Fun Ways to Include Your Baby in Your Homeschool
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I’m having a blast sharing all of this new baby goodness with you! If you’re unsure what I mean, I hosted a series that I call “Welcoming Baby”. Where some great bloggers and I have joined together to give you some great tips and tricks that you can use when you’re bringing a new baby home!
This will be the second baby we welcome into our home while also homeschooling, and I’ve learned some tricks to help ensure that learning is still a number one concern, but that it stays fun, and even helps encourage excitement through the chaos!
As your baby grows older and gains a sense of independence, needing you less and less, you can officially make your baby part of your homeschool.
Whether it be through raising them in a learning environment, instilling good habits at a young age, having the baby be an example in your homeschool, or even letting the baby be the lesson! Use this time of “newness” to your advantage and include your baby in your homeschool!
Babies are prime learners and ready to absorb everything. By including them in your homeschool you make life easier on you by ensuring they are close by and staying out of trouble.
Being near your lessons with older kids also helps them begin to pick up concepts faster than normal giving you an advantage in teaching them when they are older.
Fun Ways to Include Your Baby in Your Homeschool
Play-Based Learning
Because your baby learns best through play, you can create opportunities for play-based learning as part of your homeschool day. Set up activities that tie into things the older children are learning.
Allow an older child to run these activities while you work with another child or get other tasks down. Not only will your baby learn while they play but the older children will benefit from the play break and tying it into their lessons can help reinforce concepts.
Even if your baby is still very little, allow the children to “play” with their new sibling and turn it into a learning experience for them! Maybe you want to teach them body functions, specifics about a baby, respecting a baby’s space, etc!
Reading With Baby
Reading to your baby can help them develop language skills. Have your baby close you while you read aloud to older kids. Reading aloud is good for the entire family if you haven’t started doing read alouds as a family adding a new baby to your homeschool is the perfect time to start.
Babies love to be read to. They are not judgmental and won’t correct errors causing young readers to feel nervous. Using your baby as an audience for your readers to practice reading aloud is a great way to help your child get over fears of reading aloud.
As an added benefit your baby will happily be entertained as they are read to giving you an extra pair of hands. You could also use this time to work one on one with another child
Sensory Elements
Sensory play is great for improving attention span and helping children learn. Babies thrive with plenty of sensory stimulation that helps them learn and grow.
Use sensory play and tools in your homeschool for both your baby and your older homeschooled children. Safe sensory play activities are perfect for keeping baby entertained and learning. Even if your baby is still little, they will learn by watching older children interact with sensory toys!
These same tools can be used for older kids while you enjoy read aloud or to take a break from everyday life.
Art
Your entire homeschool, including your baby, can benefit from arts and crafts. If your baby is old enough, put them in their high chair with some homemade edible-safe paints to give them a chance to finger paint while older children work on other paint projects.
Using colorful photos that match your lessons can help stimulate the senses of people at any age. You could also include your baby in your homeschool by allowing them to participate in easy steps of higher-level art projects you do with your older children while homeschooling.
Explore Nature
Spending time out in the fresh air is good for you, your baby, and the rest of your family. Get outside in the fresh air to explore and learn. Spending time outside of your home can help encourage immunity in your baby, as well as allow them new options to stimulate the senses!
Babies love to play with grass, flowers, and sticks. These natural toys are fun and can become an educational experience for both your baby and older children! Being outside can be a welcome change for your school-aged kids and they may even thrive in a different environment!
Use the elements around you as the lesson and watch how your children’s imaginations can run wild!
Welcoming a new baby into your home can be an emotional experience for everyone, including your children. Give yourself a little grace, have a little extra patience, and know that it will take time to make this new transition.
Homeschooling with your new baby is no different. Don’t get discouraged when you feel like you aren’t getting anything done. You’re finding a new normal, adjusting to a new lifestyle, and throwing another body into the mix!
I want to know, how do you include your baby in your homeschool?
Don’t forget to join our Facebook Group, Fervent Christian Homeschoolers, for some extra community support surrounding the journey we all face throughout homeschooling!