Help figuring out how to do separate times with each child

[woolybear]

I am really struggling with this. My two ds are very different. Although they are only 2 1/2 years apart, in some areas it feels like much more. My older ds (8 yo) really loves history. He would love to be able to do more, much more with me on this subject. I feel that he has been shortchanged in this area for quite a while. My younger ds (6 yo next month) has some interest in this area. Fine for his age. Also, older ds wants to have time to do some history reading/projects alone with me. Younger ds is not very mature and does not like to play in his room alone for extended periods. Nor will he play quietly/patiently in the same room while I read to older ds for too long. Although they both will often quite happily listen to strories on tape in their rooms, it does not then give them patience to come down after and listen to me read anything. It would be amazing if he could do that for half an hour. My thought is to give each of them an hour a day. We did this once last week and it worked quite well. It just seems difficult to make it happen regularly. I know the answer to this problem is very individual and I will just need to find a way to make it work for my family. I was just wondering if anyone had any suggestions.

[woolybear]

l'm sorry. I pressed some key on my computer and then couldn't make separate paragraphs,edit or anything. So, forgive the long run on type paragraph. I'm not very computer literate.:)

[Chris in VA]

Maybe an hour a day, but not all at once?

[4wildberrys]

I know exactly how you feel! My kids are older---but very different and I want to work with them individually SO badly---but ds requires SOO much side by side work, my dd gets left to do her work on her own and then I have to scramble to try and spend some quality time with her discussing things :001_huh:

What about independent work time for one while you work with the other----or some independent work coupled with a video/tape to listen/watch so you can DO something with each? What about a simple break/playtime for your younger while you work with the older son?

HTH!

[woolybear]

Anyone else?? Any ideas? How do people keep preschoolers/toddlers busy? Maybe some of those ideas would help. Thanks.

[woolybear]

Wildberrys--Thanks, I was thinking to maybe schedule a video one day a week. I don't want that to become the way we do it every day. And then maybe a story on tape another day. Hmmm...lol, that's two days so far. I just feel like I can never get it all figured out. Older ds doesn't have the best attitude toward school. So the other day he asked if we could read some history. Younger ds was in the room. They were building with blocks while I read. They said they were building Sparta and Athens and then it became one big Sparta. So I shifted our reading to reading about those places. Later in the day I said to ds, "See, that was good, wasn't it?" And he kind of shrugged and said," I would've liked it 100 percent more if ___(his brother) weren't there." Sigh........

[mooooom]

One would read independently, one would work on a typing program (on computer) and the other did math with me. Maybe if you are trying to get a whole hour a day with one child, you would need more than one activity for the other to be occupied with, but it will work, if you are disciplined about it and stress the time they get alone with you, they should figure it out pretty fast.

With a six yr old - maybe a half hour on a computer program and a half hour on a story tape - there are so many places to download free story tapes these days.

[Mallory]

In a whole different track, for me, this And he kind of shrugged and said," I would've liked it 100 percent more if ___(his brother) weren't there. sounds like an attitude problem that I would not want to encourage. I would make sure that I wasn't the one modling that having little brother around is annoying, and then I would try very hard to plan things that work for our family, instead of hoping that one of the littles could be "turned off" for school work time.

[woolybear]

Mallory--good point and I definitely do need to keep that in mind. However, I think a little time alone with Mom for each of them is good too. I'm also thinking they may need a little time apart each week which they are not getting these days. Hmmm..just thinking out loud.

[Osaubi]

Is there any way to wake one up early or let one stay up later and do it then?