Is there a way to combine my sons?
We took last semester off. I started back with Little Hearts for His Glory (LHFHG) with my five-year-old this week. We love it as much as ever! (Though I am a little intimidated to teach my five-year-old to read.) My seven-year-old is joining in and getting the skills he didn’t get the first time around. He loves it! However, my seven-year-old has just 11 weeks left in Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory (Beyond). I know I should start that back up with him, but he is having such fun with his brother in LHFHG. I also know me, and I don’t think I can do two guides. So now, I am wondering about combining?!?
If I do start Beyond back up, when we finish it he will move into Bigger Hearts for His Glory (Bigger). Then after that, I will be doing Beyond and Bigger Hearts. My boys are so close. I am wondering if my younger son could just listen in to Bigger Hearts and skip Beyond? I love HOD. Can I combine history, science, and read-alouds and then have them do the rest on their own? That makes me feel like my younger might miss out on things though. I don’t see a way to beef up LHFHG or Beyond for my older one. Can you please help me with placement and combining going forward?
Carrie’s Reply:
It can be intimidating to try to teach a child to read while trying to help another child gain needed skills too. So, please know that just because you don’t feel like you can do two guides right now, that doesn’t mean you will always feel this way (or always be at this stage in life).
You can combine your sons in Little Hearts for His Glory.
Keeping what you have shared so far in mind, if you feel that you must combine I would encourage you to actually combine your older with your younger child in LHFHG (rather than attempting to push your five-year-old forward too early in Beyond or Bigger). This is because you will be stealing your thunder by allowing your younger child to listen to all of the readings in Beyond or Bigger when he is unable to gain any of the needed skills that go along with those readings.
Your older son falls in the age range of LHFHG, and you can add Beyond’s language arts and math.
I know that your older child has likely been through LHFHG (and also been through much of Beyond). However, I still feel that if you deeply desire to combine you could have your older child just join your younger for much of LHFHG. Your older does fall within the age range for LHFHG (and since you have the Beyond manual) you could just continue to use the 3R’s from the right side of the Beyond guide for your seven-year-old. After completing LHFHG with your pair, they could head into Beyond together (and you could borrow the 3R’s from Bigger for your older child as needed).
LHFHG’s supplemental books can be added if you’d like.
There is a list in the back of LHFHG of possible books to use to extend the learning in LHFHG if desired. While this exact list of titles isn’t needed, it would give you some ideas of possible topics you could add for your seven-year-old. I wouldn’t get too worried about extending LHFHG though, as you don’t want that to take over your life either.
Sometimes the best placement is the one that gets done in the day-to-day.
Just make sure that your seven-year-old’s 3R’s are where they should be, and this combining scenario would work (especially since your seven-year-old is enjoying joining in with your younger child, and you have taken a whole semester off from Beyond at this point already). Honestly, sometimes the best placement is the one that gets done in the day-to-day.
One other benefit of this plan is that it always leaves you the option of jumping your older child forward if you ever felt you were ready to handle more than one guide, yet it doesn’t leave your little one always trailing behind.
Blessings,
Carrie
Poster’s Reply to Carrie:
Thank you, Carrie! You have really eased my mind. My seven-year-old is very smart academically but emotionally he really still needs to work on a lot of the skills in LHFHG. He still after 2 1/2 years cannot narrate to me. My five-year-old can narrate wonderfully. I think combining them makes sense for now. Then, I am hoping next year we can all enjoy Beyond, and I may even enjoy it more. That would only put my oldest in 4th grade when we hit Bigger and I could beef things up some if he matures. I really do love HOD, but I was stressing this so much. I do already own the whole Bigger and Preparing Hearts programs. (Like I said, I love HOD!) So, there is no problem if I have to use any of the right side in any guide for him as we combine.
I know that later on I may be able to run two guides, but right now I think I need to combine. Thank you so much for taking the time to respond! You have eased my mind in this. Carrie, the customer service at HOD is above and beyond, and I tell everyone I can what wonderful customer service you have. Thank you!
