Adapt. Evolve. Create. Homeschooling is a detailed operation that requires you, as a parent, to be one step ahead of things. Sorry, but you can’t take one day as it comes when it comes to this subject. And that’s why we started things off with the abovementioned three words - internalise these golden words when it comes to creating the perfect home school setup. What we’ve quickly come to realise is that the traditional children’s bedroom is just not going to cut it. All this while, children’s rooms gave priority to sleep and play, with an elemental focus on studies, now, that’s going to drastically change. The order is now, sleep, study and play. The school now comes home, is your home equipped to handle things?

 

 

STAYING CONNECTED!

 

Payal Karumbiah, Founder, The Baby Atelier gets right to it, “The biggest change parents will see in their children’s lives in this time of homeschooling is the lack of interaction with their peer group. This is especially hard for kids who are currently experiencing social isolation from any children their age. Since a child’s surroundings have a very large impact on how they grow and develop, it is important to rebuild a kid’s room that encourages comfort, creativity, and fun. Build the room around the child’s likes and dislikes so they have a sense of belonging and familiarity.”

 

Payal also shares with us, "Changes need to be made in a way that can handle the wear and tear of long-time usage. Work smart, work efficiently...this should be the mantra you are going for."

Payal Karumbiah, Founder, The Baby Atelier Homeschooling

 

FURNITURE & STORAGE

 

Rooms that enable growth, now this is the need of the hour…not rooms that are primarily aesthetic and easy on the eye. While multi-functional furniture and storage are the obvious starting points, we are only just about scratching the surface. Rohina Anand-Khira, Owner, AA Living, says, “A clutter-free room is important when creating a setup able enough for homeschooling. The reason for a minimal space design is to avoid the evils of distractions… children have such vivid imaginations and it doesn’t take much to get their minds to digress. Furniture that addresses a purpose, and storage that keeps the extras out of sight during study time…keep this in mind, it’ll help in the longrun..” And boy, it’s going to be a long run alright!

 

Rohina shares a very interesting insight, "If you are aware of the Marie Kondo philosophy, of decluttering, the kid's room is one place you need to channel that. Discard the extras and only keep the essentials...this wille ensure focus, safety and ample of space for playtime."

 

Rohina Anand-Khira, Owner, AA LivingHomeschooling

 

TECH-ABLE

 

And that’s precisely what we mean. Homeschooling is not just between you as a parent and your little one, it involves a tech-heavy system that is interactive between teacher and student. Technology and its gadgetry are going to become intrinsic to addressing the educational requirements of children. A lot is going to depend on tech, to ensure connectivity and engagement. The trick is to ensure all the technology-based additions follow safety requirements and serve dual purposes. Printers, computers with anti-glare screens, headphones, speakers, a strong Wi-Fi setup…these are the basics, but there are more.

 

 

ENGAGING ADDITIONS

 

We go back to Rohina, “While traditionally, the children’s room was a space to encourage creative thought and expression…now more than ever it is important to keep the distractions at bay! Creating a room with a school-room vibe will stimulate your little one’s mind and help them focus on studying.” This might sound serious and stuffy, but Rohina is quick to make an excellent suggestion - Activity boards (read: chalkboards, pinboards, whiteboards, etc), will introduce that certain school-vibe to the room. This feature will also share more ideas that will encourage and nurture the traditional sense of a school.

 

PERSONALISE THE ROOM

 

The design of your child’s room cannot afford to be monotonous. Shake things up. Architect Keta Shah of Workshop Inc says, “There are many ways to design a kid’s room to be fun and playful without making it according to a particular theme. Kids tend to grow out of themes very fast, and if they like a character or a theme, then it's best to invest in a theme-based accent piece that can be replaced once that fascination is over. Similarly, pops of colours can be added with the soft furnishings, cushions, art or loose furniture pieces, to make it cheerful. If the walls and fixed furniture is in a neutral colour, it will make it easy for you to change the look of the room without spending a bomb.”

 

A project by Workshop Inc, an architecture and interiors design firm.Homeschooling

Children's furniture available at Flipkart.Homeschooling

Children's furniture available at Flipkart.Homeschooling

Children's furniture available at Flipkart.Homeschooling

Keta adds, "Certain elements can be designed with the focus of keeping children occupied - chalkboards, activity walls or pegboards. These get children excited about learning from home. And the design itself can be planned in a way that evolves with your growing child."

 

Architect Keta Shah, Co-Founder, Workshop Inc. Homeschooling

 

INVEST IN ESSENTIALS

 

Ruchira Nahata, Influencer & Blogger, @mommy_fiesta, and a young mother to a two-year-old gives us tips for toddlers. “Invest in a wall blackboard sticker or a wall hanging where we can show and teach them various concepts. Get a lot of chart paper and draw and make flashcards which work wonders for their right brain activation. With the help of pom-poms and candy sticks, we can do a lot of activities with them eg, number counting, colour sorting, sticking, water activities with pom-pom like transferring. Get a tray where you can do a lot of sensory activities with paints, water, animals, birds and ice. We can use coloured rice, grains and pasta for scooping, transferring, mixing, sensory play setups. We need colours and paints for learning though play way.” Sounds like a lot of fun!

 

 

THE PLAN: REPLAN THE ROOM

We ask Ruchira this, here’s what she has to say… “In terms of re-planning, try to stick to muted, soft pastels, it soothes the eyes of a child. Keep things in a fun way and rotate the toys. Get small shelves with partition and get a small study table and chair. Keep one wall for only studying so the kid knows this is where I will learn new things from. Remove your beautiful artefact or showpiece which might hurt the kid. Put colourful play mats where you can sit and do homeschooling.” This is in regard to toddlers, but what about the older children? Rohina's advice, invest in lumbar-supporting pieces of furniture – a chair that is flexible with back support at a 90-degree angle, is one of the most important investments for an older child when it comes to homeschooling.

 

We end this feature on a very poignant reflection by Keta, “We are already seeing a shift in the way residences are designed due to the pandemic. Home schooling movement has been gaining recognition for some time now, with its focus on individual learning and development. Kids rooms are being designed to accommodate all their needs of living, learning and playing. We are seeing this thought percolating from the larger bungalows to even smaller apartments, and parents are giving a lot of thought into creating enriching environments for their kids within the home itself.”