How Do I Homeschool with a Toddler at home?

I still can't imagine being thrown into homeschooling so quickly. I know I've said this before, but I personally needed the time to prepare. I'm a creative soul, and schedules do NOT come naturally to me, so I was so incredibly grateful to learn from my preschooler homeschool curriculum how to schedule the days for my youngest so that I could do it well! I just got off the phone with the owner of the My Father's World curriculum and he gave me permission to share some of it with you to help you adjust to your new way of life as well! I set up Brayden’s mornings like this so he will play happily & feel included while I homeschool the older kids (and of course, I include him in the schooling as possible as well). I treat his activities as though they as just as important as big kid school so he does them diligently and put them away in boxes after so they are special so he loves them while they are out. Once Avery finishes his K4 schedule he joins Brayden in this schedule too. They all get free reign once Jocelyn is done! My entire family follows the preschooler's learning schedule which is broken down into four daily activities (and rotates around for each kiddo to keep everyone entertained and on task). So the real question. What do I do with my toddler while the big kids do work?
Introducing...

To prepare for surprise time, I got five different activities that Brayden could do independently and I put them in five storage boxes out of reach. These are special toys that he has NEVER gotten in the toy box. These are ONLY for surprise time so they are big treats when he gets them!

My first box is Wedgits Building Blocks.

My second box is Lotto Animals.

My third box is Discovery Blocks.

My fourth box is Numbers Express.

My fifth box is a sensory bin. Right now it is filled with three types of dried beans and measuring spoons!

This surprise boxes basically turn my house into a little children's museum for my littlest to explore with while the big kids do school...and it encourages my 4K to work through his school diligently so he can go play too! You can purchase these in an educational toy kit, but I STRONGLY recommend the full preschool curriculum for the incredible Christ-based learning, all the scheduling details, enriching daily activities, and unbeatable literature included. You can even use this code to get a free set of ocean animal cookie cutters with it: CCAF0531 🥰

To set up your own surprise time boxes, gather 5 activities that your child can do independently and store them in five boxes that you keep out of sight, only to be used for surprise time.  Label each Surprise Time Box with a number 1 through 5.  Make a separate surprise time baggie with the numbers 1 through 5 in it.  Each day during big kid school time, give your younger child the surprise time bag and let him draw out a number and read the number to him.  Go find the coordinating box together... SURPRISE!

Click here to download a Surprise Time Card!