Catering for different ages and stages

One of the tricky tasks facing parents at the moment is how to home educate children of different ages. If you've got a toddler or a baby to add into the mix as well, things can get really chaotic really quickly! Even parents with twins or triplets might find that though their children are the same age, they might not be at the same stage with reading, maths or even riding a bike.

I think part of the problem is that people have this idea that education is done sitting at a desk or a table with other children. Every child has their own book, pencil case, workspace. But in reality, life is generally not like that. You can guarantee that even if you had 20 identical blue pencils, one child would want the exact one that his sibling is using and can't possibly wait patiently or find something else to colour in until the pencil becomes available.

Even with all these on offer, there will still be a row over one particular crayon!

There are lots of ways at home that you can cater for different ages and stages so that each child gets the input they need. First of all, try to think outside the box. If getting everyone sat down around the kitchen table is a source of stress before you've even started doing any academic work, then it's probably best to knock that idea on the head and find other places to learn and ways of working. You do not need to replicate a classroom environment at home!

In my next few posts, I will give you my top three tips for how to help multiple children fulfil their potential. These include:

• the pros and cons of taking 10 minutes with each individual child while the others are occupied elsewhere
• how to introduce group projects and adapt them so that every child can take part according to their ability
• how to help siblings to create a mentor/mentee relationship so they can help each other with their learning

Let me know if you've got a particular pet peeve about the challenges of educating several children at home and I'll see what I can suggest!