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Because the average homeschool family has more than one child, parents frequently ask what can be done with a child who is too young to homeschool while the older siblings are doing their work. Often, smaller children behave better when they feel they are a part of the group, so keeping them close to the action in a highchair or on the floor nearby might actually be easier than trying to work around their nap schedule. Although taking care of infants and toddlers can be difficult while school is in session, there are plenty of activities to keep younger children occupied while developing their skills as well.
Many parents have heard of activities in a bag, which consists of a new activity that fits into a plastic baggie for each day of school. Some suggested activities may be over younger children’s heads, but parents can modify each activity to suit the needs of their own children. The following are some activity suggestion that don’t necessarily fit into a small plastic baggie, but they should work just as well:
Wooden puzzles
Paper, crayons, pencils, markers (washable, of course)
Play-Doh, or a home-made version
Cake pan with rice, beans, oatmeal for children to “draw” with their fingers
Old workbooks/coloring books
Stencils
Black construction paper and chalk
Counting bears/farm animals
Books
Pan/paper plate with shaving cream (plan on a mess!)
Stickers
Flashcards with shapes, colors, numbers, or the alphabet
Laundry basket and several balls for “shooting hoops”
Pattern blocks/tangrams
Measuring cups/spoons with rice/beans/oatmeal
Magnifying glass with rocks/various objects
Sticky notes and crayons
Stamps and paper
Water color/finger painting
Dress-up clothes
Large rectangular bucket, dirt, pipe cleaners of various size, and clothes pins. Children pretend to catch worms (pipe cleaners) with bird beaks (clothes pins)
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