We believe a child's education begins long before they enter a classroom. The truth is, our home is our children’s first school, and we are their most influential teachers. In a world where education is really significant, the role of parents as the first teachers cannot be overstated. The foundation of a child's learning journey begins at home, and we understand the critical importance of this early learning phase. Veda is dedicated not only to empowering educators but also parents to become the best teachers for their children even before they step foot into a school.

In this blog, we will be discussing different ways one can make their home the perfect learning foundation for their kids and make this process of lifelong learning a more enjoyable one. 

Turn everyday activities into mini adventures 

Let loose of your child and get them to explore. Whether it be the grocery stores or the family parks, let them go out and explore the vicinity so that they are comfortable with the environment around them. The surroundings will most certainly teach them something or the other. One interesting game you can play with your child while outside is a treasure hunt. You can let your child know what an apple looks like, and while visiting a grocery store, let them stroll around and find an apple for you. For that, you can use different elements that can be seen in the vicinity to teach your child some new words. 

Incorporate readings into daily life

Whether it be reading out bedtime stories or reading out the billboards while strolling on the roads, incorporating reading into daily life helps build the habit of reading from a very young age. Children learn words and language skills by listening to and engaging in stories, songs, and conversations. By reading aloud, sharing stories and singing with your child, you are helping them become familiar with words and sounds. This will develop early literacy skills and help them to go on to read successfully later in life. (source) Read out the texts you see and look at how fast your child will catch up to those words.

Embrace Play-Based Learning 

These days, many games allow children to think critically and exercise great imaginative powers. Make sure to use them in the most productive way possible to ensure the steady growth of your child. Building blocks, solving jigsaw puzzles, Rubix cube, etc., ignite critical thinking, creativity and problem-solving skills in children. This is an essential skill to learn and will definitely be a foundation for the children’s learning journey.

Ask open-ended questions and ignite curiosity 

Children are curious, and it is our responsibility to encourage that curiosity even more, how do we do that? By encouraging them to ask questions! Initiate asking questions first, let them answer, and teach them that asking questions is good. Then proceed to answer their curiosity too. Ask random open-ended questions like Why are the leaves falling? Or what sound does a cow make? And let them answer these questions in their creative way. This encourages them to understand the situation and makes them interested in the matter, too. 

Encourage and celebrate every step they take

Learning is a lifelong process, and you need to make sure that it feels rewarding to learn new things so the process never ends. Every small step that the children take, maybe flipping through the pages of a book, learning and using a new word or even just building a Lego house, just reward it so that they know that the path they are choosing is right, and they get encouraged to do more. It also gives them the feeling of accomplishment which further strengthens the foundation of the learning process.

Remember, you don’t need fancy tools to help children learn their first word, it is just about creating a warm, stimulating environment where your child feels safe to explore, ask questions and most importantly “Make Mistakes” (that is how we learn, right!). So, unleash the power of home learning! Your little one will be ready to shine when they finally step into that classroom, and you'll be amazed at how much they've already learned along the way.