by Lyn Lomasi; Owner of Intent-sive Nature & Brand Shamans Content Community

You have the learning materials ready, corresponding field trips planned out, and have turned your home into a classroom. Everything is perfect. But what about recess? For homeschoolers, back to school time means planning many things. But how do you fit in recess without having a fully stocked gym on hand? For me, it was all about figuring out which types of physical activities worked well with only one to five people.

Make a list of activities appropriate for the number of people in your family. Talk about activities that will work for the number of people in your family. Some easily adjustable activities include volleyball, bike riding, basketball, relay races, jogging or running, dancing, yoga, hiking, and swimming. Have everyone make suggestions and make a list of the ones that can be adjusted (if necessary) for the number of people you have. Take at least one suggestion from each family member to avoid arguments and keep things fair.

Make a schedule that fits all those activities. Now that you have your activities worked out, you need to figure out when to do them all. We like to rotate our favorites throughout the week so that we are never doing the same activity two days in a row. Typically, our school day would always start with yoga or Pilates. But recess time could be anything from basketball, to hiking the trails, or even dancing around the house. As long as the schedule includes doing some type of physical activity every day, that's a good thing. If one or more family members plays on a sports team or has other classes involving physical activity, those may need to go on the schedule. Consider the times they occur and where it would need to be allowed.

Keep a 'free day' where people can do solo activities. A free day where each person can do their own thing (within reason) for recess helps keep things fair. This makes up for the fact that there may be some activities that not everyone in the family wants to do. This way, one child could shoot hoops while another jump ropes and you do your power yoga. Sometimes, even on free days, we may choose to do something together, such as take an extra hike along the trails. The free day should simply be used however everyone agrees on said day.

Alternatively, invest in a family gym membership. If you just cannot keep it together or get everyone to agree on things, consider joining the gym as a family. Many gyms now offer classes for all ages. This means your kids could be exercising by doing the latest hip-hop dance while you attend an advanced yoga class. Younger kids could be doing beginner yoga or tumbling or babies can attend parent and baby stretch or yoga classes. There are likely classes you could all take together as well.

LAST UPDATED: 8/24/2022

*I originally published a version of this via Yahoo Contributor Network

In the early days of schooling, children would often pile into a one-room school house. These kids were not sorted into different classrooms based on age or grade level. Everyone learned together and kids excelled based on their individual abilities. But then, things changed for many schools and the most common model involved sorting classrooms into grade levels. Should all schools go back to mixing age groups?

What is mixed age grouping?

Mixed-age grouping (also called multi-age learning) is the act of placing children at different age and grade levels in the same classroom together. Think back to the days of the one-room schoolhouse. While kids were in various grade levels, they all were in the classroom with the same teacher or set of teachers. Anytime children of multiple skill levels are in the classroom together, it is referred to as mixed-age grouping.

Benefits to mixing age groups in school

Studies have shown that mixed-age grouping teaches kids independence as well as teamwork. When kids of varying levels are placed in the same space, many will naturally work harder to achieve the next level. They also learn to work together with all people, not just their peers. In our homeschool, the kids all learn together, even though each of them is at a different level. That experience combined with research has convinced me that all schools should go back to mixed-age grouping.

Who uses mixed-age methods?

Most schools use it on a smaller scale. But Montessori schools, open schools, private schools, homeschoolers, and many others implement multi-aged learning for the full school day. Some schools have older students read to younger students during a small portion of the day.

Other schools may have the children work together all day long, regardless of the difference in skill levels. In a homeschool, if there is more than one child, mixed-age grouping often comes naturally. Some homeschoolers teach the kids as a group, while others separate the learning.

Should all schools go back to multi-age learning?

Based on my family's experience, as well as extensive research I've done over the years, I would fully support implementation of multi-age learning in all schools. In my experience, there really haven't been disadvantages where the kids are concerned. It can sometimes be more challenging for the educator to teach kids of various levels.

But with practice and the correct planning, for me it eventually evened out with teaching kids who were on the same level. The main issue that would come with converting all schools to this method is the change in the way the curriculum is handled. That in itself may be a hurdle for some schools. But in my opinion, it would be well worth the change.

What do you think? Should all schools go back to mixed-age grouping?