Parents who have taken the decision to home-school their children in the last decade or so find themselves in a comfortable space, thanks to the exponential growth in technology. The anxiety over where these resources are available was always a factor while considering the decision. Well, not anymore.

The access to the internet, applications and the growth of start-ups creating user friendly applications decoding complex mathematical or scientific principles, is not only being used in classrooms across the country but in fact becomes reliable resources for parents or tutors working with children at home. Developed by ex IIM graduates whose aim is to make subjects ‘fun’ for children, these applications make learning fun and effective for children.

San Diego based First in Math (FIM) or the local Byju’s, on line Phonic programmes such as Jolly Phonics to on line reading and writing skill tasks (ABC) accessible as free websites makes life easy for educators and parents.

Facebook is trending with free websites related to age specific and curriculum dedicated resources and tips, and organised dash boards such as Pinterest make it easy to learn from each other.

The emergence of on line professional development courses for those educating children at home such as KA EduAssociates catering to the curriculum needs of teachers on the go or stay at home mums, makes life easy for parents who also wish to understand ‘how’ to teach and not simply avail resources for their children’s learning needs. The intent is to customise learning for their child and therefore having the right approach is also critical.

Webinars, on line discussion groups, forums, etc. makes FAQs also easily addressed and it is incredible what digitalisation has created today in terms of resources.

Today be it Airtel or Tatasky, satellite providers host ‘games’ and educational resources loaded on to the sets making learning more hands on and fun.

Imagine installing a 3D printer for your child in your own home or enrolling him for his own private lego simulation – there are so many resources waiting to implement the learning offered by the book.

The point of learning is always to create an understanding and with that in time an application and a relevance, and therefore with the rich availability of these across multimedia makes the teaching learning process an easy one.

Homeschooling has now become easier. If only it could include social skills, ability to engage and learn from peers and other important life skills, home schooling may appeal to a lot more parents.

The authors are Fatima Agarkar and Gitika Kishanchandani, co-founders, KA EduAssociates.

Also Read: 53% Indian students comfortable with online learning: survey