Are you Homeschooling your kids?

How does that work? Are the kids tuned in with what’s happening around them? Can they keep up with kids going to social schools? Are they growing up to be socially affable? I am sure, parents who are home-schooling their children are asked these questions frequently, so let’s get it straight – homeschooling isn’t an earth-shattering idea, it is a beautiful concept which often becomes a lifestyle.

“It is not what you do for your children, but what you have taught them to do for themselves that will make them successful human beings.”– Ann Landers

It’s an alternate way of teaching, wherein you are not necessarily replicating a schooling environment but personalising the whole experience to make learning more viable, to make your children ready to take on a life in pretty much the same way as kids going to a “brick and mortar” school or maybe better a life.

That said, teaching the kids at home by yourself or by a tutor is an intense, highly involved and exhaustive process in the beginning because you will have to work with them in a non-traditional learning environment. Don’t be afraid to step outside the box and explore a rewarding experience with your kids.

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Let’s Look at Some Advantages of Teaching Your Kids at Home:

• You get to spend quality time with your children.
• You can customise/ modify the teaching pattern if your child doesn’t seem to fit the proverbial box.
• Kids learn themselves by thinking and experimenting, are not pushed to learn in a certain way that the teacher introduces – logical and analytical way. Homeschooling will help your child think independently.

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• Children have time to pursue their special interests and talents.
• The Whole Moral Upbringing- you can guide them and set an example around what has worked best for your family and yourself rather than following a set of principles that are common for the herd and coming from someone who could still be inexperienced in worldly ways.
• You Will not Have to Rush Your Schedule and Chores. You will not have to do the drill – ready the kids for school (and yourself), pack their lunches, drop them to school, do the laundry, take them to activities, get them to do homework, make dinner, clean, sleep and repeat!!

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THE SECRET TO MAKE IT WORK:

• HAVE FIXED TIMINGS, so the kids know that those certain hours in a day are their learning hours and they are non-negotiable. You can choose what works best for you, the morning hours or afternoon.
• MAKE LEARNING FUN, home-schooling can be challenging and boring when the kids don’t see other children around them. Research and introduce innovative methods to teach.
• TAKE REGULAR BREAKS AND WATCH OUT FOR TIME STEALERS. While being at home may lure you into finishing the whole “school time” as soon as possible but learning without any breaks will make it a daunting task for you and the kid as well – so take breaks. Try and organised field trips and play times but make sure you are not overdoing them. Also, too many errands and outings can compromise the day’s learning.
• LIMIT DISTRACTIONS, put your mobile phones on DND mode and have an answering machine for the landline phone. Time your online shopping deliveries outside of your schooling hours and inform your relatives about your schedule; trust me eventually they will understand.
• HAVE FAITH, in yourself and your kids. You are doing your best and so are the kids, don’t force yourself up in the race. Try and keep yourself updated with latest teaching methodologies, get the best books, read up as much as you can.
• CREATE A PATTERN. Teach them to be an independent learner, which will come with time may be after a few years, but do check with them regularly and provide help occasionally.

For parents who have high career responsibilities, home-schooling may not be the best bet. But for someone who has many kids- home-schooling may work beautifully. In the end, it is what works best for you and your child.