Whenever I share Nemit’s home learning adventures on social media, I get a lot of DMs from my friends & followers. Some of them share their own experience & some appreciate my way of homeschooling & ask me how I do it. I’ve promised them a detailed post on that. So, today I’ll be sharing some tips from my experience on how to homeschool your child in India.

The concept of homeschooling is not that common in India. Most parents have not even heard this term before. But when the country went under lockdown, and some schools announced online classes, parents were forced to adapt to homeschooling.

You may also read- Tips to Prepare your Child for Preschool!

I had never imagined my son sitting in front of a laptop and taking lessons. Well, he is just 4! Now, it’s been 4 months since I started homeschooling Nemit, which includes live online classes, creative activities, fun learning games, revision & recapitulation. But despite all the hurdles, I am happy that at least the learning has not stopped for my child.

Homeschooling a kindergartner (3-6 years old) is a herculean task!

The tips I am sharing below are based on my experience and worked well for us. I hope you’ll find these helpful too.

6 Tips on How to Homeschool your child in India

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1- Talk with your child about homeschooling and online classes

> Having an honest and open conversation with your children is extremely important to make them comfortable about this whole new thing.

> Communication is the key, but choosing the right tone and energy while talking is crucial too. You want them to be excited & not depressed.

> Do your research before starting the conversation. Be ready to answer their questions & clear their doubts in the easiest way possible.

2- Next practical tip on how to homeschool your child in India is Set up a routine and follow it diligently

> This may sound difficult, but it is the best thing you will do for your child & for yourself.

> It took us around a week to get used to a new routine, but sticking to it helped us get into a habit real quick. We follow a pretty simple routine for Nemit on weekdays.

> And, we keep the weekends free of study, we do fun activities and play games but strictly no books.

You may also read – Fun activities to do with Family!

Here’s Nemit making a mug cake on his own –

> We saw a considerable change in Nemit’s behavior once we started following a routine. All that struggle made us understand the importance of developing a routine for a healthy homeschool environment.

You may also read – Understanding the emotional needs of a child!

3- Choose a place for homeschooling your child very carefully

> Look for a room or a part of the house where your child feels most comfortable.

Usually, attending class in a study room would sound relevant. But it didn’t work in our case. However, when we shifted Nemit’s study table in the living room, he instantly adjusted to the new setting. Hence, we converted a part of our living area into a homeschool classroom.

> Make your child sit on a table. If you don’t have a study table, use the dining table or a laptop table when sitting on a couch. But, strictly no classes from the bed, please.

> Another point to note, make sure there are no distractions during the class – no T.V., no music, no chatting, no eating, etc. in the same room.

4. Give your child the freedom to choose how they want to learn

> Young children have a short attention span of 15-20 mins. So, when you give freedom to your children, they feel involved & responsible.

> This freedom to learn things in their way also helps kids to concentrate and pay attention during the class.

You may also read – Tips to make young kids pay attention during online class!

> This is an advantage of homeschooling that you can mold the learning strategies based on your child’s interest and personality.

When the teacher takes a break, or she’s doing a one on one with other kids, I always encourage Nemit to decide what he wants to do. I give him a choice if he wants to do an activity, rhyme, writing, or sketching based on the same topic.

I believe play-based learning encourages kids to be active learners.

5- Be patient and be mindful of your child’s emotional needs

> There may be instances when you would feel lost, tired & angry and may feel like losing control. Please understand that your children may also be going through similar emotions, but they may not be able to express their feelings.

> Please be mindful of your actions. Take a break & let the other parent take control of the situation.

> Homeschooling needs a lot of effort and patience on the part of parents. But not every parent is an expert at creating & maintaining a learning environment at home. If you have not taken care of the points as mentioned above then there’s a higher chance of you feeling stressed out during this process.

> Make sure you take care of other aspects of homeschooling to keep yourself stress-free.

Please, parents, you have to stay calm and patient with your kids when homeschooling them. You have to understand the emotional needs of your child and work around that.

 6- Try to bridge the gap between the teacher and the child

Now, when I say bridge the gap, I don’t mean that you start answering questions on behalf of your child. No! Please don’t do this. It’s ok if your child is not responding, let the teacher take care of it. But please don’t interrupt.

> Rather, you can work with your child later, practice and revise the topics covered during the class. Revise daily!

> Take pictures when your child is doing writing work. Ask them questions and make a video while they answer. Send that to the teacher; she will appreciate your efforts in making learning easier.

> Keep the communication channels open with the teacher. Discuss your doubts with her; you may also share your suggestions to make the learning process easier for kids.

> Teachers might also be going through various difficulties in conducting online classes. Please appreciate their efforts, give them constructive feedback for further improvement.

Bonus Tip on how to homeschool your child in India

Make sure your child is not hungry while attending class from home. 

Hunger can make children very cranky. So, if you don’t want to deal with temper tantrums during the class, ensure that your child eats breakfast. Nemit gets a break of 15 mins in between the sessions, so I give him some fruits or a glass of PediaSure to keep his energy levels up.

How are the online classes going at your end? Are you enjoying homeschooling your child? Is your child enjoying online learning? Please share your experience with us in the comments below.

I hope you found the tips helpful, do share this post with other parents.

The post 6 Effective Tips on How to Homeschool your Child in India? appeared first on Growing With Nemit.

Hello everyone, I hope you all are doing well and keeping safe. Though the lockdown has ended, we are still sticking to the routine. It seems that we have reluctantly accepted the new normal. I am not saying it’s easy but knowing that it’s the best way to stay safe, we don’t mind continuing to follow the rules for a few more months. There are some things, which we enjoyed doing as a family and that helped us cope with the anxiety associated with the lockdown. In fact, these have become a part of our life now. So, today I want to share how these activities with family are keeping us sane at home.

I know it’s not easy for everyone to accept the current situation as the new normal. But for the sake of our family, we can at least try to look at the brighter side.

These 6 Activities with Family are keeping us happy even after the lockdown has lifted

The lockdown gave us an opportunity to discover our hidden strengths and work on our weaknesses on the personal front. We used our creative side to make dull & exhausting tasks fun for the whole family. It really helped us all to cope up with the stressful situation.

1 – Cooking is a Teamwork

I hate cooking when it is forced upon me, especially if I have to do it daily. My husband, on the other hand, didn’t know how to cook anything, except Maggi. And making tea. So, when we had to let go of our cook, we knew it would need a lot of teamwork. The first thing we did was divide cooking tasks based on our interests & capabilities.

Initially, Sumit took care of cutting & chopping veggies and preparing the dough for paratha or rotis. Gradually, he took over breakfast duty & now he makes the yummiest poha and vermicelli in our family. I take care of the cooking part, mainly lunch and evening snacks. Our dinner is rather simple; it’s the leftover food from breakfast or lunch. So, there’s no wastage either.

We also involve our kid, Nemit, in simple cooking during the weekend. He loves making sandwiches. Easy activities like peeling, mashing, stirring, pouring are good for young kids. By letting him participate in the kitchen work, we help him develop good eating habits too.

Cooking doesn’t seem like a burden anymore!

2 – House chores as our new Fitness Mantra

Just like cooking, we divided house chores too. We know cleaning and mopping the whole house is not an easy task. Moreover, it’s time-consuming for us. So, now we do it on weekends only as a family activity. Or, just when we feel the need. Sumit does the sweeping while I do the mopping. And, dusting is a fun game for Nemit.

You may also read – 5 Helpful Tips to Achieve your Health and Fitness Goals!

I’d never thought we could manage without our house help for so long. But we survived the difficult days and now ‘Do the house chores’ has become our new fitness mantra.

3 – Homeschooling can be Fun

With the lockdown, we were introduced to the concept of schooling from home through virtual classes. Initially, it was a huge task for us to make Nemit sit in front of the laptop. We soon realized we would need some creative ideas to make it fun and engaging for him. Once we changed the learning strategy as per Nemit’s interest, he adjusted to the new setting quite well. We focused on play-based learning and encouraged our son to use creativity and imagination in learning.

We can either crib and make things worse or we can look for alternate ways and make things work.

You may check out this post for some ideas to make young kids pay attention during homeschool classes.

4 – Making TikTok videos is one of the fun activities with family we enjoyed the most

We all know about TikTok and almost every other person has tried their acting skills on this app. We enjoyed making fun videos on TikTok during the lockdown. This is another activity, which we loved doing as a family and it really helped us in coping with the anxiety.

There have been many times when we didn’t feel like doing anything. When we were struggling at cooking and managing household chores, we often needed something to keep our spirits high. That’s when we became active on TikTok, watching funny videos would instantly uplift our mood.

Some of our best memories from the lockdown are the ones when we were creating fun videos on TikTok.

5 – Games & Fun activities with Family

We tried making the house chores, cooking and studies fun for all of us. But we still needed some entertaining family time to relax and rejuvenate. We couldn’t take Nemit to the park or even to the society terrace since it was not allowed due to the COVID 19 scare. So, we looked for interesting activities and games which we could enjoy at home together.

We did camping in our balcony garden, we plan day picnics, we enjoy gardening, we dance like crazy, we sing karaoke, we do fun yoga together, we make a lot of crafts, peek-a-boo and ludo are our favourite games.

It is not that difficult to stay happy at home, you just need to find out fun ways to spend time together.

6 – Some Screen time is Ok

We are very careful when it comes to screen time be it watching TV or using a mobile phone. I frequently feel the need to take a break from the devices and disconnect from the virtual world. And for that, I prefer taking a digital detox every month.

We love watching movies at the theatre, but that’s not an option anymore. The good thing is we still have OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hotstar, ZEE5, etc to enjoy uninterrupted series and movies. Once every week we plan a movie night. Sometimes we let Nemit pick a cartoon or animated movie which we all enjoy together.

You may read my review of the movie – Chintu Ka Birthday!

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It was not easy to stay positive throughout the lockdown. It is still not easy. But we have to adjust, adapt, and evolve to stay happy & sane during these difficult times.

You may also read – How the Lockdown helped Families Adapt & Evolve?

How are you coping with anxiety? What all things do you enjoy doing with your family? Tell me in the comments below.

The post Staying active while staying at home with these Fun Activities with Family appeared first on Growing With Nemit.

A lot of schools started online classes for kids recently to continue with the learning process even during the pandemic. Since it’s a relatively new way of learning for children (age group, 3-6 years old), parents are finding it difficult to make their young kids pay attention during the class.

What is attention exactly? The ability to concentrate on information at hand and carry on with the tasks with that given information is an easy way to define attention. 

Sounds easy enough but the truth is young learners are a difficult bunch to keep engaged as they can be distracted easily. And though it sounds ambiguous, today’s modern technology is making it even more difficult because of the screen time it offers.

There is research that shows when parents make screen use an interactive, shared experience, it can become a tool for learning and the potential negative effects can be reduced.

A study conducted by the University of Washington suggested a proportionate association between watching TV and losing attention spans. So, it’s pretty obvious that the parents and the teachers alike all over the world are in a constant struggle to keep the young ones attentive. 

In countries with both a high adoption of technology and emphasis on education like Singapore, some advanced tuition providers, such as SmileTutor, are taking steps to solve the attention span problem by taking different initiatives. 

Here’s a fun video for you all – 7 Types of Parents during an Online Class

Now, let’s look at some ideas with which parents can make young kids pay attention during homeschool classes:

1- Breakfast is MUST

The reason I put the word ‘MUST’ in all caps is that it surely is the most important meal of the day. This works for everyone but more so for the kids. It’s a proven fact that kids who eat breakfast regularly are more attentive in the class. And, they can retain energy longer. Thus, the first thing as a parent, you must ensure that your kids are having nutritious breakfast every day.

You may also read – Tips to develop good eating habits in kids!

Now, if you really want your children to stay focussed during the class, don’t offer them anything to eat during the session. A strict No to munching! Use the break time between classes for snacking & drinking.

2- Exercise helps young kids stay focussed

It is incredibly important for kids to exercise daily and if possible, out in the open. Exercising outside not only helps in absorbing Vitamin D but can eliminate disconcerting thought-process too. If you are staying indoors due to the pandemic, at least encourage your kids to involve in indoor physical activities. You may plan a treasure hunt or an obstacle course for them. Or, just motivate them to do some yoga or dancing.

So, you have to ensure your kids get at least an hour of physical activity to boost their brain development. You don’t need to get a yearly subscription from your local gym for them. Frequent breaks for moving the body like a 10-minute run around the house or romping on the trampoline etc. will also do just fine as exercise.

3- Make Sleep A Priority

Even moderate sleep deprivation can impair cognitive and motor performance severely. Children aged 3-6 need about 11-13 hrs of sleep. And, not getting enough sleep can affect their mood, behaviour and ability to focus during the day. Just like good eating habits make sure your kids follow healthy sleep habits too.

Following a fixed routine helps a lot. Start the bedtime ritual 30 minutes before sleep time. If you want your child to sleep 10 hours from 9.30 pm to 7.30 am, start getting them ready by 9.

If your child is waking up cranky it’s a sign of inadequate sleep & no child would want to sit in front of a laptop in such a mood.

 4- Classes for young kids should be fun

Well, we all know that young children have a short attention span & making them sit for the whole duration of the class is a big struggle. And that’s why teachers should try to make the lessons fun & engaging. Nemit’s class teacher follows an excellent way of teaching where after every 15-20 mins she interacts with the children. She makes sure that she speaks to each and every child before moving on with the lesson.

If you have any suggestions for the teacher, please go ahead & discuss that with her after the class. Also, please don’t be harsh on teachers, you have to remember that this is challenging for them as well & they are trying their best.

You may also try giving your child a break whenever you feel he’s losing focus or getting bored. A little bit stretching or jumping on the spot helps too.

5- Focus on play-based learning to make young kids pay attention

Now, I have seen the benefits of play-based learning since I have always followed this method at home. Maths & Language can be interesting if a fun element of play is added to the structure. When children are encouraged to use their creativity and imagination in learning, they pay more attention.

Children learn best when they are actively involved and feel as though they are a part of the process. Unlike the conventional method of being taught to, play-based activities make learning more visible.

If the maths lesson is going on, you may give beans or pebbles to the child for counting, addition & subtraction. For a phonics class, you may use music & sing rhymes for learning sounds. During a storytelling class, you may encourage the child to draw pictures of characters in the story. And, then narrate the story using those pictures.

Look out for creative ways to keep your child engaged during the class.

6- Rewards can make young children stay focussed

Appreciation has its own charm and kids love getting rewards. A simple hi-five or a hug can boost their spirit & confidence and encourage them to focus on the class. If they give a correct answer or sit attentively for some time, appreciate their efforts with any reward.

You have to be very patient, expecting a young child to sit in front of a laptop & take lessons is not practical at all. It will take a lot of effort and commitment from you as well. Be patient and keep encouraging your child.

7- Be there for your child, physically as well as mentally

As I mentioned about commitment in the above point, let me explain it a bit here. Most parents may think that all they have to do is sit with their children during the online class then definitely they got it all wrong. You may be sitting there but if your mind is somewhere else your mere presence will not serve any good purpose for your child.

One has to be completely involved with their child even if the teaching part is taken care of by the teacher. Parents, you have to ensure that the teaching gets converted into learning and in a way that works for your child.

One profoundly important factor here is you – your motivation, desire, and willingness to make the little jewels learn, will always work in your favour.

These are some ideas on how you can make young kids pay attention during a homeschool class. I hope you find these helpful. What are the struggles that you are facing during homeschool classes? Is there anything specific that is working for you & your child? Share your experience with me in the comments below.

If you find these ideas helpful, click the below icons and share this post so that it can reach maximum parents. Thank you!

The post How to make Young Kids pay Attention during Homeschool Classes? appeared first on Growing With Nemit.