In the past few years, Indian parents have experienced the concept of homeschooling for their children. While some parents found it to be an unpleasant experience, others found it very beneficial for their children.
For the parents who found it beneficial, and the ones who do not have a choice but to opt for homeschooling, you can make your homeschooling super productive and hassle-free at the same time!
Here are some simple yet extremely helpful rules (or tips) for parents opting for homeschooling:
5 Golden Rules of Homeschooling in India
1. Get the Basics Right
First and foremost, you must get your child into the habit of following fixed sleep and mealtime. Do not encourage the habit of compulsive eating at home, and restrict junk/outside food to the minimum. Let the child have scrumptious and nutritious meals at home, and fix the bedtime the way it used to be with the physical schools.
Focus on your child’s water intake and healthy snacking. Because homeschooling requires a level of energy and your child needs to be full and gratified before joining the online class conducted by any traditional or online school.
Other than this, keep a track of your kid’s non-academic screen time. Because those OTT platforms can while off all the permitted screen time. And the child might complain about an eye strain.
2. Demonstrate a Positive Attitude Towards Online Classes
‘The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’ – Quoted
Your attitude, personality, approach, and selection of words can make all the difference in your child’s perception. It is understandable that many parents have faced several challenges with the homeschooling programs. And this has adversely affected the quality of their child’s learning. Let the bygones be bygones, and embrace the change of online learning.
If you show your disinterest or demonstrate a lack of faith in online schooling, your child will not take these classes seriously. And coming back to the jabs and the threats, you already know that, physical schooling is ‘STILL NOT ON THE CARDS’!
Help your child to accept this new normal. And stay positive about the efficiency of this medium. If you genuinely face a challenge with the quality of online classes provided by a traditional school at this time, choose a better alternative that delivers high-quality online classes.
3. Help to Eliminate Distractions
Digital schooling is new to India. Hence, many children faced challenges of focus during online classes. Assist your child in the best possible ways, and create a 100% distraction-free study zone for the student. A simple quiet corner with all the necessary supplies can be good enough for you. So create this set-up and disseminate a couple of rules within the family. Keep the devices away from the study corner and if possible let these be on silent and vibration-free modes during the study time. Try to keep this time as gadget-free as you can. Because it will help your child with single-tasking. And he/she will end up focusing better in the class.
The same can be followed for the self-study time, but the trick is to be stringent in following these internal home rules. Give your child enough time for leisure as well. But during study hours, ensure that there is a proper use of the productive time. Our kids have already lost a lot of productive time recently. And the saddest part is that this learning loss is more serious than we think!
<As per World Bank, the recent learning loss can affect the lifelong earnings of children>
4. Stay Informed
In India, we often assume that homeschooling means studying in isolation. However, this is not the case!
Like any other traditional schooling pattern, online learning or home school learning also takes the collaborative efforts of the parents/guardians. You have every right to know what’s going on in your child’s academic journey. And, it is even more important to gauge the child’s performance in an online learning environment.
Do not hesitate to connect with your child’s teachers. But again, this should be done in the right manner, through the right channels, and at the right timings. Never barge in a live online class even if you notice things going out of place. Because this will create chaos amongst the students. And they will lose faith in the teacher. Follow the right protocol to raise issues with the school management. And refrain from sending direct personal messages to the teachers outside the formal interaction space.
Also Read: Tips and hacks for understanding the IELTS exam attentively
5. Choose the Ideal Institution for Homeschooling
You can go for open schooling from NIOS (The National Institute of Open Schooling) and take the teaching part on yourself. Or you can take admission in a 100% structured and high-quality online schooling platform, and make the most of online classes.
Open schooling with NIOS takes effort but will let you have better control over your child’s learning. Whereas online schooling will keep you totally worry-free about your child’s focus, performance, and engagement in online classes.
Both these options are futuristic and currently in fashion for homeschooling in India. So explore what’s better for you, and choose wisely!
