Many parents are opting to skip on enrolling their children in traditional schools, especially with the threat of the pandemic. Instead, they are taking this responsibility into their own hands through homeschooling. There are many benefits to homeschooling your children—more effective and efficient learning, better focus on specific learning needs, and the ability to customize the curriculum.
6 Reasons to Homeschool Your Toddler
Aside from these, homeschooling can help improve your child’s well-being. With the right materials, approaches, and homeschool tips, the benefits your child may reap include:
1. Encourage independent behavior
Through homeschooling, toddlers can assert themselves and make decisions that affect their studying and learning. This can cover almost all aspects of the learning process—from curiosity on the subject matter to what kind of materials they want to study from.
Additionally, this format of learning allows your child to build intrinsic motivation and better decision-making skills without having to rely on others. Depending on the curriculum, this behavior can even be coupled with essential life skills, like a strong sense of self and critical thinking.
2. Create a safe space for your child
In the wrong hands, traditional schooling can stifle education rather than encourage it. The wrong school may be unable to encourage children properly to learn or even give them additional stress. Negative peer pressure and bullying can also be potential sources of anxiety or stress for your child.
Homeschooling allows you to reduce these negative feelings and influences by giving you and your child control of the learning environment.
If your child has special needs—such as learning disabilities or attention disorders—or is exploring their identity more, you can rest assured that your home provides the necessary support and space for them.
3. Empower the child’s learning style and progress
Much of traditional schooling is group-based, which means that all students will be given the same materials to study, learn from the same curriculum, and taught in the same manner. This not only makes learning challenging for children who don’t align with the set learning style but also can discourage them from their studies.
Homeschooling empowers your child by allowing them to have more control over the kinds of materials they want to study with, how they learn lessons, and the pace of learning. This can also be beneficial for children who want more challenging lessons beyond their recommended grade level.
4. Foster growth in the learning environment
Traditional schools may have more rigid structures and standards for “success” in the classroom. Homeschooling can be a healthier alternative that encourages growth of any kind in the learning process.
A learning environment that emphasizes growth helps your child understand that mistakes are natural and are often necessary to learn and improve. The right system can even help expand your child’s definition of success and reward their efforts in a meaningful way.
At the end of the day, they will be working towards learning and acquiring knowledge and skills, rather than to get high grades on their report card.
5. Offer an accessible network of support
Homeschooling allows your child to spend more time with you, their family, and other loved ones present at home. This allows you to strengthen your bonds as a family further and encourage healthy social connections.
Aside from providing comfort and a sense of security to your child, developing these familial relationships gives them direct access to people who will support and affirm them throughout their educational journey. It also presents more opportunities to create more memories through various activities.
6. Encourage an interest in learning
Often, traditional education puts an emphasis on learning for the sake of passing tests or making the grade. This can cause a disconnect between the student and the material being learned. Homeschooling turns this around by centering learning on your child’s needs and interests.
Using fun and dynamic activities to drive lessons home, associating lessons with enjoyable topics or other familiar information, and learning through context are just some of the ways that a genuine interest in learning can be cultivated.
Inquiry-based learning techniques can also be incorporated into the curriculum to better train a child’s inquisitive mind into improved critical thinking. Aside from these techniques, being able to put more focus on topics that your child is stronger at can help build their confidence and carry a more positive attitude towards acquiring knowledge.
A Better Learning Experience at Home
Children have great learning potential, especially in their younger years. By opting to homeschool your kids, you can both push them into reaching their full potential while ensuring that their development and well-being are secured.
The key to successfully uplifting their homeschooling experience is to ensure that there is ample research done to create a curriculum that is both educational and engaging. There must also be careful observation and communication between you and your child to maximize both of your efforts in the learning process.
BY TECHIE MAMMA