How to manage younger sibling at home while older one is "working"?

[AllyCat]

Our 1st grader is at home this year and his younger brother can "sniff out" when we are "doing school" in about 4 seconds. He pouts, yells, throws tantrums (and toys). I can engage him in the activity for about 5 minutes and then he wants his brother to play.

My saving grace is that he goes to 4K for 3 hours almost every day and then we get one on one time. Any thoughts how to incorporate him into the projects?

[noamnety]

1. Do you have an equal amount of one-on-one "school time" scheduled for him?

It might help to give both boys a regularly scheduled block of time with you, and give them a way to track how much time is left before it's the others' turn. If they know that every day from 3-4 you are with this one, and every day from 4-5 you are with the other, and they can read a clock to watch when it's getting closer to their time, that will help establish a routine.

You haven't said how long you're expecting him to entertain himself, but you might need to do small chunks interspersed with independent work for the older one, so the younger one isn't on his own too long.

I don't know if incorporating him as a sidekick into his brother's activities will be fully successful - he might sense that these things are not about him. Giving him his own school projects might help him feel equally important.

[mzteris]

2. how old is the younger one?

My younger one - when he was preschool age - was "homeschooled" too for a while. He had a book and lessons and activities. He LOVED it. He went with us to the hs groups/classes - and of course - as long as he was quiet he could sit in, too. If he got antsy, we went out and had different "lessons" - or play as the case may be.

To this day - he's an 8th grader now - he bitches about the fact that he wishes he was still hs'ed! I sent him to regular school for the Spanish immersion - a choice I don't regret but wish that traditional PS was a little more child-friendly. If it weren't for the Spanish, he'd be hs'ed in a nanosecond.

At any rate, you say "engage him in THE activity" - he probably needs his OWN activity - or at least a more preschool friendly version of the activity. It's not easy, but it is doable.

The fact that you have 3 uninterrupted hours is huge. Besides, how many more hours do you really need? (Count up the actual "instruction hours" that take place in a PS. Factor in how much more efficient hsing is.) Schedule your older son's work such that he is doing the majority of his independent lessons/work when the younger one is around.

[AllyCat]

3. He's 4. And yes, 3 hours is really good.

We get lots done then. However, there are times my older son really wants to do something/learn something and gets engaged and his brother gets ticked because he won't play trains with him.

You are both right about his OWN activity and that including him is probably not going to work most of the time unless it's a "field trip" as they call it. We are finding some story time good as the weather is getting cold. They do like to get up and start reading with me in our pajamas. That's apparently the height of cool with them (for now).

[mzteris]

4. We used to have "school"

In our Jammie's in front of the fireplace all the time.

When it wasn't cold my son frequently attended class in his undies!

Way cool

[GoddessOfGuinness]

5. He's old enough to have school with you, too.

Set him up with art projects or a cut and paste activities. Maybe you can find something related to what you're teaching your older boy...

[AllyCat]

7. Are you serious? Actually, no, I don't think you are.

You come to a homeschooling page to recommend that a kid under public school age go to public school?

Have I missed something?