Education is not just to teach kids how to read and write or just to make a scholar out of it, it is also about the holistic learning and development of the child, which prepares him for life.
In the current times, because of COVID-19, Educational Institutions have started online education. They are trying their best to cover all the aspects of education while designing study materials for online classes. But will that be suffice for the holistic development of children?
Well, let us see what else can we do at home to achieve holistic learning with Online Education.
Physical Activity
Physical Activity plays major role in the development of a child. That is the reason physical education and sports are made compulsory in Schools. But with e-learning it is not possible for schools to make it mandatory.
Then, how do we make sure our children are not deprived of physical activities when they are stuck inside the 4 walls of the abode?
- Include Exercise in their daily routine. Do it yourself and lead by example.
- Make exercising fun by including different varieties every day like one day dance, next day Yoga , another day walking and running combinations, etc.
- For small kids pretend play which includes some jumping and running around works well.
- Encourage them to play indoor games which involve lot of physical movements. For Ex: Jumping the rope, hula hoop, balloon games, treasure hunt,etc.
- If you live in a gated community and if it is safe to go outside, then take them for a quick walking, cycling, skating, etc during the day time when the people movement is less. This will give them exposure to sunlight which is very important for their healthy growth.
Related post on Importance of physical activities – Notes for Healthy Kids by Rujuta Diwekar
Emphasis on Family Bonding
Family bonding gives confidence and secure feeling to the children. It leaves positive impact on their development and well being.
In today’s busy world, especially in cities people complain about not having enough time to spend quality time with their children/families. Right? Well, make use of this time and create as many memories as possible.
What if you can’t go out on a family outing or to your favorite restaurant, still you can create those experiences at home for your kids. Some tips below:
- Block time on weekends to watch a movie with your kids. You can set up the room for it and include pop corn and chips (or any other favorite snacks) to give movie theater touch!
- Take your child on virtual tour of the places you wanted to visit and explain to them about those places, different culture, lifestyle, etc.
- Arrange candle light dinner to celebrate special occasions at home.
- Cook your kids favorite meal in restaurant style once in a while, so that they don’t have cravings to go outside and eat.
- Bake or cook with your children. Kids enjoy being little chefs.
- Play with your children, do crafts with them and don’t forget to tell them or read them lot of stories.
Keep them Connected to Outside World
As Aristotle said, “Man is a social animal”, so it is very important to keep your child connected with outside world, for their overall well being. If it is a single child then it is very very essential.
Help them to connect with their friends, relatives,etc. through telephone, emails and video calls regularly. Encourage them to discuss with their teachers and school friends about the study related matters.
You can even help them to write letters to their friends, cousins, teachers, etc and post it. If staying in apartments or gated community you can make them write letters to all of their friends within the premises and help them post it on their own. This activity not only connects them with their friends but also builds letter writing skills. It also gives them knowledge about one of the important means of communication used, before internet/telephone era.
Skills and Habit Building
Learning new skills always give confidence and feeling of accomplishment. Every new skill learned empowers them in the journey of being a successful individual later in life. So it is one of the very important thing to consider for holistic learning and development of the child!
Make best use of your time with the child and teach them new skills. It is sure to help them in building positive personality. Also, it increases their chance of getting better opportunities in the future.
Good habits developed early in life also play a vital role in shaping one’s personality. So make sure you use this time wisely to inculcate some in your kids.
Related Post – Effective Method to Inculcate Good Habits in Children
Curricular, Co-Curricular and Extracurricular
It is very important for our children to learn the skills of balancing Curricular, Co-Curricular and Extra-Curricular activities. Holistic learning is possible only when importance is given to all the three.
- Be very serious about the school schedules. Only then your child will take it seriously.
- Talk to your child and emphasize the importance of online education in current times.
- Make sure children understand the online lessons. Wherever required help them to reach out to their teachers.
- Help children to complete all the school activities on given time, may it be curricular or co-curricular.
- Encourage them to take part in Extra-Curricular activities. You may read about the importance of extra curricular activities here on yourstory.
