Can you Homeschool when you’re having a baby?
Having a new baby is usually a welcomed and highly anticipated moment! It’s exciting to think about precious fingers and toes, sweet little smiles and adorable clothes. Friends and family are ready to celebrate with you, most of the time. The addition of another child is typically a joyful moment. But when you homeschool, there can be some challenges to manage.
Growing your family while homeschooling adds an extra dimension to an already busy lifestyle. How do you handle the fatigue, nausea and extra appointments on top of managing your children’s education? And what about when the baby comes? Pausing to feed and change a newborn every few hours will definitely interrupt your day.
Many parents worry that having a new baby will mean needing to stop homeschooling. While a new little one may be a welcome addition, the extra work and loss of sleep can feel too overwhelming to even consider keeping up with the plans and challenges of homeschooling. But a new baby doesn’t automatically mean homeschooling is excluded.
Homeschooling while pregnant is doable.
I should know. I’ve done it. Multiple times.
In fact, I’ve homeschooled my oldest daughter through 4 new babies, back-to-back. It was definitely busy, constantly interrupted, but completely doable. Homeschooling actually made my life easier, logistically speaking.
For one, there was no wrapping up babies to get a young child on a school bus every morning! When homeschooling is your lifestyle, it’s easier to build in routines, minimize interruptions, and bond as a family.
There are multiple benefits to homeschooling with a baby
The benefits of homeschooling, even .. or especially! .. when growing your family, are obvious when you consider them. You have complete control over your schedule, meaning that you can do school work, chores and activities around your new baby. And you can even delay the start of school if you like, until you feel comfortable with your newborn!
You also have the help of your older children. Even a 3 year old can fetch a toy, diaper or blanket, and older ones can entertain or soothe fussy babies for a few minutes while you attend to the oven. You get to enjoy a new sibling as a family, and grow those bonds even deeper, right from the beginning, because your older children can interact with their younger sibling continually.
And the educational component of babies for older children cannot be overestimated. Pregnancy and babies naturally give rise to opportunities for science exploration, practical life skills, reading and writing topics, and especially discussions on your family values. From how babies are made to learning to love a new person, children will learn so much from the experience.
What you can do to get ready
Here are 5 tips you can do during your pregnancy and afterwards to make homeschooling not only possible but easier on you, and to maximize the educational benefits.
1. Delay your start, or end your year early.
When you homeschool, you have complete control over your schedule. There’s no reason to follow a traditional school calendar, except for your own ease and convenience.
Given that the time surrounding the birth of a new baby can be stressful, even when joyful, on moms physically, mentally, and emotionally, build into your plans the time you need to recover. Your older children will not miss out on their studies by adjusting their school year to fit your family’s needs.
If your baby is due in July, August or September, consider delaying the start of formal academics until after Christmas, and relax your homeschool for a few months. If your baby is due in April, May or June, perhaps you’ll start earlier and end earlier. Give yourself the time to adjust and enjoy that new little one.
2. Reduce the need for hands-on work
Adjustments to your family lifestyle are to be expected when you’re having a baby. And that should also extend to your homeschool style as well.
Many families love having hands-on educational experiences to demonstrate, explore and extend the learning. These can be fun and fascinating. But when your home and schedule need to adjust to the addition and needs of a new baby, finding alternatives to crafts or experiments will make your life easier. After all, crafts and experiments are not only more time-consuming to prepare for, but they’re also clean-up intensive. And you’ll have plenty of other things to clean up!
Instead of performing that science experiment in house, maybe find a computer game version that lets the kids try without the mess. And instead of creating that diorama, perhaps a trip to a museum, or a video tour? Rather than getting out the math manipulatives to practice concepts, use songs and fingerplays — which the older kids can then use to entertain your baby while you get a couple of minutes to yourself.
There’s nothing wrong with using computer games, videos, online interactive tours, and other alternatives to messy play and hands-on learning. And just maybe you’ll find a new favorite educational tool or method that will work for you long-term.
3. Outsource your learning
One of the best things about babies is how portable they are — and how portable they make life. Strollers are beautiful things that allow for easy travel. Having a new baby should not keep you stuck at home!
Make life easy on yourself and explore your community offerings. Sign the kids up for a weekly dance class or painting activity instead of studying art at home. Try that robotics group or mathlympics competition instead of drilling math concepts at home. Book clubs and drama groups are amazing literature study opportunities.
There are co-ops, library storytime or other activities, afterschool homework groups, reading buddy programs at retirement homes or animal shelters, and tons of other options. The grocery store may host children’s cooking classes, or a local bakery may host a cake decorating event. Hardware stores may have woodworking or craft workshops for kids. Go to the bike safety day, and bring the kids with their broken toys to the repair clinics. A “Seedy Saturday” will introduce your kids to the gardening community in your area, and your local gymnastics organization may have drop-in options.
Check out your local homeschool and community resources, and outsource their learning. The kids get new experiences and exposure to other adults teaching them, you meet new people and make new friends — and you can even get a bit of a break while your children are occupied and learning.
4. Online school?
If you haven’t already explored the digital learning landscape, a new baby is your perfect opportunity. There are tons of digital, online and video-based curriculum and learning programs available, and there are options to fit every budget.
Purchasing a tablet and a good set of headphones can be one of the best investments you make.
You can choose from game-like education, to traditional video-based lecture and interactive question options. There are live classes on Zoom or Google Classroom, or self-directed courses on YouTube or other online course platforms. You could find a full curriculum that takes over the homeschooling for you — or pick and choose what fits your needs. And classes can be free, subscription or even just a one-time purchase.
Check out Coursera, Khan Academy, Time4Learning, SchoolhouseTeachers.com, Monarch, or Abeka Academy Online for just a few of the choices available.
5. Prep for homeschool well in advance
You have months from discovery of pregnancy to birth of baby to prepare for life with baby. And that includes your homeschooling lifestyle. Take the time to purchase and plan your lessons well in advance. It’s easier to homeschool — or even just occupy your older children when you need the time — if you have pre-planned activities and lessons available.
Purchase your curriculum early and don’t overwhelm yourself with all the extras. Focus on the basics. Rather than date your plans, or plan out a calendar, prepare undated lesson plans or activity lists that you can cross off as you use them.
And don’t neglect the practical aspects of homeschooling and raising a family. While you’re prepping educational activities and assignments, prep meal plans and chore lists too. It will be easier to do things when you take the decision-making out of it and you can just follow the plan you already have.
6. “Unschool”.
Having a new baby doesn’t have to mean the end of your homeschool. A new baby is a very educational experience! If your usual method of homeschooling is time-intensive and hands-on, it may be a good opportunity to let go of that for a time, so you can focus on creating your new normal.
If you’ve never “unschooled” before, it can feel like not having formal learning time means your kids aren’t learning, but that is absolutely not true. Unschooling doesn’t mean leaving your kids to their own devices, but instead allowing for organic educational moments to flourish. Unschooling is actively looking for and capitalizing on the “teaching moment” that comes as part of life.
And having a new baby will bring a whole host of “teaching moments”.
If all you do is answer your children’s questions and encourage them to help out for a time, you’ll be amazed at how much they’ll learn and grow.
You can homeschool with a new baby!
Congratulations on your new little one. Having a new baby is so special. It’s also an amazing, yet overwhelming life change. So take the time to prepare, and adjust your expectations of this time. Homeschooling with a new baby will not look the same as homeschooling before your pregnancy, and that is to be expected.
Give yourself time, don’t overdo it, and give yourself grace. Often we can frustrate ourselves when expectations don’t meet reality. You’ve already had at least one child, so remind yourself of the changes that have and will come, and take the time to adjust your mindset too. This will help make the transition much easier.
Babies are wonderful, but also hard work. Enjoy it, and don’t worry about your kids’ learning. They will surprise you.
