Essential Tips for New Homeschooling Parents | 2025 Indian Homeschooling | Part 2

Part 1 continued… click here to read part 1 of this article

I have presented my research, insights, and the reasoning behind my decision to homeschool our daughter based on her present circumstances.

Homeschooling is not an easy task it can be made functional only when the mother and father of the child come forward together to shape their child’s future. 

1. How to create a Homeschool schedule That Works:
(PRE-PRIMARY)

At first, I was overwhelmed with anxiety about how to start homeschooling our daughter. There were moments when I completely lost my patience trying to create a schedule for her, leading to arguments with my husband. I felt despondent and directionless. As days went by, our daughter was also healing from her health issues. I spent sleepless nights contemplating how to support her during this challenging time. One thing I was certain of was that Lord Shri Balaji Vishnu would always support me. Homeschooling, I realized, doesn’t adhere to a strict timetable. It took me seven years to find a school that would foster our daughter’s holistic growth, only to learn later that this was an illusion. Many parents, including myself, have come to see that investing large sums in education can often feel like a scam. I take it upon myself to teach my daughter a wide range of skills, from survival and emergency preparedness to moral values, academics, life skills, love, relationships, nature, spirituality, and maintaining a healthy body and mind. The most rewarding moment was when our daughter said to me, ‘Amma, I just want to be like you!’ She has faith in me and believes that if she can achieve what I have, she will find fulfillment.

“Her belief inspires me to persist in

finding the best solutions for her needs,

ensuring a peaceful and successful life.” ———————–x————————

2. How to Select the Right Curriculum for Homeschooling

We enrolled our daughter in a school that follows the CBSE-IB curriculum. With my analysis on which educational board would best support her future degree pursuits, I felt confident in our choice. Having been raised in Mumbai and completing my education there, along with gaining experience at several esteemed companies in the city, I undertook extensive research on different educational boards and curricula to determine which would be most suitable for her considering both life and career. This process was challenging, as providing informal education can be daunting for any parent. Ultimately, it falls on the parent or the appointed caretaker to consistently oversee the child’s learning needs. As they grow, they will face their own challenges, and all we can do is support them through every situation. I firmly believe that with our backing, they will navigate their paths successfully.

———————–x————————

3. How to Support Your Child’s Learning at Home

It took me approximately four months to determine how to create a timetable for her. I would propose ideas, but she often seemed uninterested. Her typical response was to question everything: ‘Why this? Why that?’ What stands out about her is her maturity and intelligence for her age; she values her time and energy. As a passionate art enthusiast, she is both creative and attuned to her environment, articulating her thoughts and feelings with clarity. Child’s interest towards exploring and curiosity along with the ability to get her/his concerns clarified is the key solution to be sure that self-learning will work out.  

She possesses remarkable creativity for her age, and as a professional, I can confidently attest to this. You can witness her artistic journey on her Instagram page @shakticreativo, showcasing the type of art enthusiast she is at such a young age. Our daughter expressed dissatisfaction with the current school system, yet her curiosity and eagerness to learn new things shone through. She is a joyful, proactive girl who believes in lifelong progress rather than temporary achievements. Therefore, we supported her by providing all the necessary resources for her choices. I regularly discussed every update with my husband and consulted qualified experts and friends who consistently encouraged my approach towards this initiation. Currently, we are aligning our approach with her interests and preferences, considering she is only 7 years old as of 2025. I have taken charge of her academic needs, as she is still unaware of the role that how academics is going to contribute in her future! 

———————–x————————

4. Reasons We Chose Homeschooling for Our Daughter

Given her persistent health challenges caused by environmental factors, we prioritized her well-being. Over time, she realized the importance of continuous learning, regardless of the subject. At this point, I sought opportunities that foster education and a solid understanding of fundamental concepts. One day, my husband and I discussed the key factors to ensure we could confidently move forward with our decision. I consistently reminded my daughter of what she might miss out on, and she accepted it without any issues because at this point our daughter was extremely exhausted and she just wanted learning to fun. After analyzing, I recognized that the key elements essential for keeping a child enthusiastic about school were entirely absent. I felt discontent with the existing educational framework, especially for early learners. My husband offered his support but cautioned me about the potential stress involved. Nevertheless, I felt compelled to move forward for the sake of my family’s welfare, despite exploring every possible avenue.

———————–x————————

5. Essential Tips for New Homeschooling Parents

1. In most cases, homeschooling or home education is primarily conducted by parents, and there is a rationale behind this.
2. Upon choosing to homeschool, I took into account the academic and extracurricular needs that would benefit both her and our family.
3. In this way we were going one step at a time. We were staying in an apartment, and since it was an emergency call over homeschooling, we were lacking in some of the resources that would suit my daughter’s requirements.
4. I will ensure that I do not compromise on any aspects during this crucial learning phase and will fully commit to providing her with appropriate exposure and alternatives.
5. We were lacking in vitamin D from the sunbathing time. Which was important according to me because that helps with physical fitness for growing child. Evenings we both would go for walking under sun that also encourages bonding between parents-children.
6. In our high-rise apartment all our balconies were flooded with sun, and we would adjust to that for the time being just by sitting out on balconies on days we can’t go for walk.
7. I would ask my daughter to do soft workouts along my side every morning. This way our physical activity was balanced. On weekends and holidays, we would leave for the lush green park early in the morning for running, playing and nature observation.
8. Daytime used to be watching valuable movies, exploring art and craft, having healthy meals, and resting for while and being in a fast-paced city, time would just slip out of our hands.
9. Every evening I take our daughter to a hobby class that I had customized with a very talented artist. There is dance and music alongside on weekdays.
10. Weekends I would plan a field trip or, say, an observational case study for our daughter. We would take her to places where she can learn real-life skills and understand the world in a broader prospect.
11. There were many benefits to homeschooling: her health was 100% fine, she was happy and extremely productive, she learned how to read a clock, and she learned how to stitch. How to cut different vegetables and identify the quality of food by its expiration. She learned about community helpers that do the needful in a day and how to respond to them. She understands how to save and spend money except when she comes across her favorite toys, and that’s ok. She learned spirituality and how important it is to have faith in life. She learned the cultural importance. At this point, everything was settled. But it is no easy task to get a child educated from home. It is a project of, say, 23 years minimum. with the mother being working its even more challenging.
12. As far as academics are concerned, I follow NCERT syllabus and choose books from various publication that cover the basic syllabus according to NIOS guidelines. In order to make learning fun for our daughter, i customize and create my own worksheets for her. It only requires 15 minutes for my daughter to cover up one lesson in terms of writing and 10-15 minutes for a 2 page reading.
13. She is a learner with good English-speaking skills with an Oxford Level V for her age (7 yr old). Because I kept her first language as English in her life right since she was born. I was sure that would be beneficial in the long run.

The educator needs courage, patience and sound health throughout this journey.

———————–x————————

6. FUN Activities for Homeschooling Families

1. Make as many trips as you can. We have been traveling since our graduation days. I and my husband, even before our marriage, would go on solo trips and with friends. So we love to travel a lot, and our daughter learns so many things from travel that no school can teach.
2. I am available the whole day for our daughter. Due to my husband’s work schedule, he hardly has time to spend any time with her on workdays. That caused a negative impact on my daughter’s growth. So it was a strict rule for my husband to at least spend time before her bedtime with her. father’s time plays a crucial role too.
3. We take her to indoor play zones, PlayStation, and the park; we play in the garden with her; I schedule a playdate with her friends and we keep taking turns inviting and attending friends’ places. This tackles her socialization time.
4. She spends time with my colleagues and friends and my husband’s also. where she gets to interact with grown-ups. We plan on trips so she gets to play with them. Here you get to know whether the child feels confident or shy.
5. Playing some taskful games with her, playing together as family, introducing her to science kits that is readily available in the market as per their age, introducing her to various safe adventurous activity is some real task for me out of my busy schedule.
6. Sometimes i allow her to go through her boredom. Boredom makes you realize your potential and with available resources i help her achieve her inspiration.
7. Giving her the liberty and assistance to explore her passion for art and crafts keeps her occupied for 1/3rd of the day.
8. Encouraging her to engage in easy cooking like making maggi for herself, bread sandwich, making milk, cutting some easy salads and fruits are ll something she loves. cooking is a real life survival lesson that if a child feels confident we must encourge considering all precautions. (No need to introduce them to gas stove until 10 yr old)
9. Considering her age regarding her safety and security with the generation we got today and type of things happening around, i keep a close monitor with our daughter yet by not disturbing her space too much ensuring that she feels a sense of security in her childhood phase. with time this will benefit the child in many ways. introducing her to various exposure considering these facts and teaching them with experiences.
10. Inviting your neighbours kids on playdate. Make friendships as a family that will benefit not just one person but as a whole fmily together. Being mindful in choosing and spending time with the friendships builds trust and quality of living for ourself.
11. I prepre a study timetable for her. 30 minutes of academics, 1 hour of play, 1 hour of creativity in art, 15 minutes of reading, 15 minutes of writing, and the rest of the time she would just pass the time the way she wants. Playing, reading, hobbies, television and internet (under parental control) is all part of the fun activities. But my ears are active, and my eyes are monitoring wherever necessary. We study only 4 days a week. with fun days, celebrating festivals and events, and many more to say. This much is enough initially at this age for her.

———————–x————————

My vlog features our lifestyle journey.
1. Monisha’s Memoir on Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/@monishamemoir1256

My vlog features our homeschooling journey.
2. Homeschooling India – Life of Ammu & Amma on Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/@homeschoolingindiasmd/shorts

The initial days of our homeschooling that started during covid-19 lockdown days links:-

CONTINUE READING PART 3 OF THIS ARTICLE
(CLICK HERE)

Monisha C.