When to STOP combining in homeschooling

There are few things in homeschooling that will save you as much time as combining kids for subjects. My first three homeschoolers were just 4 years apart in age. While they would have been in three separate classrooms in an institutional school setting, homeschooling meant that when we sat down every day, they were side by side. When I started, I just had one school-age child. But sure enough, the other two scooted right up alongside, eager to listen in. My Sonlight catalog (circa 2002) had a helpful section on combining kids, and so… I started.

And kept going.

Sonlight packages (then called Cores) were designed with a wide age range, and it was easy for even a newbie like me to throw in picture books for my littlest or add in some meatier discussion for my oldest. I loved having them all on one wavelength, learning together, playing the same pretend games after school based on what they were studying, having the same read-alouds shaping their hearts. We happily studied a single Core alongside one another for five years. World Cultures, World History parts 1 and 2, and American History parts 1 and 2. That last year, some signs of strain started showing, and I realized that my time of combining was coming to an end.

The Signs

Trust me, I wanted to keep combining. We were in the process of adding children to our family, and keeping up with three separate math and LA programs was already stretching me. But it became clear as the year progressed that the next year was going to see my oldest flying solo for Bible, history, literature, and science. Why?

• The effort to get the depth my oldest child needed while covering the key concepts my youngest was still building was getting to be more and more of a juggling act.
• I had shied away from several read-alouds for the whole family, choosing instead for them to be read only to my oldest for reasons of content. What my 11 year-old was ready for was much more than what my 7 year-old could handle.
• My middle child was grasping everything coming his way, but I was realizing that he would benefit from another trip through ancient history, which he remembered somewhat but was utterly lost on his younger brother.
• The next year’s package—Eastern Hemisphere— was a perfect transition to learning independent research skills and forming study habits for middle and high school. My oldest was ready; my younger boys were not.

With a heavy sigh, I planned the following year with not one, but two groups of students. And you know what? It was great. Better than great! My oldest student excelled, gaining her sea legs in the world of owning her education in a whole new way. My middle child began following his own lead more than his sister’s, a delicate but essential exercise. My youngest kept swimming along, happily circling back to Romans and Greeks and all the things that make World History outrageously fun. And I actually didn’t drown with the addition of a whole separate line of study… even with new babies under foot!

 

In the end, I’m so grateful for the years I was able to combine my kids for the bulk of their school subjects. I’ve been able to enjoy combining my younger set of kids, and have seen the same benefits: easier for me (obviously) but a deeper connection among the children, who share a single thread of learning that they discuss, work through, and play with throughout their day. I know this honeymoon period of combining has a shelf-life, and I’m keeping an eye out for the signs that the season is coming to a close. When it does, I know that it’s not the end of the world… simple the beginning of a new one!