Many of us believe that we have “home-schooled” our children through the pandemic. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Home schooling does not only involve sitting through zoom sessions and completing homework but also to actually teach the various subjects taught at school in any place other than a formal institution. Typically, a parent educates the child independently and unrestrictedly at home and does not conform to any requirements of online or offline school.

Home-schooling is a concept that has begun to gain momentum especially in Dubai, UAE since recent times. We, as a society give education great importance in life and want to ensure that our children get the very best. Sometimes, people find that the quality of leanings that is imparted in today’s schools is greatly lacking and is simply an exercise in curriculum completion. Whether the concept is clear or not to the student, is given secondary importance and is often overlooked as it is assumed that assistance in the form of “tuition at home” will be provided. In many cases, some parents feel positive about discontinuing this form of education and continuing the same at home so that their child may receive undivided concentration and they can respond more precisely to their individual strengths and weaknesses. Some parents see better educational opportunities as the child is not disturbed, inhibited or overwhelmed as they may be at a school. Health reasons, special needs as well as frequent travel as a family also are some of the reasons why a parent may prefer to home-school their child.

Switching from a formal educational institute to home-schooling can be a daunting decision. Where should you even start, particularly when it comes to creating an engaging and effective home-school curriculum. The best part of home-schooling is that you can proceed at your own pace and make a tailor-made curriculum to suit your child’s needs and aptitude. Nowadays, mammoth amount of information available on the internet can be used to your advantage to read about reviews as well as talk to other parents who share this journey.

It is of paramount importance that you invest in good quality resources such as books. Getting your child tested or assessed will also help you to determine where you should start. The Reading Eggs website can be of great help here as it has a fun test designed to look like a game board. This website is highly regarded in the Middle East and GCC’s in particular and is encouraged by schools. Children engage through fun activities and tools used by this site which are based on solid scientific research. It includes over 3000 online books with comprehension quizzes at the end. And the best part is that it allows the student to experience learning in their particular type of English (British, American or Australian).

Once you are ready with your assessment results and resources you should go about making a plan about how you are going to proceed. You can follow the recommended home-school curriculum guides, created by highly experienced primary school educators. Reading Eggs has detailed lesson outlines that cover all the essential literacy skills with fun learning games and automated progress reports to give you an insight into how your child is progressing.

Once you are ready with your assessment results and resources you should go about making a plan about how you are going to proceed. You can follow the recommended home-school curriculum guides, created by highly experienced primary school educators. Reading Eggs has detailed lesson outlines that cover all the essential literacy skills with fun learning games and automated progress reports to give you an insight into how your child is progressing. Another important fact to be stated here is that you do not need to be certified or have a formal qualification to home-school your child. You may follow one of various methods to go about this new task that you have undertaken. You may follow the same structured method with textbooks as followed by the schools, or you may prefer the philosophy of unschooling where everyday brings a new journey led by your child’s curiosity, passion and life experiences.

Mainly, always remember why you have undertaken this journey with your child and craft a nurturing home-learning environment.

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