To let my daughter homeschool my younger daughter?

[dancemummy7]

I am a key worker, so I am still going to work on weekdays. However, I made the decision to not send my kids to school as my dd has a compromised immune system and I don't want to risk it if its un-necessary. My 15 year old has now left school and is no longer receiving work from her school, and I know if i didn't give her something to do, she wouldn't do anything. Therefore, I made the decision to allow my 15 year old to homeschool my 5 year old, as they don't really learn that much in reception that my daughter wouldn't be able to handle. Everyday, my daughter sends me pictures of them baking, painting, doing ‘pe’ etc, and I love the fact they have this time to bond (to be fair, shes doing a better job than I would have) My neighbour’s think a 15 year old is incapable of teaching a younger child? Is anyone else doing this? Surely, as-long as they’re staying out of trouble and being creative they should be fine?

Sounds wonderful.

Absolutely lovely! It will do wonders for their relationship. I bet the younger one adores her.

@SomeoneElseEntirelyNow she's a week from being 16! That's not remotely too much responsibility for a 16 year old. Her dad's in the house in an emergency anyway. And four hours playing and learning with her little sister is not too much. There are 16 year old mothers out there, you know.

AS long as she wants to and doesn,t feal obliged to.

I think this is brilliant. Your daughter sounds conscientious and loving.
If she decides to go to university I honestly think that this would be a great thing to put on her personal statement (hard to back up with facts though, I know) as shows a wonderful and valuable maturity and sensitivity.

I think that is fab. I bet they are both enjoying it, and at reception age learning through play is crucial anyway.

My mother was taken into psychiatric hospital (where she stayed for months) in March of the year I took my O levels. I was left with doing all the household chores (my dad was a coal miner, worked shifts and a Northern bloke, ditto my older brother), caring for my 7 year old brother (including getting him to school, etc) and trying to revise for my exams.

Once the exams finished it was a bit easier on me, but I had all the care of my brother all through the summer holidays, as Mum wasn't well enough to come home until the end of August.

Just wanted to say: I never minded or resented it for a moment and it developed a deep closeness between me and my younger brother that lasts to this day (I'm almost 62 and he's 53).

At that age I did work experience in a Reception class and loved it. Obviously I wasn't teaching properly but I was sitting with children and helping with their work. I think your 15yo will also learn from this and it gives her some purpose, which is often good for wellbeing. I would have struggled at 15 (or now) with a lack of purpose for months on end. If you sent your younger DD to school it would be childcare. 1:1 attention from a (happy) older sister sounds better. Plus dad is around in case of any problems.

Sounds great. I tutored And looked after my brothers as I was growing up (I was about 16) and gave me quite a bit of confidence for when I had kids.

It took me hours to get DS to sit and write a handful of sentences.

I went out shopping and got my teen to watch the kids and do his homework.
I got home and he'd powered through everything! DD is now in charge of homeschooling! (Kidding....... Sort of)

This is officially known as the Madras system and there's at least two Scottish schools that were founded on the principle (Madras College and Bell Baxter High in Fife).
Other schools still use methods such as peer-supported reading.
I say crack on.

I think it's lovely. They both seem to be getting something out of this arrangement. So rewarding for dd1 to see the results of her teaching a little one and also good for their bonding.

Sounds great - with cancelled GCSEs and no work from sixth form yet it sounds like a constructive way for your 15yo to spend her day. It’s May - she can just have a long summer holiday bonding with her sister and then be ready to start sixth form in September. Much better than your 5yo missing out on education and your 15yo being bored and on a screen all day which is probably the alternative.

10/12 year age gap between my oldest 2 And youngest. I would absolutely done this and in fact left them to it in the few years of holidays before oldest ones got summer jobs.
Perfectly capable. Tbh if you have raised a child to 16 And they are not capable of looking after a 5 year old for a day I would wonder where I went wrong

Sounds amazing.
They will always remember this special time fondly.

Sounds like a great set up to me. I know another family who are doing something similar. Teenagers can be really enthusiastic about this kind of thing and it’s giving her good experience for the future.

I would be thrilled if my teenage daughter was voluntarily getting out of bed in the morning, so think you are really lucky that not only is your dd out of bed, she is willingly doing something constructive to help her family!

It sounds wonderful. I think it's important that your 15 year old is able to tell you if it starts getting too much or she doesn't want to do it any more. But as long as she's happy it'll be fantastic for their relationship and will make an excellent response to many interview questions when she's a bit older! It's great that she's showing that initiative and not just spending all day on computer games or social media. Good for her! And I bet your 5 year old is loving all the attention from her big sister!!

In normal circumstances it probably wouldn’t be ok, but these aren’t normal circumstances. It’s not as if the eldest DD has much else to do. It’s not like she is missing out on going out socialising.

It is giving them both a structure which is good.

DS(15) but Y10 not Y1, is getting a full timetable of school work so is being kept very busy and is quite happy with this. During the Easter holidays with no real structure to his day he seemed slightly withdrawn and aimless.

My 16 year old tutors her sister who is 14 occasionally, it's ideal and a great experience, even if sometimes there are rude words (about the work, not between themselves). This sounds like a wonderful way to spend lockdown, if you read the teen thread then you would know that lots of teens are struggling- yours is purposive, helping her sister, planning what to do, honestly, this is a lovely bonus at a horrible time.

@SomeoneElseEntirelyNow I think op said it's only 4 hours a day? From 9-1, so teenager is still getting loads of time to herself.

Not sure what the actual problem is here?

Sounds wonderful 😊

If they are both happy and safe it sounds great. Lovely experience for both of them! Agree with the reward idea for your older one.
Why are your neighbours offering their opinions?

I think it sounds like a perfect set up!

That's brilliant, how good of your 15 year old, as a pp said, maybe this way she'll also find her vocation/profession if she hadn't already!

but 6 hours straight 5 days a week
Come on,they don't do that in school let alone under lockdown, Laura no be overly dramatic.
She's baby sitting 4 hours a day, maybe not perfect but her dad works nights and her mom days, what else would you have them do? Take up a space in school they don't need for the sake of the nearly 16 yo being able to sit on Til Tok or whatever all day?

I have a reception aged child, absolutely nothing I do she can't do.

Ask I'd say op is of look into some free online courses and get her to do a little study or reading for her subjects next year