Keeping the little one busy

There is usually one day a week when I have my 3 year old home at the same time as my kindergartener, and we do school together.  I look forward to this day, but I also struggle to keep the boy entertained and get the girl's school work done...sound familiar?

Confused by why my son isn't here all the time? 

Long story short: 

Very small house (that we are very thankful for) + work at home dad + 3 year old rambunctious boy + homeschooling mom + kindergartner = 3 year old that goes to daycare three days a week!  But I digress...

So today since we had a successful morning, I thought I'd list what Joshua did this morning while Abigail completed Reading and Bible.

1. Blue's Clues 123 Time Activities CD/ROM computer game that I got for a $1 at a curriculum sale (insert big smile) - this one lasts him a while, about 20 minutes
2. Alphabet builders from Confessions of a Homeschooler - we did this together and he had a great time!  His first time through, I so had to help him figure out how to form the letters.  I can see him improving the more we practice. 10 minutes
3. LeapPad Learning System - I got this older leap pad off of Craig's List about a year ago.  Little boy is using it here.  He likes it, but this only lasts about 5 minutes.
4. LeapFrog Text and Learn - he loves this game, 10-15 minutes.
5. Starfall.com "ABC's"- Joshua really enjoyed playing here today.  I discovered that he could navigate and enjoyed the games here the other day after he saw his sister playing in the reading area and asked to play.  15 minutes.  Side note:  Joshua is 3 years 8 months, it was only about 3 weeks ago that he figured out how to use the mouse fully, he can now click on a specific object and drag-and-drop.

 

Yep, that's about an hour - and we did 5 different things - but I think that's fairly normal for his age.  How long are you able to keep your little one focused on one activity?

After this we packed it up and headed to the park to play and have lunch. 

Then it was nap time so little girl and I were able to finish up the rest of her schoolwork.

How do you keep your little ones busy while your older ones work? 

I linked up:

Tot School Fun

Super Boy is 37 months.

When Super Boy is home with us, he gets to join in the school fun.  This morning I quickly cut out some paper shapes he could use to form his letters.

 

He did very well for his first time!  He likes putting puzzles together, so this was a familiar exercise for him.

 

He has asked me lately to help him “write letter A”, which is where I hold his hand and help him to draw “down, down and across”.  He isn’t comfortable trying it out on his own yet, so I think this activity will help him feel more comfortable forming his letters.