Home-school or Online Preschool - What is Suitable for Your Child?

Many of the parents, who have not enrolled their children in an online preschool, can hardly differentiate between a home-school and an Online Preschool. It is right that a child has to study in the comfort of their homes in both cases, but both types of schooling have a significant difference.

A parent must create the curriculum and serve as a full-time instructor for a home school, but an Online Kindergarten provides your child with access to an organised curriculum overseen by professional schools and mentors. In online schooling, only the mode of delivery switches from offline to online, the rest of everything remains the same. If you are confused about whether to choose online or home school for your child, the blog underneath defines the key differences.

Top 5 Significant Differences Between a Home-school and an Online Preschool

The early year education of your child is a crucial decision for their growth and development. Before you decide on their early year learnings, consider all the essential differences detailed in the resource below.

1. Experts Vs Beginners

Most of us know that a preschool does not have a predefined curriculum like formal education does. In every school, the R&D experts put significant efforts to decide on the curriculum that can ensure the holistic development of a child. So, when you enrol your child in an online preschool, you have a well-researched and age-appropriate curriculum designed by experts.

In contrast, in home schooling, parents begin teaching their children with no prior experience. The kits can be purchased from the market, but they will be too randomised. Your child will learn, but not in an organised manner. An expert is always better than a beginner.

Pro-Tip:If there is a choice, opt-in for organised online preschool over the fancy home schooling kits.

2. Social-Emotional Connect

The social-Emotional development of a child is restricted in home-schooling. A child will only stay with an activity kit and parents. On the contrary, in online classes, your child gets to interact with teachers and other children as well. The Best Online Preschools in India plan their activities that involve group learning so that a child gets a similar experience and exposure like that of offline preschool.

Pro-Tip:While choosing a Virtual Preschool, ensure that you choose live classes over pre-recorded sessions.

4. Involvement of Parents

Parents are already overburdened with home and job duties during the pandemic. In this instance, if you choose to home school your children, you are taking on a new task without any assistance. At an online school, the school makes 80% of the effort and needs 20% of the assistance from parents for a better learning experience. Furthermore, any of the parents (whoever is available at the time) can compel the child to attend their online classes. Early Year Home schooling, on the other hand, necessitates complete parental involvement. However, if a mother begins educating, she bears full responsibility because the father may not know where to begin, and vice versa.

Pro-Tip:You are already struggling to manage work-life balance during the pandemic. Spend time with your child, but don’t mix it with their learning.

To make your child competent, the holistic development of your child is essential, let the schools do their work

5. Feedback or Assessment of Your Child

When a teacher teaches a child, they provide unbiased feedback. Your child will have to undergo regular assessment from where it is easier to calculate the progress. In a home schooled environment, a parent is always biased towards their child, so it is difficult to calculate the genuine growth and progress of a child.

Pro-Tip:Assessment is equally important as that of learning, even during the early years. It’s better not to ignore it.

6. Continuity and Routine

Online Classes offer flexibility in timings for the convenience of parents but help to make a proper learning routine in a child. Just like going to school, the child gets ready and active in front of the screen without any disturbance for a dedicated period. While in homeschooling, it is challenging to maintain an uninterrupted routine. Either you cannot maintain regularity or punctuality. Children can often make excuses to parents but that can’t happen with teachers.

Pro-Tip:To ensure proper learning, regularity, revision, and assessment everything goes hand in hand. So, it is always advisable to go with online schooling over home-schooling.

Conclusion

Education nowadays comes with options. Parents, particularly in the early years, are not overly concerned with the school. Yet, before you make your decision, keep in mind that you must prepare your child for formal school. The above differences in an online preschool and home-school can undoubtedly help you seek the right decision.