is right beside us at some point of our homeschooling. Doing school outside is very helpful with a crawling baby. I put him on the grass with some toys while I do school with my boys at the picnic table close by. Not only does the baby get to play outside and get all dirty (Kids need to get dirty), but he also gets some vitamin D.
Eating During Read Alouds
Most days we do a snack while I do a read aloud from our nature study or our geography studies (Around the World with Picture Books by Beautiful Feet). We also read poetry and listen to a song during this time. My baby sits in his highchair and eats with us. The food keeps him quiet, most of the time, so I can read.
Wearing the Baby
Sometimes wearing my baby is helpful during the window of time when he’s getting tired, but isn’t tired enough for a nap. It’s also nice to wear him so he gets more snuggles, but more importantly, it keeps him from grabbing things when I am teaching. I wear him on my back a lot.
Being Mindful of Storage
When my daughter was crawling, she found my All About Spelling boxes and dumped out multiple boxes all over the floor. If you aren’t familiar with All About Spelling, the cards are numbered 1-200 and are stored in order in a small box. It was a mess, and it took a long time to clean up and organize everything. After that, I learned not to store school materials like that within reach. The things that are within reach are things he can play with. It makes life less stressful.
Being Flexible
Really, all my baby wants is be near everyone. Most of the time he’s happy dumping out play food from the kitchen set, or eating cracker crumbs off the floor. Everything usually gets done, but if my baby needs more attention from me, it’s okay say I’m done with school. I don’t consider it being defeated, but rather since I am responsible to care for all my kids, if his needs are more intense one day, then I need to adjust.
Last Thoughts
What I am not saying is that homeschooling with a crawling baby is a breeze. A lot of the time it’s fine, but some days are hard. Sometimes there are hard moments where he’s fussy and loud, but then everything calms down. It’s helpful to think about it as a hard moment instead of hard day. Reframing it this way helps me enjoy the rest of my day.
Carly from DesertHomeschoolDays.com
Why did I think that one of the things a Mom could do doing nap time is to “nap” herself 😂. Goodness me, can you tell I don’t have any babies. This was another great read and that tidbit at the end (hard moments vs. hard days) is just enough to keep going. These moments don’t last forever – Thanks be to the Lord but at the same time, Thank you Lord for having these seasons at all.
Napping during a baby’s nap is perfectly acceptable. I’m just not a napper.