What is Homeschooling? Guide For Parents and Teachers

Homeschooling can be defined as a progressive method that aims at educating the children at home. Generally, parents are the first teachers of children but in some cases, professional tutors are hired to teach children basic literacy skills. Homeschooling is beneficial for the child as it helps him to pace up in his academics in school. Homeschool is just like a creative play preschool. As a parent, you might be caught up in a variety of responsibilities, and managing your child’s education requires certain changes in time and lifestyle. Children adapt to their surroundings quickly. A hybrid homeschool is important to take care of everything and make your child familiar with home-schooling and additional assignments. Parents are unsure about homeschooling their children because some of them have no prior teaching experience. They think that their child will learn at the right time through traditional schooling or by enrolling in summer preschool programs. The clear difference between homeschooling and traditional schooling is that the former cultivates family values along with education while the latter does not.

As COVID-19 has interrupted the proceedings of our lives, homeschooling is adopted by the parents. An estimated population of 25 lakhs home-schoolers in grades K-12 resides in the US. Furthermore, the numbers have risen during COVID-19; schools got closed and have made an impact on 5.5 crore students. With virtual classes, parents are showing interest in managing their child’s studies. Despite numerous benefits, home-schooling can be challenging for both parents and students. Turning home into a learning environment is a hybrid homeschool. The curriculum becomes so exhaustive these days that if the parents have two children- the complexity and workload increase. 

Now, the question arises is there any way to track and navigate through homeschooling?

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Here are some tips to standardise homeschool learning and keep up with their extracurricular activities as well:

• A dedicated learning space

Homeschooling can be exciting but complicated at the same time. At home, a simple thing can seem disoriented and chaotic often leading to delays and skips in the learning process. To avoid such situations, create a dedicated learning space that is only attributed to studies. Once they finish their learning sessions, they can return to the other spaces. A devoted place for learning can help increase their concentration level and comprehension abilities. You can post a to-do list on their study table so that they stay focused and plan their goals for the next day in advance.

• Plan the school year beforehand

Planning and organising are the skills that a child needs to learn from the beginning. Instead of doing everything in one go and feeling burdened, future projects can be planned efficiently beforehand. That way, there are fewer chances of failure or falling through the cracks. Following are the simple illustrations that can be prepared by the parent or student to plan the next steps effectively:

1. Mind maps
2. Flowcharts
3. Infographics and posters

Visualising further steps can help you stay organised and check the progress made over time. 

• Maintain a daily schedule

Homeschooling gives a wonderful chance to be flexible and spontaneous enough to increase productivity. With a clear roadmap, there is no point in distraction. Young children can get easily used to a routine or roadmap if followed seriously. The challenge is to be adaptive and define their path. A simple chart with deadlines and relaxed hours would help the child to understand and follow. Another creative approach is to ask questions such as, “have you finished this work?” Then you can present options before them following the urgency of the task.

• Incorporate activities with academics

A good approach is to take teaching beyond textbooks. Some of the creative activities are:

• Play board games.
• Baking and cooking. 
• Write letters to your family and friends.
• Visit the farmer’s market and shops.
• Visit the library and play word games.
• Empower children

Homeschooling plays a pivotal role in developing a sense of responsibility and accountability in children for their studies. A learning web application or online platform helps them in managing their tasks in a better way. This reduces the parent’s stress and also makes the children self-reliant.

Homeschooling offers a wide variety of advantages to children and parents. It gives them the opportunity to learn at their speed and explore their passions and interests. This can be an incredible chance for the children. It does not have to be stressful either for the parents or the child. Take your time to learn with them and track their progress.

The Reading Eggs online learning programme with a core English, Math, and Phonics curriculum makes home-schooling convenient. It allows the learner to learn at their own pace, practice concepts, and provides them with an engaging experience. With experiential learning orientation, the programme helps the parents track the progress of their child.

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