Yes, You Can Teach Different Age Groups at the Same Time!

Some may think it is daunting to teach different age groups at the same time, and while that can be the case sometimes, it isn’t always. It’s a matter of finding the right style and flow of your family or group. For instance, I have three children ages 7, 12, and 16—elementary, middle, and high school. They all learn differently, but after lots of trial and error, I found what worked for us. Was it challenging sometimes? Absolutely! We kept trying different approaches until we found the key to our success. Don’t be afraid to mix things up and think outside the box. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to learning!

I also took this a step further by adding more children to the mix. 😬 It was a bit intimidating at first, I must admit, but so rewarding once we found our groove. I have a small group of families that homeschool their kiddos along with me, and they let me take the lead on developing the lessons. We followed a flipped-learning model: they reviewed the materials at home, and then when we got together to do hands-on activities designed to help the kiddos further their understanding of the topics we were covering.

All three groups together for the flower dissection lab.

Over the summer, we worked on biology with all of them, ages 6–16. We used the REAL Science Odyssey Series: Life Science, Biology 1, & Biology 2 by Pandia Press. Each level had its own order of topics, but I found it better to skip around a little for the older kids to match the flow of the younger kids’ curriculum. For example, the younger kids’ curriculum covered the plant and animal kingdoms in the middle of the course, yet the older kids’ curriculum covered them at the end. Since we shared materials and tried to be as economical as possible, I switched up the order of the topics for the older kids to match that of the younger ones. So, when we covered the plant kingdom for example, we did flower dissections all at the same time. Each group followed their own curriculum while covering the same topic, but there was more in-depth information for each of the older groups that they reviewed at home prior to our lab as well as more detail required of them on their lab sheets. We were all in the same room, at the same time, with all three age groups. As an added bonus, the older kids were able to help the younger kids when they struggled with understanding a concept, which in turn helped to solidify their own understanding. Win-win!

Looking at the roots of a plant under the microscope. The older kids helped explain to the younger kids what they were looking at.

In addition to their textbooks, I also added YouTube videos on the topics we covered to differentiate the instruction for those who learned better with audio/visual materials rather than reading. I tried to find videos that were best suited for each age group so that the younger kids had short, simple, introductory ones and the older kids had more in-depth age/level appropriate videos. In summary, I had them read and watch videos on the topics prior to our in-person meetings, and then we did hands-on activities to help deepen their understanding. The format worked like a charm for our group, and the kids learned so much!

Remember, you don’t have to follow this exact formula. It really is all about trying out different things to see what works best for your homeschoolers and being flexible to accommodate different ages and types of learners. Like I’ve said before, take your time, find your rhythm, and create your own way!