Homeschooling: What You Need To Know About Educating Children At Home And How To Do It

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Home-schooling is educating children at home instead of sending them to a traditional public or private school. A parent or guardian typically does home-schooling, but it can also be done with the help of tutors or other educational professionals.

Homeschooling although a well-established and growing movement around the World. In India, though legal, the last estimated number is at most 1000 students. It has been gaining popularity in metros like Bangalore, Mumbai & Pune.

The Covid-19 pandemic changed the landscape of most of the things we know, and education was one of them. While many schools turned online. Many parents feel that online school cannot give their children the required attention.

In an exclusive conversation with Boldsky, a digital influencer, Jyotika Badyal helped us navigate and understand Home-schooling and how to do it.

Badyal has dawned many hats. Accomplished as Punjab's first female cast director, motherhood initiated another journey for her. When her little boy seemed ready to learn more, instead of opting for pre-schools as most parents would, she decided to homeschool her son Kabir. A conscious parent, through her insta handle "tintinkabacha", also shares her journey to inspire, motivate and help many struggling parents.

Q1. What is homeschooling as per you? Is unschooling the same thing as home-schooling?

A. Homeschooling is educating your child at home rather than physically enrolling them in a physical school/institution. Instead of teachers, parents are in charge of directing/teaching them. With children, parents figure out the structure, and curriculum they'll follow to educate them. However, unschooling is completely child-led and directed.

Q2. Why did you decide on homeschooling?

A. Every child is unique, and in the early years, more than academic education, they need to feel physically & emotionally safe, loved and cared for, and with patience and secure attachment. They need someone who can adapt to their pace and handle their tantrums and meltdowns, which are age appropriate and developmentally normal, with calm and empathy. Someone who can practice conscious and responsive communication with them while answering their endless curious questions and inquiries.

I knew expecting a school to do all this was unrealistic, so I homeschooled him for preschool years. He's learning at his pace without any pressure, and he's doing good.

Q3. Would you continue home-schooling beyond the preschool years? If yes, what is the process? Do we need to register somewhere?

A. Very honestly, I haven't thought about it yet. I am taking baby steps and still figuring out if I can do this beyond preschool-one step at a time.

Q4. Is there an education pedagogy you follow while homeschooling like Montessori etc.?

A. I don't. It won't be wrong to say that I also follow the unschooling method while homeschooling. What I mean is that I watch and observe his interest and try to create/teach/guide him around that subject most of the time. We do many nature dates and visit exhibitions/museums/theatres/parks in our city. I take advantage of teachable and natural opportunities that arise while walking, going veggie/grocery shopping/reading/watching something together. We primarily follow the play learning method. Because the job of a toddler is to play and not study. And learning can happen while playing. Learning happens all the time if we pay attention to it.

Q5. Where can one find the resources to home-school?

A. We live in the digital age, and everything is available online! There are so many online educational platforms where you can buy nursery/pre-nursery/learning/math/grammar/ science kits/binders, and then you can use them at your convenience and your child's pace. A lot of platforms are offering online classes for phonics/grammar/Hindi phonics/arts/maths as well for this age group, so there's no dearth of resources at all.

Q6. How do you meet the socialisation need of the child in a home-schooling set-up? Does it get limited vis-à-vis a non-home-school?

A. As I mentioned that going to parks/libraries/public places/ play areas is part of homeschooling. So is meeting people be it friends/relatives, and organising play dates. Homeschooling doesn't mean that the child is confined to a home! It's just that he doesn't go to school, but he does all other things that any toddler who attends regular school does. He gets enough social exposure that's needed for his age, I believe, and his social skills are good.

Q7. Is the child able to differentiate between school-at-home and home-at-home? How to drive consistency?

A. Since he's only 3.3 yrs old so it's more like home at home for us for now. We do follow a rhythm for consistency and not any strict schedule. So in a day we usually do some activity that he can choose ( I offer choices a lot of) in the first half of the day and the second half is all about free play and nature walk and we end the day with book readings.

Q8. How difficult is it for a child to transition from home school to college/career/school?

A. Like any Transition, it would be a significant one, I think. One would need time to adjust to his/her new environment, and it might take a few weeks or months. But If the change is child initiated (at least for school), the transition would be easier. If you are homeschooling your child beyond preschool years, then maintain a detailed record of the curriculum used for the entire year. You can opt for a standardised test like the National Institute of Open Learning. If you are certain that your child is going to attend a school after a few years of homeschooling then you can enrol her/him in an online school a year before going to public school to smooth the transition.

Q9. One of the cons often quoted for home-schooling is potential parent/caregiver burnout. Your thoughts?

A. Oh, 100% you feel that on some days, but I guess it's choice and with the choice comes the privilege of taking a break as and when we want and for however long! We don't have to submit an application or send a note to anyone for taking a day or two off!

Q10. Any advice to parents considering this as an option?

A. If you have the time, energy and will to do it, just do it. Homeschooling preschoolers is not at all difficult. They are in this wonderful stage of life where they naturally want to learn and ask unending questions. They want to try things on their own, which can be intimidating for parents but give them the space to explore and experiment under your watch.

1. Focus on the play as play is the most important part of their learning
2. Follow a routine and create a rhythm
3. Involve them in daily activities and simple house chores
4. Explore outdoors, be it nature walks, or collecting flowers/leaves/twigs/rocks!
5. Do field trips to the zoo, museums, traffic parks, fire stations, railway and bus stations, market trips, and grocery shopping.
6. Do role play and storytelling
7. Lastly, don't forget to enjoy the mess they'll create while learning at home.. click a lot of pictures to save those precious memories.