Large Families
Homeschooling in a large family is both a joy and a challenge. Learn how to manage those challenges, while meeting the needs of everyone in the family. Here you'll find information on keeping your home running smoothly, tending to toddlers while homeschooling, teaching many different grade levels at once, and avoid burnout.
Homeschooling a Large Family
Organizing the Large Family Homeschool
This article offers a smattering of simple ideas to help keep homeschooling materials organized.
Day in the Life of a Large Homeschooling Family
Take a look at a day in the life of a large homeschooling family. Alison and Paul have seven children and share what a typical day is like at their house.
How Do I Teach with So Many Kids?
This series includes a look at schedules, schooling year round, busy bags, teamwork, and surrendering to God.
Implementing Discipleship Homeschool with a Large Family
How do you switch to a discipleship homeschool way of life? Theresa, mother of ten asked such a question – here is her letter and a reply. Theresa has given permission for this to be shared in the hope that other families will be encouraged too.
5 Ways to Tell If You Fit the Large-Homeschooling-Family Mold
Ways to know if you are a large homeschooling family.
How to Homeschool During the Post Partum Period
If you are going to be a homeschooler and continue to grow your class size, then you need to be prepared and you need to be flexible. Adding a new family member during the school year can be a smooth transition. Explore these ideas and tips to help during this time.
Tips for Homeschooling Multiple Ages in a Large Family
Heather Bowen shares some tips, tricks, and shortcuts for homeschooling multiple ages within a large family.
5 Tips for Homeschooling a Large Family
Great ideas and strategies for managing a large homeschooling family.
How I Home-School my 3 Children in 3 Different Grades
These tips and tricks will help you get individual time with each of your kids while everyone is engaged in learning.
10 Truths About Homeschooling a Large Family
These truths will make you smile.
Avoiding Chaos in a Large Family Homeschool
Every child is unique and homeschooling a large group of children with varying interests and aptitudes can be just as chaotic as it is rewarding. This article shares some tips and tricks for avoiding the chaos.
School Room Organization for a Big Family
There are so many benefits to having a large family, too numerous to count. However, one of the very few disadvantages is that a mom has to really stay on top clutter, particularly a homeschooling mom! It can be challenging to find a spot for everything. Organization is key when school six children.
Homeschooling the Large Family
Sometimes, raising and homeschooling 8 kids (ages 21 to 2) seems totally manageable--even easy--especially when compared to other, larger families made up primarily of younger kids. At other times, homeschooling our brood proves to be the hardest thing ever.
Identifying Priorities in a Large Family Homeschool
Teaching six children can be a challenge. How do you prioritize? Where do you focus your time? How do you make sure they all learn to read, write and tie their shoes? It is not impossible to teach a large family. It takes thoughtfulness and flexibility. It will keep you on your toes and keep you humble.
How I Teach a Large Family in a Relaxed, Classical Way: Language Arts
Tips for teaching language arts (writing, grammar, handwriting) in a large family.
Large Family Workbox System for Homeschool
An example of an organizational system for a large homeschool family.
Multilevel Homeschooling
Most moms of several children become experts at multitasking with experience. We often are asked how we manage homeschooling multiple learning levels and I find it difficult to explain. It's like preparing a seven course dinner--how do you tell someone exactly how to prepare everything in such a way that it's all ready at the proper time and stays the proper temperature? I suppose you could lead them step-by-step through all the directions and it would be easier, but still experience is the best teacher.
How I Teach a Large Family in a Relaxed, Classical Way: Science
Family style learning is a great way to tackle lots of different subjects, including science.
Affording the Large Family Homeschool
For any family seeking a private Christian education in the home, money quickly becomes an issue. While programs like K12 and other public-school umbrellas exist, they do not offer the freedom of choice so many homeschoolers are looking for. Nor do they offer a Christian education.
Most homeschooling families opt to buy their own curriculum so they can truly be in charge of their child’s education. When a homeschooling family has many children, curriculum buying becomes an exercise in creative frugality.
Here are a few ways you can save and stretch money in your homeschool.
An Organized Large, Homeschooling Family
Having a house of order is not the easiest goal to attain when raising a large family and homeschooling on top of it. Here are some ideas and tips for doing it all successfully.
Large Homeschool Family Blogs
Our Full House
Carrie shares life with her 14 blessings, offering a glimpse into the daily life of their family.
Large Family Mothering
Sherry writes her blog and shares her experiences as a mom of 15 homeschooled children.
Raising Olives
This blog shares tips, ideas and some of the ups and downs of managing a home with lots of kids and raising children for the glory of God.
Peace Creek on the Prairie: Large Family Homeschool
This site offers articles, resources, free homeschool printable, and curriculum information.
There's No Place Like Home: Homeschooling my large, crazy family
Shelly is the mom of eleven children and is homeschooling. Share in her journey.
One Thankful Mom
This mom of 12 children shares her challenges and blessings at this blog. She shares about adoption, attachment, Sensory Processing Disorder, homeschooling, marriage, life with a large family, and more.
My Blessed Home
This blog shares homeschooling help and encouragement, parenting tips and insights, organizational tips, and more, all while chronicling the joys and challenges of raising a large family.
The Bates Family
This beautiful family of 19 children shares their journey with this blog.
Our Busy Homeschool: Large Family Learning at Home
Tristan is mom to eight children whom they homeschool.
Gigi's Place
Gigi is a 30-something large family homeschooling mom to seven kids. Being a large family homeschooler has its challenges and joys, which Gigi shares here.
Support for Homeschooling Large Families
Large families are amazing, and I have one
This Facebook page is a big support group of large family supporters who talk on a regular basis.
Large Family Logistics
This group offers a discussion of Kim Brenneman's book Large Family Logistics.
Big Families Recipes
A recipe group list with recipes that big families can enjoy. Discuss recipe successes and failures. Feel free to upload your own recipes or download others.
Tons of Kids
This mailing list is set up for parents of large families. Large for this list is defined as having five or more kids. They welcome everybody who has at least that many of any religion, or even no religion.
Large Family Logistics
The purpose of Large Family Logistics is to help Christian homeschooling mothers with the daily tasks of home management.
Pregnant Again
Are you pregnant? Do you have a large family? Do people look at you like you're crazy? This is a list for all of you out there who are pregnant again for the third or more time. This is a supportive list wehre people believe that large families are wonderful.
Large Family Moms
This list is for moms only that are part of a large family consisting of four or more children. Large families are wonderful, exciting, and very challenging. Here you will find time and money saving tips, advice and support.
Large Families Forum at Just Mommies
This forum is for families with four or more kids.
Magnum Opus
Raising a large, Catholic, homeschooling family is a great work (Magnum Opus) and a great deal of work!
Hopefully this email discussion group will be a place for parents of four or more to help each other with the nitty-gritty details of raising and educating a large, Catholic family.
Large Families Forum at BabyCenter
Do you come from a large family? Are you planning one? Share the challenges and joys a big family can bring.
Featured Resources
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Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum: A Guide to Catholic Home Education
In this book, Laura Berquist offers a curriculum based on the philosophy of the classical Trivium: grammar, logic, and rhetoric. This valuable tools helps home educators craft a liberal arts curriculum that is good for both the soul and the intellect. The material in the book covers grades K-12 and has detailed and practical advice. There is also a section for a high school curriculum and a list of resources.
Progeny Press Study Guides for Literature
Progeny Press study guides include vocabulary exercises, comprehension, analysis, and application questions, introduction of literary terms, background information, discussion of related Biblical themes, suggestions for activities related to the reading, a complete answer key, and more. These are some of the titles available (grade range is in parentheses):
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (9-12)
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (6-8)
Amos Fortune, Free Man (5-7)
Anne of Green Gables (5-8)
...
Handbook of Nature Study
A matchless handbook for decades, this classic work has been the natural history bible for countless teachers and others who seek information about their environment. Written originally for those elementary school teachers who knew little of common plants and animals, and even less about the earth beneath their feet and the skies overhead, this book is for the most part as valid and helpful today as it was when first written in 1911―and revised in the spirit of its authors by a group of naturali...
Homeschooling: The Early Years: Your Complete Guide to Successfully Homeschooling the 3- to 8- Year-Old Child
Nothing beats seeking the voice of experience if you want to join the estimated 1 to 3 million parents who teach their children at home. Here's a guide that comes direct from the experts: a mother of two homeschooled, now-grown children and 83 homeschooling families she surveyed. Their stories make reading this starter kit on teaching ages 3 to 7 worthwhile. For those ready to take on what author Linda Dobson calls "a natural extension of being a good parent," the manual provides at-a-glance box...
A Catholic Homeschool Treasury: Nurturing Children's Love for Learning
This book reviews different approaches to learning and different homeschooling methods. Read parents' perspectives and learn more about homeschooling issues.