September 24, 2025 – Preschool to High School: Teaching Multiple Ages

Mercy Every Minute

Deborah Wuehler, TOS Senior Editor

You Will Find Your Rhythm

I see you mamas with multiple ages. I was there for over twenty-five years. Multiple grades under one house can mean multiple challenges. But fear not! You will find your rhythm. And your rhythm will look different than anyone else’s because your family is unique. As life changes, your rhythm will change. You were created for this.

Simplify everything including school time. While you are working with a few children on one subject, you can have an older child work with a younger child. Then switch subjects and switch partners. Some days, we are all at the table where all the independent students are gathered around doing their assignments, while the younger ones are playing nearby. 

Gather all ages to study Bible, history, or literature. Try unit studies. Have days of reading aloud their favorite books. Those are precious memories for me.

You are teaching your children like no one else on earth can. Thank God your children are home with you and are comfortable and thriving. You are doing a good work. 

Believe me, multiple children bring multiple blessings, laughter, and long-term friendships in the end. Hold on! The fruit of your labor will come in a blink! 

And for those days when your strength is exhausted from giving and giving again to all those little jumpy, resistant, cute sheep in your herd, remember that your Good Shepherd wants to lead you by still waters and refresh your soul. The only requirement is that you come to Him and bring your little sheep with you. 

Find peace in your little one-room schoolhouse by going to the Prince of Peace. Hang onto Him and you will not lack any good thing as you keep His children Home. Where They Belong.

~Deborah

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Heather Vogler

Defining Education

What is education? This is an important question for the parent homeschooling multiple ages. If education looks like a traditional classroom with block scheduling, devoting specific times of the day for certain subjects, a parent most likely will not make it a full year of homeschooling. The yellow school bus might be the children’s fate. Even the most disciplined educator with the highest level of formal education will tell a homeschooling parent of multiple ages that classroom education and home education are two completely different things—which can be beautiful when embraced. Formal education has its place and its standards. Its policies and formatting were created to teach children of the same age, the same content year in and year out. If you were a fifth-grade teacher before homeschooling, you had children all at the same basic grade levels, and you taught the same (or similar) material year in and year out. 

Not so when homeschooling kids of varying age ranges—which is what makes homeschooling so unique. The easiest way to approach homeschooling, then, is to look at your definition of education. Do you view education as a time to read through textbooks, complete worksheets, and take tests? If so, why? If it is because it is all you know, then I encourage you to pray about, research, and think about the different methods of education throughout the past century. Don’t just look at the textbook approach. Consider life-schooling, Charlotte Mason, unschooling, unit studies, literature-based education, year-round homeschooling, and others. I highly recommend looking at your family and its needs. Then, come up with a definition of what you want education to look like in your home. Is it to promote discipleship? Focus on the trades? Define education, find a method that fits, and go for it!  

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About the author

Heather Vogler, her husband, and five children call the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia home where they homeschool and homestead. Heather has homeschooled her children from the beginning and enjoys an eclectic style of teaching. As a freelance writer she has been published in Focus on the Family Magazine, War Cry Magazine, and Brio Magazine. Heather holds a BA in Christian Ministries and currently writes at ThriftSchooling.com.  

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Heidi Mosher

Four Strategies for Homeschooling a Houseful

1. The Kitchen Table Method: Assemble children around the table where they will study quietly, independently, and respectfully. Assist each as needed. Disclaimer: may result in younger siblings advancing quickly and in idealistic photo-ops for curriculum catalogs. May alternatively result in chaos, as was the case in our house after years of valiant attempts. If chaos ensues, move to method 2 or 3.
   
2. The A-Little-Help-Please Method: When it’s not humanly possible to cover every subject or when burnout threatens, utilize co-ops or online classes. Disclaimer: You can’t hand over every subject because that’s probably not technically homeschooling. Also, your guidance and time may still be required for co-op assignments. If exhausted from driving to and from co-op and helping with homework you did not assign and do not understand, consider method 3. 
   
3. The Together/Alone Method: Cover as many subjects—read-alouds, science experiments, Bible, etc.—as you can together. For the remainder of the day, dedicate a time slot to each child so you can check in on independent work and help with their most challenging subjects. Disclaimer: there still aren’t enough hours in the day to be hands-on in all things. The tiniest kids need a little love and learning every day (find ideas inside my Preschool Resources article.) The trickiest ones do too (see Try This Tiny Trick to Reach Your Rebel.) Non-readers require the most of your time. High schoolers need to discuss and connect. 
   
4. The Know-Your-Role Method (apply in addition to any strategy): As each child’s needs change with every age and stage, you play a different part: supervisor, playmate, cuddler, manager, scheduler, driver, tear-dryer, motivational coach, guidance giver, role model, discussion partner. You’re the steadfast mom through it all and possibly the one constant smile in your kids’ lives. Disclaimer: do not attempt alone, but remember, the Lord is at hand. (Philippians 4:5-7)

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About the author

Heidi Mosher is honored to write for The Homeschool Minute, as it was a lifeline of her early homeschooling years. She is thankful to be the mother of four—two recent homeschool graduates and two who are currently homeschooled.

Beth Mora

Surf Is Up for Teaching Multiple Ages

I love our big, loud family with its constant energizing hum where true life and discipleship happen. I have always said being the parent of a big beautiful family is like surfing—face the curling wave head-on and you are going to be thrown to the bottom of the sea, or you can turn your surfboard and go with the wave and have a fantastic ride. 

Here’s the point: Go with the rhythm of your family, move together as one family unit. 

Always start with your husband’s schedule. When he’s home, make sure you’re home. Start and end more scheduled schooling according to his work schedule. This idea is often not considered, and it’s a big mistake. 

Once you and your husband are in rhythm, start your day with everyone from babies to teens, and dive into devotional time. Teens learn more in-depth, and littles color or do a small handicraft that goes with the theme. 

Next up, math and language arts. Each student does their own work at their own level. The secret to success is an activity table for the littles. The activity table can be as simple as play dough or a special toy. However, keep those littles next to you. Small ones left unattended don’t develop honorable character. Older kids take their short breaks in turn by playing with the babies and preschoolers. 

After we do a house clean-up, it’s on to lunch. We eat together and have some great conversations! 

In the afternoon is where it gets fun. We do science and writing projects two days a week, and history and literature the other two days a week. Fridays are set apart for field trips, co-op time, or service work. 

Prioritize dinner together! Another house clean-up, and bedtimes are always early. Young ones go to sleep, and older students have free reading time. My husband and I have a date night by the fire.

Sound crazy? Yes, indeed—rhythmic wild waves that worked for us. You will find what kind of surfing works for you and enjoy the ride! 

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About the author

Beth Mora is a staff writer for The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC and lesson designer for www.Schoolhouseteachers.com. She is the creator/teacher-on-camera for Here to Help Learning’s Homeschool Writing Program Grades 1-6, and a homeschool conference and women’s events speaker. Meet up with Beth at Home To Home, one of her favorite places to encourage. Everything she does, whether laughable or heart-gripping, is done to honor her Lord and Savior, Jesus. God’s grace is the salve that has healed her own life and is what she offers liberally to others.

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