Should you opt for schooling, homeschooling or unschooling for your kid? This is a major dilemma these days for all the parents. So, which one is best for your child and which should you choose?
When we think about children’s education, we usually categorise it into regular schooling and homeschooling specially during a pandemic. But, there also exists a third style of education, which is known as ‘unschooling’. Unschooling is an informal learning that advocates learner-chosen activities as a primary means for learning.
Unschoolers learn through their natural life experiences including play, household responsibilities, personal interests and curiosity, internships and work experience, travel, books, elective classes, family, mentors, and social interaction.This is a debatable topic among educators, parents, and researchers around the globe, that what’s best for kids!
If you are a parent, you need to consider the needs of your child and weigh up whether or not you can make the commitment, both financially and emotionally. The pros and cons of this type of schooling are varied and depend on each family. While there are a number of arguments both for and against homeschooling too, and it may not be the best option for everyone, there are a number of reasons why online education and homeschooling in India are excellent choices for many kids.
Unschooling has many drawbacks too. It lacks structure and knowledge systemization.The main disadvantage is missing out on crucial information because of the lack of an educational framework. Another negative is the potential for a lack of socializing as children do not have easy access to teachers and peers.
Gratitude
Gratitude is when we express appreciation and thanks for the good things in our lives. We can be thankful for the things we receive, the people who surround us, and the fun things we get to experience and do.
According to many psychological studies, grateful children tend to be happier, have better relationships, and report greater satisfaction in general. Studies also show that kids are less jealous, depressed, and materialistic than ungrateful kids.
Gratitude is an experience that has four parts:
- What we NOTICE in our lives for which we can be grateful
- How we THINK about why we have been given those things
- How we FEEL about the things we have been given
- What we DO to express appreciation in turn
Children may show more gratitude as they gain cognitive skills, collect practice with those skills, and begin to connect the NOTICE-THINK-FEEL parts of experiencing gratitude with the DO part of expressing gratitude!!
How can parents do that? By asking some questions.
Here are some examples of NOTICE-THINK-FEEL-DO questions parents may ask children about their gratitude experiences.
NOTICE: What have you been given or what do you already have in your life for which you are grateful? Are there gifts behind the material gifts for which you are grateful, like someone thinking about you or caring about you enough to give you the gift?
THINK: Why do you think you received this gift? Do you think you earned the gift because of something you did yourself? Do you think the gift was something the giver had to give you? If you answered no to these questions, then you may be more likely to be grateful!
FEEL: Does it make you feel happy to get this gift? What does that feel like inside? What about the gift that made you feel happy? These questions help the child connect their positive feelings to the gifts that they receive in their lives.
DO: Is there a way you want to show how you feel about this gift? Does the feeling you have about this gift make you want to share that feeling by giving something to someone else? Prompting children after experiences of gratitude in order to motivate acts of gratitude, whether they be acts of appreciation or paying it forward, may help children connect their experiences and actions in the world.
At Sun India Pre School, we understand the importance of inculcating gratitude from a young age and therefore, we focus on raising happy and grateful kids through our Gratitude and Mindfulness sessions!