7 Tips for Homeschooling with a Newborn 

This has got to be the most important tip that I can give you. Take some time to prepare for time off once the baby comes. It is ideal if you can take two to three months off of homeschooling so that you can adjust to and recuperate from having the baby. This gives baby time to settle in, too.

I know that may sound like a lot, but you really do need the time to get things under control before you jump back in to school. Here are some ideas on how to schedule taking time off:

• If the baby is born in the beginning of the year, take your two to three months and then school into the summer.
• Will the baby be born towards the end of the school year? Plan to finish early and take a long summer. You can finish early by starting the year a bit ahead of time.
• When baby is born in the fall, you can either just start late and go later, or begin earlier in the summer, take a break and finish on time
• If baby is born towards the end of the year, you can start a bit early, take your break and then finish a bit later than normal.

Many times when I was expecting, I would plan a lighter year for the kids, this way it would be easier to keep up with and finish what I had planned out. One year won't make or break you, so taking a lighter year for a baby will benefit everyone in the long run. 

With that in mind, remember that there is a lot to be learned from a new baby. The older kids can help with as many aspects of caring for a newborn as you feel comfortable with. They can also really hone some household skills, depending on their ages, by helping with meals and cleaning up the house.

Not only technical skills can be learned. How about learning the virtue of patience because they can't always get what they want when they want it if you're caring for the baby. They can also learn about charity, temperance and fortitude. Oh, the list is endless, so don't discount these lessons.

A new baby brings a myriad of learning to a homeschooling family.

I would highly recommend cutting back on your outside commitments during this time! If your other kids have to keep doing outside events, then please arrange for other people to drive them to and from there. 

Mom, you owe it to yourself to take this time with your baby to get back on your feet. You are not lazy for staying at home during this time! You have your and baby's best interests at heart when you turn down commitments that will tire you out.

Note, I'm talking here about running around with the baby taking kids to sporting events, lessons and clubs. You know, those weekly events that tire you out even when your aren't pregnant! Forgo those for awhile and get someone else to do the running.

Whether you're nursing or bottle feeding, that newborn will eat a lot in  those first few months. Chances are they won't want to be put down much either. Take that time and put it to good use with your other kids.

One of the best ways to do that is to gather the kids around you and spend some time reading aloud together. Reading out loud is a great way for kids to learn while having fun. There are some awesome books that can keep your kids highly engaged and learning at the same time. I always liked to read books that have been made into movies. This way, once we're done reading, we can watch the movie together and discuss the similarities and differences.

Depending on the time of year and your children's temperaments, you might cringe at the thought of taking three months off of school. Sometimes it works like a charm, and other times you're ready to pull your hair out.

If you find that taking that much time off is making things worse, but yet you don't quite feel up to your usual schedule, try to ease into things. The couch is a great place to homeschool during this time.  

Set yourself up with baby close by and have your kids come to you. Pare down your subjects to maybe a few per student. Spend a few hours each day having the kids come to you and working on a little bit, just to keep them in the groove and out of each others' hair for awhile. This keeps everyone occupied for at least part of the day but doesn't tire you out or overwhelm you.

If it does overwhelm you, back off and try again next week.

If the range of your kids is such that you have slightly older kids and some younger kids, now is the time to pair them up. Pick kids that will work well together and have the older one help the younger one with some lessons or crafts. 

If you're tired, have them read a book to their younger siblings. If there is one child that likes to "teach" let them plan something for the younger kids that everyone will enjoy. 

The key to this working is knowing which kid to put in charge. I'm sure you know that there are just some kids who won't listen to others, no matter how fun it sounds. Hopefully you have some kids you can pair up for at least a little while! If not, skip to number 7!

I wrote a whole post about how we have to look at the big picture of homeschooling. Taking three months off because you've had a new baby is not going to ruin your children. You absolutely must look at things on a larger scale. There is so much for a family to learn when you bring a newborn home.

If you take one thing away from this post I hope it is that you cut yourself some slack and take the time you need to get rested and back on your feet. It's hard to be a homeschooling mom with a newborn. This is one of the toughest times you'll have. Take the time now to get back on your feet so that you aren't trying to tackle homeschooling while you're exhausted.

If you're one of those moms who bounces right back up and has all the energy in the world, then you've probably skipped through most of this post. If you're not, take my word for it, the homeschooling lessons will still be there. Don't feel guilty for taking some time off!