It is no surprise that when it comes to education, we find that boys and girls learn differently. Compulsory education will always fall short in this aspect because educators do not cater to any individual gender. Because of this, children who cannot sit still or conform, are usually “labeled” or “categorized,” and their learning is affected because of it. In this article, we will talk about how to triumph in homeschooling various grade levels by gender.

The Difference Between Male And Female

It’s a no-brainer that God created males and females to be different. This also includes how we learn.

[1]Studies show that girls tend to have more brain structure dedicated to verbal functioning, memory, attention, thought and language. While boys tend to have a greater portion of their brain assigned to spatial and mechanical functioning.

For this reason, boys learn better with what I call “action,” which includes movement, and visual aids, along with words.

Strategies For Teaching

Knowing how each sex learns is particularly important in how you structure your homeschool for the pre-K years, and the Elementary to high school years. This will look different as the years go on in your families own homeschooling journey.

With some tweaking, you can effectively teach your male and females students while also allowing them to have equal opportunities to interact and learn.

The most important strategies I advise are:

Homeschooling By Gender

Recently, I was contacted by a homeschool momma who wanted to know how she could get her kindergarten boy to concentrate when he saw his preschool sister playing while they were having homeschool. The following question and answer have altered for privacy.

The Question:

“Hi Tasha… my husband and I started homeschooling for our 5-year-old son since August and we have our four-year-old daughter who is currently in pre-school, but we would love to move her into homeschooling as well. I struggle with figuring out how to engage my son when my daughter is home to stay focused on his work, he sees her playing and he wants to play as well. Any tips how you manage homeschooling kids with variation of ages.”

Anonymous

The Answer:

Hi Momma,

So, you have two different age groups, but they are still at the age where they can learn together.

One thing I have learned about boys is that they love to have fun, especially while learning. They love action, even the ones that can sit down and work alone. Its in their nature. So, it’s no wonder when he sees little sister having fun that he would rather join her.

My son is 20 months old. We have always started the homeschooling process really from the time momma can stay awake after nursing to read to baby. LOL.

Ask For Help

So, I notice that when I start something with him, no matter how small, he would rather do what his big sister who is 9, is doing. So, I asked her for help. I have her come sit with us and we may count to three, to seven, say ABC’s, or have a dance party, color party, etc. I keep it action because he loves movement.

However, the older they get, the calmer some boys can become, and you can alter the way you teach them.

I also recommend talking to parents that have been down this road before. I do recommend this book, “Raising Boys to Men: A Simple, Mercifully Short Book on Raising and Homeschooling Boys,” by Durenda Wilson, a mother to five boys already grown.

Involve The Sibling

You can involve little sis in his learning. Depending on how you are structuring his education, you can have him do any sit-down work at his best times of the day when you know he is more focused. For my family, this has always been first thing in the morning. So, I have the girls do math first thing after devotion, and they can continue with anything else we do after, because those are the subjects they love.

Since you are thinking of bringing sister home to do preschool, you will have to alter the schedule a bit. Preschool and kindergarten are not too different from each other, refer to our article “Homeschool Preschool | How to Teach Preschool to Kindergarten”.

Teach Quite Time

If he is advanced, and she is not ready for some of the things he does, separate the space to get the bulk learning done, which for him shouldn’t be more than 30-40 minutes depending on what you are doing. Teach sister to play quietly in her room, until brother finishes for now. Be sure her basic needs are met; she has water and a small snack to keep her preoccupied.

Combine Learning

Then combine the learning. Bring sister in for crafts, art, reciting (alphabets, numbers, days of the week, etc.) and anything else you can add that’s fun and allows them to play and learn together.

If they are even in how they learn, and they are both advanced, just do kindergarten with them both. Homeschooling allows you to go as far or as slowly as you want. Catering the education to the needs of yourself, child’s needs, and your family’s needs.

In this way momma, you will be able to effectively homeschool both, at the same time.

With the option of scheduling one-on-one time with both as needed while the other plays quietly in another room or create a quiet corner if you don’t have the space.

In Summary

As parents, we can see the observable differences in our kids who are boys and girls. Each child has the capacity to learn effectively if we use the right approach by understanding their individual needs and adapting teaching approaches to foster successful learning experiences.

Sometimes a unit study, which covers various grade levels and subjects can be what we need for a time. Don’t be afraid to incorporate what works for your family, this is homeschool freedom!

Homeschool Got You Down?

---

From Our Shop to Your Homeschool:

Recent Homeschool Articles: