HYDERABAD: D Swetha, a mother of a three-year-old, is not worried one bit about not being able to put her son in a playschool due to the ongoing pandemic. She wants him to ‘just be’ and learn whatever he wants to.
“Due to this pandemic, we were thinking of what can be done to ensure that my son does not miss out on his early stages of learning. We did some research, spoke to people and found out about early childhood education practices. It is fun and engaging and through this, my son easily learnt the English alphabet, rhymes, names of things, colors, colouring, manners and other basics. We will continue with this format this year till schools reopen and we are comfortable sending him out,” says the proud mother.
Early education has found many takers in the city during the pandemic. In this format, the child does not undergo formal teaching till the age of five, sometimes even eight. They are given the liberty to learn whatever they want and explore their creativity. This format was even endorsed by actor Samantha in a video posted on her Instagram page recently. “What you learn by the age of five stays with you your entire life,” she is heard saying in the video.
Like Swetha, Y Sandeep was also worried for his four-year-old son as he could not send him to playschool. But with a little research, he came across some innovative learning kits and ideas to engage his son in fun activities. “I figured that my son was learning by himself at home. He took interest in the garden and we taught him the names of vegetables, colours of flowers.
To instill discipline in him, we take the help of technology -- we map out his routine on our phones, lock the games and apps for a few hours every day, and set an alarm for him to water the garden,” he says. Mukta Khurana, co-founder and director of Ekam Early Learning Centre, speaks about the importance of encouraging a child to be creative at this tender age. “The early years are the foundation years and learning should not stop during this period. Parents should be involved in the learning and make it fun.”