September 23, 2026 – The One Room Schoolhouse: Tips for Teaching Multiple Ages

Lani Carey

Why Our One-Room Schoolhouse Chose Unit Studies

I started a homeschool co-op in 1997 so that our family and two others could take a deep dive into several thematic topics through unit studies. By the time we discovered the KONOS curriculum, we had been doing unit studies in our co-op group for years. Why did we choose unit studies? 

1. We wanted all our children to be taught together, modeling our co-op after the one-room schoolhouse. It’s easier and more effective to teach all ages together than to have each child doing his own curriculum. 

2. Unit studies are perfect for teaching multiple ages because you can pick a topic and incorporate all the core subjects. Language arts, science, social studies, geography, and history lend themselves so well to the unit study model. Many times, it’s easy to weave in foreign languages, art, music, and cultural cuisines.  You can even incorporate math concepts into your unit study, e.g. Noah’s ark, pyramids, rivers.

3. When using real books and resources, you are not concerned with grade level. The youngest follow along and you realize they’re capable of learning way more than you think.  

4. Unit studies lend themselves to a hands-on approach, a lot of “going and doing.”  Real learning happens because the students are immersed in a different culture or a different time.  Studies can last two weeks or two months, or longer.

5. Around the dinner table, you can all discuss what you’ve learned, which leads to an even deeper level of thinking and understanding. 

6. They’re fun! 

Pat Wesolowski’s fantastic article on unit studies, Unit Studies Unpacked: The Joy of Learning Across Subjects, is a great introduction to the method. 

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About the author

Lani Carey has been homeschooling since 1990,  graduating four children and three grandchildren. As a homeschool guidance counselor for 21+ years, she developed programs for NCAA eligibility, military/military academy admissions, and many more. A speaker since 1997, Lani shares her expertise through conferences, webinars, and workshops. She is passionate about the value of play, relaxed schooling, and empowering parents. https://www.homeschoolcounselingteam.com/. She is also the principal of Titus 2 Academy umbrella school.

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Stephanie Morrison

Multiple Ages Makes it Easier

Teaching is hard, but teaching multiple ages makes it easier. Learn about some of those “keys” to unlocking what’s easier when you’re teaching more than one learning level. (Related links mentioned in this video:  Parenting is Hard; Planning Makes it Easier.)

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About the author

Pursuing her calling to help parents enjoy the responsibility of educating their children, Steph works with clients in the home education industry and helps entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses from home. She and her family are perfectly placed in the prairies of Saskatchewan, Canada. She loves being a homebody and building up her permaculture property. www.CreatingWorkandPlay.com

Christian Gap Year in Costa Rica: featuring Bible study, Spanish immersion, and ministry, builds faith and independence for high school graduates. atlasabroad.org.

Heather Vogler

Together Forever

How many friends from elementary school do you still spend the holidays with? Social media has definitely connected us with old childhood friends, and for years my birthday buddy from kindergarten and I would exchange birthday wishes to each other on our shared special day, but we do not hang out on holidays. The relationships that last are the ones that are formed throughout the years—beginning at home. Think about siblings in the traditional school setting. They are separated by grade, and often twins in the same grade are in completely different classrooms. Yet family members are the ones we share meals with, holidays with, special times with—both good and bad. Though kids will make friends in school with their peers, family is around forever. 

This is why, when it comes to education in the home, teaching multiple ages together is golden, even when children are not the exact same age, grade, or on the same level academically. Enjoying a read‑aloud, science experiment, or field trip together helps with bonding and relationship building, which is what our children need in real life. Work, marriage, and surviving in the real world all depend on healthy relationships built on trust and respect. If children are in separate rooms with their noses in their own schoolwork all day, these skills might not be properly developed. 

Even if every subject is not combined, pick two or three this year to enjoy together as a family. This could be physical education, science, history, or an entertaining read-aloud.

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About the author

Heather Vogler, her husband, and five children call the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia home where they homeschool and homestead. Heather has homeschooled her children from the beginning and enjoys an eclectic style of teaching. She has been published in Focus on the Family Magazine, War Cry magazine, and Brio magazine. Heather holds a BA in Christian Ministries and currently writes at ThriftSchooling.com. 

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Kerry Tittle

The Beauty of the One-Room Schoolhouse

This past weekend all my children flew in for a sibling’s wedding. A picture popped up that took them down the one-room schoolhouse memory lane! We had purchased a chain‑link dog kennel that came in a huge box. This box was the beginning of the infamous weeklong Viking ship. Equipped with shields (paper plates) stapled to the side of the sturdy vessel, rectangular sail (18‑count egg carton), and (we would be remiss not to mention it) the dragon head cut out of all the leftover cardboard. They didn’t stop there. It was finished off with Gjermundbu helmets made from cereal boxes! Of all my 28 years of schooling that was my children’s most memorable—their magnum opus.

Not all of our projects stood out as boldly as that one, but with the exception of math, all the subjects were the same with different levels of difficulty. While one child was creating Upper and Lower Egypt in the dirt for the littles (complete with boats and animals of course!) so they could flood the Nile, another was cooking an authentic Egyptian dinner, and yet another was writing a paper on King Narmer. All were studying the Early Dynastic Period but in different ways.

This is the beauty of the one‑room schoolhouse. I was surprised how much the littles learned watching their older siblings. Furthermore, the older kids learned leadership as they helped the younger while fostering close family relationships.

Enjoy learning! You’ve got this Momma!

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About the author

Kerry Tittle is a mother of nine children and a twenty-year homeschool veteran. She was the owner of ReformationKidz with her husband, Rob, until a tornado destroyed their home and business in 2014, taking the lives of Rob and two of their daughters, Tori and Rebekah. Kerry is the founder of Refined Family, which was created to encourage others to find hope in the Gospel in the midst of trials.

Many parents are intimidated by the idea of educating children of different ages. Especially for those who are well-acquainted with the school system, the idea of staggering teaching times feels foreign and inefficient. Although you are teaching individual students with individual needs, interests, and learning styles, you will likely find plenty of courses that can be taught to all of your children at the same time. The SchoolhouseTeachers.com course list includes grade levels in parentheses after each course, and many of them span multiple grade levels! Want to make it even easier? Check out our Family Courses!