Homeschooling with a Newborn: Revised for Moms of Older Children

I just had my 8th child at the end of the summer, a sweet little baby girl to welcome into our home! Although she is the 5th child to be born in our family since we started homeschooling, this is the first time I’ve had a newborn with high school aged students. And, I must say, this is a game-changer!

You see, homeschooling with a newborn looks different depending upon the season.  My 3 oldest children are 12, 14, and 16 which means they are super helpful with daily tasks. However, when we first started homeschooling, these same children were 4, 6, and 8--and we had a little one born about 4 months in. Some of the advice given to homeschool moms with a newborn on the way may not apply to those who have both older and younger children.

Usually, moms are encouraged to take it slow, to pop in a movie for science or history, and to cuddle as much as possible on the couch reading aloud. I must say, I’ve done my fair share of this over the years, with my little ones. And it continues to be a life-saver  for my children under 8 years old. 

But it doesn’t quite work this way when children are earning high school credit or are a part of dual enrollment at community college. Additionally, my little one was born one week after we began our new homeschool year, so we didn’t have much time to establish new routines. This is what I’ve done to adjust in this season and I hope it helps you if you find yourself in a simliar season as well.

Stick to Tried and True

Now is not the time to change what works for your family life and homeschool! Stick to the natural routines that everyone is used to. Adjust time frames if necessary, but continue going with the flow. For us, this means we start each day with breakfast, Bible, then Math. We’ve begun our homeschool day like this for 8 years and it works for us. Now breakfast might start some days at 9 rather than 8, but the routine is the same.

Repeat Scheduling

Doing the same thing daily (for the most part), and in the same order is a life-saver right now. I used to try to follow the advise of, Language Arts on Mondays and Wednesdays and Science on Tuesdays and Thursdays, for example. Problems arose when something interrupted our week because that meant I’d have to wait until the following week before getting back to that subject. Now, every day (except Fridays) our schedule is the same, with a few exceptions. I don’t have to remember what subject is tied to which day (which is particularly helpful when I don’t know what day it is because my newborn has kept me up all night). Because I’m doing most subjects each day, we are doing a little each day rather than huge chunks of one subject, which is great for my younger children.  And, if a day doesn’t go as planned, I know the very next day I can pick up where I left off.

Increasing Independence

Somehow, a newborn baby sheds light on just how much older everyone else is. So, utilize your children’s independence as much as possible. Mama being out of commission for a couple of weeks is an eye-opener to what assignments they can take on. So, who’s ready to make simple meals? Who can wash the dishes or set the table? Which child can help take out the trash or load the laundry? The newborn days have been a good time for our family to transition into the next level of responsibility for household chores. 

The same idea holds true for schooling. Maybe it’s time for your children to share some of the reading for read alouds, while you do the listening. Sometimes, my older children check their younger siblings’ schoolwork, which frees me to check theirs (think: Calculus and Physics!). My older ones also pitch in with photocopying and filing papers, arts-and-crafts and P. E. activities as well. Let them assist you by taking charge of a few new things.

I hope this has been a help to you, as I am writing from the haze of newborn sleepiness! What ways do you adjust your homeschool life when a new baby is born?

For more newborn encouragement, click HERE.